This geography lesson plan aims to teach first grade students about map features over 35 minutes. Students will identify and construct a map of a familiar area like the classroom with basic symbols. They will analyze a book about maps and help create a large map of Virginia. Then, each student will make an individual map of the classroom and discuss their maps in groups. For homework, students will map a familiar place with a compass and legend. The teacher will assess student understanding formatively during class and of their maps and homework assignment.

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Geography Lesson Plan
Introduction
Lesson Topic: Investigate and understand map features
Length of Lesson: 35 mins
SOL: 1.5 The student will construct a simple map of a familiar area, using basic map symbols
in the map legend.
Cognitive Objectives
Students Will:
Identify and construct a map of a familiar area with map symbols in the map legend.
Materials/Technology and Advanced Preparation
Materials:
As the Crow Flies: A First Book of Maps by Gail Hartman, Illustrated by Harvey Stevenson
20 sheets of white paper, one per student
1 plain white shower curtain liner
1 Black sharpie with large tip
10 pieces of construction paper
5 pieces of manila colored construction paper, one per group
Advanced Preparation:
1. Prepare shower curtain for class
2. Draw on shower curtain a large outline of the state of Virginia
3. Make a dot for Richmond

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4. Draw a box for the map legend
5. Cut out of construction paper a compass rose, the symbol of water and land for the map
legend, a label for Richmond, a title “Map of Virginia”, and labels and symbols for the map
legend.
Teaching and Learning Sequence
Introduction/Anticipatory Set:
• Ask students to quietly walk to reading circle and sit
• Take As the Crow Flies: A First Book of Maps book from front desk with you
• Read As the Crow Flies: A First Book of Maps by Gail Hartman
• Ask students about the different types of maps or symbols mentioned in the book “What
were some of the ways the animals found their way around?”
Lesson Development:
• Show students the large Virginia map drawn on a white shower curtain.
• Lay the curtain out flat on the floor.
• Discuss with students what a map is and what it does. A map is a visual representation of
an area. It shows people how to get places, what places look like, where things are.
• Have students place pre-cut labels and symbols on sections of the Virginia map to mark
water, land, the map legend, title of the map, the capital, compass rose. Choose students
who are quietly raising their hand.
• Have students walk quietly back to their chairs.
• Tell students that today they will be creating maps of the classroom.

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• Each student should create a map of the classroom, which has includes certain symbols of
objects within the classroom. A large rectangle for the teachers desk, a triangle for
classroom door, and little squares for the students desks.
• The maps can be from any aspect of the room or any person or animals view, but should
include a compass rose and map legend.
• Pass out one piece of construction paper per student.
• After the student have completed the maps, students should get into groups of three or
four to discuss their maps with each other.
Closure:
• After the groups looked at each others maps, have a class discussion about how well the
maps worked and what else should be incorporated to help improve the class maps.
• Talk with the class about how maps are important to our society and how we use them
everyday.
• Explain to students that maps help us gain more knowledge about locations we are not
familiar with.
• Pass out blank white sheet of paper to every student.
• Tell students their homework tonight is to take this piece of paper home tonight and think
about a place that they are very familiar with, it can be their neighborhood, house,
backyard, or the school, and draw a detailed map with compass rose and map legend.
Homework: Create a map using the piece of paper handed out in class
Assessment:

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Formative:
• Listen to answers given during the review of maps: what they are and what they do? Are
the students naming actual uses or can they not recall any?
• Watch while students create their maps; are they correctly using every aspect of the map?
Do their maps actually take you to the correct area of the room? Or do the maps seem
unorganized and confusing?
Summative:
• Watch and listen as the students groups switch maps; are other students able to
understand the map and recognize it as their classroom, have the maps been drawn to
scale and detail that allows a student to know what they are looking at? Or does the
student have to tell the map?
• Collect the homework assignment and check for student understanding, do they
incorporate the compass rose and map legend correctly into the map? Are the maps
combining made up places with real life?
References:
Utah Lesson Plans. (2003). 1st Grade – Act 21: Map Maker.
http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=5678.
Utah Lesson Plans. (2003). 1st Grade – Act. 25: Making Maps.
http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=5683.