First Day - Mental Mapping and Different Types of Maps

Overview: Students will be expected me to go over the syllabus or class rules and procedures on the first day of the semester. We’ll get to that during subsequent days. Today, I’d like to find out what kind of geographic skills my students are bringing with them into the classroom while setting the stage for the next four weeks.

Toward that end, we will establish our routine of entering class, reviewing the schedule on the board, and sharing New and Good items. “New and Good” is an activity in which the teacher asks students to share things that are new, good, or both. For example, a student might say “I set a personal best in the mile run,” or “I have a new baby sister.” This will only take a few minutes, but it’s a great way to get to know students and build community in the classroom.

Next, we will use the Zappos Shoe Map to discuss the various uses of maps in today’s world. After a brief discussion of this, I will introduce the concept of Mental Mapping, which we will use often in this class. Students will do a version of “Pair and Share” with their mental maps and then repeat the exercise.

Finally, I will give a brief presentation about different types of maps. I want to expand each student’s conception of what a map is and what maps might be used for.

Length of class period: 50 minutes

National or State Standard(s) Addressed

Minnesota DOE, Strand V., Substrand E. The student will use maps, globes, geographic information systems and other sources of information to analyze the natures of places at a variety of scales.

Lesson Outcomes/Objectives

SWBAT: draw a map of the United States with major geographic and physical features.
SWBAT: list three different types of maps.
SWBAT: evaluate professionally- and self-made maps.

Provisions for Individual Differences

This lesson should be possible for every student. Those who are spatially or artistically inclined will have no problem with it. Those who are not so inclined will have a chance to learn strategies for improving their spatial skills.

Materials Needed

Projector. Paper. Pencils. Colored pencils or markers could be used.


Sequence of Learning Activities

Anticipatory Set / Hook (time = 5 minutes ) Welcome. Brief overview of schedule on board. New and Good. I will have the Zappos shoe map on the screen. www.zappos.com/map. I want to get their attention and compel them to look at a map of the U.S., priming them for the activities to come.

Frame (time = 5 minutes) I will explain the concept of mental mapping – the way we represent different places on our own maps tells us something about what we think about those places. I will explain why it might be important to strengthen our mental mapping skills.

Activity 1 (time = 10 minutes): I will give each student an assignment sheet and a blank sheet of paper. I will give them five minutes to draw a quick map of the continental U.S. I will ask them to draw or mark the major features listed on the assignment sheet.

They will protest that it’s not enough time, but I will let them know that they are not being graded and I want them to put whatever is in their heads onto the page.

I will put a Google map of the U.S. on the screen. I have customized it with markings for each of our major features. I will ask each student to think about the least accurate points on their maps. They will pair up and help each other compare their maps to the one on the screen.

Activity 2 (time = 10 minutes): I will collect the students’ first maps. Then, I will give each of the students another blank sheet of paper and ask them to draw the map again from memory.

As a class, we will debrief, comparing our second maps to our first ones. (I will be doing the assignment along with the students, stressing that even an “expert” like me can always improve.)

Assessment: I do not expect that my students will be able to draw the map perfectly after two tries, but I do want to see improvement. Toward this end, I will watch as they make their first maps and collect information about their level of expertise as we discuss them. I will collect the first maps and take a look as they work on their second ones. Finally, I will be able to collect information about how they have improved as we compare the two maps.

My presentation about the different types of maps will include quite a few mini-brainstorming or mini pair-and-share questions. For example, I might ask, “What could a maps like this be used for?” Or, “Turn to your neighbor and talk about which of these maps would be best for finding driving directions.”

I do not want my students to take notes or try to memorize anything. I simply want them to know that there are a multitude of different maps, and that they are used for different purposes. We will get specific about these things later in the unit.