Kindergartners on the Map

Target Curriculum: History and Social Science

Target Grade: K

SOLs: HSS.K.2   HSS.K.3   HSS.K.4   HSS.K.8  
Time: 15 - 20 minutes per lesson

Objective:
Objective:
The students will become aware of maps and their uses.
The students will interpret maps using appropriate vocabulary such as: north, south, east, west, near, far, beside,
The students will be able to identify Virginia on a map of the United States.
The students will identify some simple map symbols.

Purpose:
Purpose:
These activities are designed to help kindergartners to understand what a map is and how it is used in a developmentally appropriate and meaningful way.

Materials:
Materials:
-maps of familiar places such as the school, stores, museums
-a city map
-a variety of maps of Virginia (placemats, books)
-maps of the United States, large and simple, if possible
-pens, pencils, crayons, or markers
-manipulatives such as game pieces, model cars, boats, and the like
-overhead or data projector
-books on maps: Me On the Map by Joan Sweeney, My Global Address by Tamara Nunn (Creative Teaching Press publishes this one and several others)
-large white paper

Procedure:
Procedures:
Begin with a map of the school. Enlarge the map, make a transparency and use an overhead, or project with a data projector so the whole class can see it. Point out areas of the school with which the children are familiar. Create a key of symbols or color coding to mark these areas. Use your fingers to “walk” the children to these areas. Discuss directions. Provide individual maps and have the children use the maps during a walk around the school. Label the children’s hands with “l” and “r” and discuss left and right turns as you tour the building. Explain the purpose of a school map.

Next introduce maps of other familiar places. Some stores, such as Farm Fresh and Target, have maps. Use the above methods to discuss these maps.

Read books on maps such as: Me On the Map by Joan Sweeney, My Global Address by Tamara Nunn (Creative Teaching Press)

Give each child a city map. Highlight the school. Have the children take the map home and highlight the route they take to get from home to school. Suggest to parents that they drive this route when working on the map.

Next introduce a maps of Virginia. Kindergartners will do best with simple maps. Placemats can be great for this. Mark the city or county your school is in, familiar rivers, mountains and places discussed in Social Studies. Introduce the compass rose. Use manipulatives to “drive” in different directions to reach the ocean, the mountains, and so on. Introduce map keys and show basic symbols such as the symbol for the state capital, lakes, and mountains. Give each child a map of Virginia so they can mark the spot where their city is located.

Next show a simple road map. Discuss its purpose. Discuss the symbols on the key used by drivers.

Next introduce a map of the United States. Point out Virginia and discuss its shape (triangular) and location. It is helpful to use several maps and to point out that Virginia is not always shown in the same color on every map. If possible use a map that is large enough for children to stand on. I have a carpet in my room that is a U.S. map. The children can stand on the states to count them and when discussing where other states are in relation to Virginia. For example, when a student went skiing in Colorado, I had a child stand on Virginia and another child stood on Colorado. We discussed the distance and the fact that he flew there. Another child had gone to North Carolina so we compared the distance and discussed why her family was able to drive there. Our elementary school has a U.S. map painted on the blacktop area. This is wonderful for outdoor activities. Give each child a U.S. map. I use pads of U.S. maps which can be bought at the teacher’s store. Have the children mark our state on the map.

Observations:
Observations:
I found that maps really interested the children. These activities helped them to understand the purposes and uses of maps. The children began to collect and bring in maps on their own. During this study, I like to use a playmat that has streets on it. The children enjoy creating a town with blocks and cars and then drawing it on paper to make their own maps.

Conclusions:
My students became very interested in and aware of maps as a result of this unit. I assigned an at home project to culminate the unit. Each child was asked to create a map of his room, his home, his yard, or his street. They could use any methods they chose. The maps were as varied as the children and delightful. They even included things like the dog's bed, friend's houses, and their swingset. Some maps were even 3 dimensional!