How to Use a Map Grid Lesson
Starting with an interactive sensory movement activity engages kids' interest in learning how to use a map grid before transferring their understanding to pencil and paper activities. With guided practice, they will soon be finding map locations with ease. Once students master the process of reading map grids, they can display their creative skills by designing grid maps of imaginary locations.
Instructions
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Instructional Method
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Lay out an oversize grid in a large area such as a gymnasium or playground using ropes, masking tape or sidewalk chalk. Label the vertical columns with letters and the horizontal rows with numbers. Explain that some maps contain a grid of evenly spaced horizontal and vertical lines that divide the map into squares. These lines are imaginary markers to assist people in locating places on the map and differ between different map versions. Each square corresponds to a letter-number address, such as M5. Call out coordinates and ask students to go stand in that box. Continue until students can easily locate the correct position.
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Pass out a grid map to each student. Ask students to look at the map index and note that each place listed corresponds to a letter-number address for the map location. Demonstrate how to locate the vertical line labeled "M" and then count up four horizontal lines to find the location. Point out that each grid square is just a general map location; it narrows the search but does not pinpoint the exact location of any given place.
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Give students a location and ask them to locate it on the map and note the grid coordinates. Try giving them coordinates and asking them to identify what they find in that grid square. Continue giving examples while you circulate to check for understanding. Pass out a worksheet of locations and coordinates to find for more practice.
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Pair students up and ask them to create a grid map of an imaginary location of their choice, suggests Tips for Teachers. The map should take up the entire grid and include an index of key locations and their grid coordinates.
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Tips & Warnings
While a map grid can be individual to a specific map version, some maps use the latitude and longitude grid, the imaginary lines used to pinpoint global location with more exactness. Longitude is measured in degrees east or west of the prime meridian (0 degrees longitude), that runs north-south through Greenwich, England. Latitude runs east-west and is measured in degrees north or south of the equator. If teaching students to read a latitude-longitude grid map, explain that instead of a letter-number address, both the horizontal latitude and the vertical longitude have number labels. You first locate the longitudinal degree line and then count latitude lines north or south to find the location you seek.
If students are familiar with the game Battleship, you can explain that reading a grid map location is analogous to finding ship coordinates in the game, according to Tips for Teachers.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit world map image by Andrew Brown from Fotolia.com
