Reading Maps and Globes

Overview

In this second lesson of the “Mapping Places and Symbols” unit, students build on their introduction to maps by identifying key features of maps and globes. They use titles, legends, symbols, scale, and compass roses to locate places and explain spatial relationships with evidence.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

• Identify and explain the purpose of common map and globe features.
• Use a legend, compass rose, and scale to interpret geographic representations.
• Locate places and describe their position in relation to other places.
• Support geographic statements with evidence from a map or globe.

Success criteria

• I can identify a title, legend, symbol, scale, and compass rose.
• I can use map features to locate a place accurately.
• I can describe where one place is compared with another using directional and spatial language.
• I can explain which map feature supports my answer.

Curriculum links

• Writing: introduce a topic, group related information logically, and use formatting or visuals to aid comprehension.
• Speaking and Listening: use visual displays and multimedia to develop and communicate main ideas.
• Writing: gather, paraphrase, and summarize relevant information from print and digital sources.
• Mathematical Practice: communicate precisely, including accurate units, labels, and definitions.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook and retrieval. Teacher displays a map with several features hidden and opens the map mystery hook slide, asking, “How could someone use this map if they did not know what its symbols meant?” Students briefly recall what maps show, then share one feature they remember from the previous lesson.

2. 5–13 min · Direct instruction. Teacher uses the map and globe features slides to model the purpose of a title, legend, symbols, compass rose, and scale. Students annotate the matching sections on the map features and location worksheet and repeat the precise meanings of north, south, east, and west. Emphasize that a legend explains symbols, while a scale represents real distance.

3. 13–20 min · Teacher modeling. Teacher projects a simple fictional map and models a think-aloud: “The library is east of the park because the compass rose shows that right is east on this map.” Teacher demonstrates measuring a route with the map scale and opens the worked example and evidence prompts. Students answer two guided questions with a partner, naming the feature that proves each answer.

4. 20–33 min · Partner map investigation. Teacher pairs students and distributes the map features and location worksheet with a fictional town map, ensuring partners use the compass rose, legend, and scale rather than guessing. Students identify features, locate places, calculate or estimate selected distances using the stated scale, and complete prompts such as “The museum is ___ of the school because…” and “The symbol ___ means ___ according to the legend.” Partners take turns as Navigator and Evidence Checker.

5. 33–40 min · Compare and explain. Teacher displays the discussion and comparison slides and selects several answers for discussion, prompting students to cite the exact map feature used as evidence. Students compare the fictional map with a classroom globe or digital globe, then write one similarity and one difference, using precise language such as “east of,” “near,” “farther from,” “between,” or “northwest of.”

6. 40–45 min · Exit check and preview. Teacher displays the recap and exit prompt and gives each student a success criteria exit ticket slip. Students independently define one map feature, describe the location of one place in relation to another, and name the feature that supports their answer. Collect responses to identify concepts for the next lesson.

Resources

• the map reading slide deck
• the map features and location worksheet
• success criteria exit ticket slips
• Classroom wall map
• Classroom globe or digital globe
• Projector or interactive display
• Pencils and colored pencils
• Rulers for measuring map distances

Assessment

• During direct instruction, check whether students can match each feature with its purpose and use correct directional vocabulary.
• During partner work, listen for evidence-based explanations and check that students read the legend and scale accurately.
• Use the exit ticket to assess identification of features, spatial relationships, and precision of explanation. Sort responses into secure, developing, and reteach groups.

Differentiation

• Provide a labeled reference version of the map, a word bank, and sentence starters such as “The ___ is ___ of the ___ because the ___ shows…”
• Pair students strategically and assign clear roles; allow students who need support to use the classroom wall map or globe while completing the worksheet.
• For EAL students, preview visual vocabulary with gestures and icons, and accept oral rehearsal before written responses.
• Challenge students who finish early to write two different evidence-based routes between places or explain how changing the scale would affect the measured distance.
• Provide enlarged maps, reduced visual clutter, and adult or peer reading support for students with visual, reading, or attention needs.