Finding Places on a Map

Maps | Standard Lesson

Grade 2 Social Studies Maps Standard Lesson Challenging Professional 6 Views

Professional Lesson Plan

Finding Places on a Map

Maps | Standard Lesson

GradeGrade 2

SubjectSocial Studies

TopicMaps

Duration60 Minutes

Lesson TypeStandard Lesson

DifficultyChallenging

Lesson Overview

Students will learn that maps represent real places and help people find locations. They will practice using map features such as title, symbols, and a simple key to identify places in a classroom and school map.

Learning Objectives

Identify a map as a picture of a place.
Use a map title, symbols, and key to locate places.
Describe where a place is using simple directional words such as near, next to, and behind.
Create and use a simple map of a familiar space.

Materials Needed

Large classroom map or school map
Chart paper or board
Markers
Student crayons or pencils
Blank paper or map template
Sticky notes
Simple classroom objects to map
Exit ticket slips

Vocabulary

Term	Definition
map	A drawing that shows where places are located.
title	The name of a map that tells what place it shows.
symbol	A picture on a map that stands for something real.
key	A part of a map that explains what the symbols mean.
location	Where something is found.
direction	A word that helps tell where something is.

Lesson Sequence

Warm-Up: What Is a Map?10 minutes

Teacher Actions

Show a familiar map and ask students what they notice. Introduce the idea that maps are pictures of real places and help people find locations.

Student Actions

Observe the map, share ideas, and name places they recognize.

Mini Lesson: Map Parts15 minutes

Teacher Actions

Model title, symbols, and key on a simple classroom map. Think aloud about how each part helps us understand the map.

Student Actions

Point to the title, match symbols to real objects, and repeat the meaning of key vocabulary.

Guided Practice: Read a Map Together15 minutes

Teacher Actions

Display a simple school or classroom map. Ask questions that require students to identify locations using the key and directional words.

Student Actions

Answer questions, locate places on the map, and explain their thinking using vocabulary.

Independent Practice: Create a Mini Map15 minutes

Teacher Actions

Have students draw a simple map of the classroom or another familiar space with a title and at least three symbols with a key.

Student Actions

Create their own map, label features, and use the key to show what each symbol means.

Share and Review5 minutes

Teacher Actions

Invite a few students to share their maps and explain one symbol and one location.

Student Actions

Present their work and listen respectfully to classmates.

Support

Provide a partially completed map with symbols already placed.
Use picture cards for vocabulary support.
Allow students to work with a partner for the independent map.
Offer sentence frames such as 'The ___ is next to the ___.'
Keep the map space simple with only a few locations to reduce confusion.

Challenge

Ask students to include a compass rose or simple arrows for direction.
Have students write two or three location sentences using map vocabulary.
Challenge students to compare two maps and tell how they are alike and different.
Ask students to create a map key with more than three symbols.

Checks for Understanding

Ask: What does the title tell us?
Ask: How does the key help us read a map?
Ask students to find one place on the map using a symbol.
Listen for correct use of location words during partner talk.
Review student maps for a title, symbols, and a key.

Closure

Review the lesson by asking students to name one map feature and explain how it helps people. Reinforce that maps are tools for finding places and understanding where things are located.

Assessment

Students will be assessed through teacher observation during guided practice and by reviewing the completed mini map for a title, symbols, and a key that matches the locations shown. An exit ticket will ask students to identify one map part and describe one place using a location word.

Homework

Draw a simple map of a room in your home and add a title, at least three symbols, and a key.