Lesson Plan 4: Maps in the Community

Objective:
Students will be able to talk about a map with familiar places on it. Students will be
able to use directional words to talk about the map.

SOL Standards:
English K.3: Student will build oral communication skills.

Geography K.3: The student will describe the relative location of people, places and
things by using words, with emphasis on near/far, above/below, left/right, and
behind/ in front.

Geography K.4.A&B: The student will use simple maps and gloves to develop an
awareness that a map is a drawing of a place to show where things are located and
describe places referenced in stories and real-life situations.

Math K.12: The student will describe the location of one object relative to another.

Materials
Teacher:
Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
SmartBoard/pens
Computer
Google Maps
Fair pick sticks
Directional Notecards
Students:
No materials needed this lesson





Link: (2 minutes)
Knees to knees/Nose to nose and discuss: What is a map? What is the purpose of a
map? Students will turn back when teacher counts down 5-4-3-2-1. Nose knows if
you want to share an idea. (Nose knows is when students place a finger on their
nose in lieu of raising their hands to answer)

Engage and Educate (25 minutes):
1. Teacher will record student ideas on what a map is and the purpose of a map
on the SmartBoard.
2. Teacher will then define a map and the purpose of a map in simple terms if
the information has not been generated authentically during the link
discussion. A map tells you where things are and can give you directions on
how to get somewhere or find a place.
3. Connection: In our story yesterday, Flat Stanley traveled through the mail to
different places. To find out where he traveled we first must know how to
read a map.
4. Teacher will open Google Maps on computer (https://maps.google.com) and
project it on the Smartboard. Teacher will start with the country view of the
United States in map mode. Teacher will ask students if they can identify
what the land area is. Do you know what this is? (Teacher can use
Smartboard pen to highlight border around the Continental U.S.). This is the
United States of America.
5. What state do we live in? Students will answer. Teacher will zoom into the
state of Virginia. This is the state of Virginia. Teacher may still choose to
outline the border of the state with a SmartBoard pen if necessary.
6. What is our community called? Students will answer. Teacher will zoom into
community and reaffirm community.
7. We live in this community. Lets find our school. Teacher will enter school
address into Google Maps. This is our school.
8. Teacher will change Google Maps to satellite view. This is our school. What
do you notice about what is on the SmartBoard? Does it look like our school
when we are right out front? Teacher will allow students to discuss
similarities and differences with the view.
9. Teacher will explain that this looks different because we are looking at the
map from a birds eye view. This means that if you were a bird flying in the
air and you looked down at the ground, this is what you would see.
10. Teacher will ask for volunteers to give their addresses to view other places in
the community on the map. After 3-4 examples, teacher will select some
main/authentic/relevant places in the community for the kids. For example,
the local supermarket, the McDonalds, the high school, etc.
11. When the students start seeing where the places are located in their
community in relation to each other, the teacher will bring in the vocabulary
cards with directional words in relation to the elementary school. Examples:
Sarahs house is to the RIGHT of the school. McDonalds is BELOW the school
on the map. The cards will be placed on the SmartBoard in relation to the
position from the school.
12. Teacher will review directional words with students.

Activity (10 minutes):
1. Direction review game. All the students will stand up and face the same way
in the front of the classroom. Teacher will orally give students directions to
move around the room. Students must understand the terminology in order
to end up in the correct place at the end of each set of directions.
a. Example: Face the front board. Turn to the right. Walk four steps.
Walk around the bookcase. Turn left. Take two big steps forward.
Where are you?
2. Teacher will repeat direction review game as many times as necessary
incorporating all of the directional vocabulary.
3. Extension: For those students who are finding the game to be less
challenging, teacher could allow them to generate directions for the other
students to follow using the directional terminology.

Assessment/Reflection/Connection (5 minutes):
1. Students will return to the carpet for a quick review of the directional
terminology.
2. Teacher will pose a question for students to think about: Yesterday, Flat
Stanley traveled to many places in the country. Think about where on the
map he could have traveled.

Next steps:
Lesson 5 students will use map skills and the Flat Stanley text to predict where their
own Flat Stanley will travel.

Extension: During writing workshop, students will create a class Flat Stanley and
generate a letter for Flat Stanley travels through a shared writing experience.

Differentiation:
Flexible grouping:
Whole group discussion
Partner turn and talk
Student mode of expression:
Students have various outlets throughout whole group instruction that meet
some of Gardners 8/9 intelligences. Example: Mathematical/Logical,
Kinesthetic, Interpersonal.
Readiness:
Higher level thinking students will have the option to give directional
instructions during the whole group game.
English Language Learners:
Visual Maps
Directional terms on notecards connected directly to position of specific
places on the map. Labeled for support.

Assessment:
Formative:
Anecdotal Notes
Questions to check for understanding
Varying level of prompted questions throughout whole group lesson.
Differentiated by student readiness/level.
Students ability to end up in correct place at the end of the directional game
using given vocabulary.