Map and Globe Skills

Overview

Students use a globe, maps, map features, and text clues to answer a short multiple-choice assessment. The lesson reviews how maps and globes represent places and checks students’ ability to use illustrations and informational text together.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

• Identify the purpose of a map and a globe.
• Use a map key, compass rose, and title to locate information.
• Use a globe or map image with words to answer questions.
• Demonstrate understanding through a multiple-choice test.

Success criteria

• I can explain one way a map and a globe are alike and different.
• I can use a title, map key, and compass rose to find information.
• I can choose an answer using evidence from a map, globe, or short text.
• I can explain why my answer is correct when asked.

Curriculum links

• Use information from illustrations and words in a text to understand where, when, why, and how information is presented.
• Read and comprehend grade-level informational text independently and proficiently.
• Determine the meaning of unfamiliar social studies words using context, illustrations, and word parts.
• Ask and answer questions using explicit evidence from the text.
• Use text features and search tools to locate relevant information efficiently.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Hook and review. Teacher displays the opening map-and-globe image and asks, “If you needed to find a place across an ocean, would you choose a map or a globe, and why?” Students turn and talk, then share one idea. Briefly review that a globe is a model of Earth, while a map is a flat drawing that shows all or part of Earth.

2. 4–9 min · Teach key features. Teacher uses the map features slides to review map title, compass rose, map key or legend, symbols, and labels; model how each feature provides information. Students identify each feature on the displayed map and explain what information it gives. Clarify vocabulary such as continent, ocean, direction, symbol, and legend using the pictures and context on the slides.

3. 9–14 min · Model multiple-choice thinking. Teacher displays the worked-example question and reads a short text alongside a simple map. Think aloud: “The question asks where the city is. I will use the compass rose and the label, then cross out choices that do not match the evidence.” Students silently choose an answer, compare with a partner, and point to the map or words that support it. Remind students that a strong answer must be supported by information they can see or read, not just a guess.

4. 14–25 min · Independent map and globe test. Teacher distributes the map and globe multiple-choice test and explains that students should read every question and all answer choices before selecting one. Students independently complete the assessment, using the map and globe illustrations and referring to the short informational text when needed. Circulate without giving answers. Ask prompts such as, “Which map feature could help you?” or “Where is your evidence?” Students who finish early reread their answers and check that each choice matches the image or text.

5. 25–28 min · Review selected answers. Teacher uses the answer-review slides to discuss three or four representative questions, including one involving a map feature, one involving a globe, and one requiring text-and-image evidence. Students show their selected answer with fingers or response cards and explain their reasoning to a partner. Address common errors, such as confusing east and west or treating a map symbol as a real object.

6. 28–30 min · Exit reflection. Teacher asks students to complete the traffic-light exit ticket by responding to the prompts about their understanding and confidence. Students identify one skill they can use and one skill they still need to practice, then hand in the slip with the test.

Resources

• the map and globe review deck
• the map and globe multiple-choice test
• the traffic-light exit ticket
• Classroom globe
• Projector or interactive display
• Pencils
• Optional blank paper for students who want to mark evidence before choosing an answer

Assessment

• Listen during the hook and modeling discussion for accurate use of map, globe, map key, compass rose, and directional language.
• Use the multiple-choice test to assess students’ ability to interpret maps and globes, use text features, and combine visual and written information.
• Review the exit slips to identify students needing reteaching on map features, directions, vocabulary, or using evidence.

Differentiation

• Provide students who need support with a labeled reference image of a compass rose, map key, and globe. Read the test directions and short passages aloud without interpreting the questions or answer choices.
• Offer sentence starters during discussion: “I chose ___ because the map shows ___” and “The words tell me ___.”
• Allow students with reading or attention needs to complete the test in a quiet space, with questions presented one at a time or with additional time when appropriate.
• Challenge early finishers to write one new multiple-choice question about a map feature, including three reasonable distractors and evidence for the correct answer.