Mapping what matters
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/06/gk2/matters.html
A lesson plan for grades K–1 Social Studies
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In this Xpeditions lesson, students explore the differences among students in terms of the value they place on different sites within their communities. Activities in this lesson engage students in development of map-reading skills and whole class discussion.
Students will:
- discuss a shopping center map, recognizing various symbols and estimating distances between places;
- identify as a group the places on a map of the United States that they all agree are important to them (e.g., their hometown, big cities, or popular vacation spots), and indicate these on a class map;
- identify additional places on the map that are specifically important to them as individuals, and discuss why those places are special (e.g., “where my grandpa lives,” “where we used to live,” or “where I was born”); and
- appreciate that people give varying importance to different places because of their personal experiences.
Xpeditions provides detailed instructions for completing the lesson, assessment and extension activities, and links to helpful web resources.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Social Studies (2003)
Grade 1
- Goal 5: The learner will express geographic concepts in real life situations.
- Objective 5.02: Investigate key features of maps.
Kindergarten
- Goal 5: The learner will express basic geographic concepts in real life situations.
- Objective 5.01: Locate and describe familiar places in the home, school, and other environments.
- Objective 5.02: Create and interpret simple maps, models, and drawings of the home, school, and other environments.
