Home Geography for Primary Grades · Lesson XXIV · Unit 6: Maps and forms of land and water
24. A map
Goal: Your child knows that a map is a drawing of land and water, reads the book's signs for mountains and a river, and draws a simple map of a real place nearby.
You'll need
- A free online map or a paper road map of your area
- Paper and colored pencils
- The plan of the yard from Lesson IX
- A geography notebook (any notebook kept just for these lessons) and a pencil
What's in the book
A plan shows a room, house or village; a map shows land and water. The book's map shows mountains as short lines facing each other (darker where higher) and a river as a winding line that grows thicker toward its mouth. The child must always think of the real mountains and river the lines stand for.
The lesson, step by step
Plan or map?
Read the opening.
Drawings which represent land and water are called maps.
Show the yard plan from Lesson IX. Say: A plan shows a small place like a room. A map shows bigger places: towns, rivers, mountains, countries.
Read the map
Look at the book's map together. Ask: Which lines show mountains? Where are the highest parts? (where the lines are closest and darkest) Which line is the river? Which end is its mouth? How do you know? (the line gets thicker toward the mouth)
Think of the real thing
Read this part aloud.
When you look at these lines, you must think of the real things which they stand for
Ask your child to close their eyes and describe the real mountains and river the map shows: forests, valleys, boats on the river.
Our town on a map
Look at a map of your own area (online or paper). Find your street, a park, a river or lake, the school or library. Talk about which way is north on the map.
Draw a map
Your child draws a simple map of a real place they know: your street from end to end, or the way to the park, with a river or hill if there is one. Use the book's signs: a winding line for a stream, short lines for hills. Add N, S, E, W.
Afterwards
Take the hand-drawn map on a walk and check it. Fix anything that is in the wrong place.
Answers to the book's problems
A map is a drawing that represents land and water. On the book's map, the many short lines facing each other stand for mountains, and the highest parts are where the lines are closest and darkest. The winding line is the river; it gets thicker toward its mouth because the real river grows broader as it flows to the sea.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.