Students learn to read a map like a pro — using the compass rose, the map key, and cardinal directions to find places and give clear directions from one spot to another.
Students will be able to…
A map can shrink a whole city onto one page. How do you read one to find where things are — and tell someone how to get there?
Project this map and use the compass rose (North is up). Have students answer each direction challenge — which way is one place from another — and check their reasoning.
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
Show a map — how do people use it to get around?
Students investigate the Map Reader.
Students describe locations with N/S/E/W.
Students give a route between places.
Students map a familiar place.
Aligned to the C3 Framework for Social Studies and Common Core literacy in social studies.
Construct maps and other graphic representations of both familiar and unfamiliar places.
Use maps, photographs, and other representations to explain relationships between the locations of places.
Use maps of different scales to describe the locations of cultural and environmental characteristics.
Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Have students create a treasure map with a compass rose, a map key of symbols, and written directions (“go north, then east”) for a partner to follow. A printable map-making template is in the Social Studies library.
Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.
A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.
A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.