Maps

• Social Studies
• Age 5

Lesson: Reading maps

What are you going to learn?

In this lesson you will learn how to:

• notice common symbols on a map
• identify maps and what they are used for
• identify what a map key is

Look at this map!

What is this? 

What is it used for?

What do the symbols mean?  

How do we know which way the map goes? 

Symbol: a picture, color, or shape that represents something. 

Ex: tree = park              OR         tree = tree 

Key: a box on a map that shows symbols to help people read maps. It tells what the symbols mean.

Look at the map again.

Ask students what symbols they see that could go in the key. 

How did you do? 

Restate the symbols and what they stand for on the map. 

How do we read a map?