006 Using a Map Key
👩🏫 Teacher’s Guide
Objective
Read a map and use its labels, directions, or grid to locate places.
Vocabulary
key, title, compass rose
Suggested time
20-30 minutes, with optional practice across the week.
Teaching Notes
- Read the short passage aloud. Point to each label or number as children follow. Accept an oral answer or a labeled drawing before asking for a sentence.
- Introduce the study resource before assigning questions. Students can answer using this lesson without opening the source book.
- Use questions 1-4 for guided practice and the remaining questions for independent practice or discussion. Open responses may use different wording if the evidence supports them.
- Check the activity against its stated constraints and the answer bank. Revisit a missed concept before adding a new one.
🧒 Student Worksheet
Concept and Helping Material
Maps use symbols to save space. A key, also called a legend, explains each symbol. A title tells what the map is about. A compass rose shows directions. Symbols can mean different things on different maps, so always read the key.
Study Resource: Harbor Practice Map
This is an invented practice place. North is up. Columns A, B, C run west to east. Rows 1, 2, 3 run north to south. Each cell has one place. Adjacent cell centers are one block apart. Walk only north, south, east, or west.
| Row / Column | A | B | C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rest area | Ferry dock | Lighthouse |
| 2 | Boat ramp | Fish market | Bus stop |
| 3 | Harbor office | Garden | Bridge |
Additional symbol key
| Symbol | Represents |
|---|---|
| Circle | Rest area |
| Triangle | Lighthouse |
| Square | Fish market |
Vocabulary and Definition
- - the part of a map that explains symbols
- - the name that tells what a map shows
- - a map symbol showing directions
Words to Learn
, ,
Sentences to Fill In
- The term for the part of a map that explains symbols is .
- The term for the name that tells what a map shows is .
- The term for a map symbol showing directions is .
🧪 Think & Respond Q&A
On this practice map, what does the triangle symbol represent?
Which symbol represents Fish market?
What cell contains Fish market?
Which place is immediately east of Rest area?
Which place is immediately south of Fish market?
How many places are shown in row 1?
Give a two-block route from Rest area to Lighthouse.
Can you assume a triangle means a mountain on every map? Explain.
On this map, is Rest area in the same row or the same column as Lighthouse?
What information would you need to find the real distance in meters between two places?
Which lesson word means "the part of a map that explains symbols"?
Which lesson word means "the name that tells what a map shows"?
Which lesson word means "a map symbol showing directions"?
Hands-On Experiment or Activities
What You Need: Paper, pencil, and nine small counters.
What You Do:
- Copy the Harbor practice map. Mark A1 with a counter. Ask a partner to give three legal moves and follow them. Write the start, moves, and final cell.
- Check the route by tracing each move. Then describe a different route to the same destination.
- Revise one part of your work after checking it against the lesson evidence.
Think and Talk: What evidence supports one choice in your work?
Reflection
- Which idea can you explain now?
- What would you still need to learn about a real place?
Teacher Check
Check accurate use of the study resource, correct vocabulary or units, and a reason supported by evidence. For open activities, accept more than one result when it follows the instructions. The companion CSV contains the same numbered Q&A bank shown above.
Curriculum Reference
Scope alignment: Evan-Moor, Daily Geography Practice, Grade 2, Week 6. Teacher lesson begins on printed page 26 (PDF page 28). The explanations, practice data, diagrams, activities, and questions in this lesson are original. Fictional datasets are labeled in their study resources.