Topic: Topographical plan and various types of maps

Written by: Magdalena Jankun

Target group

5th‑grade student of primary school

Core curriculum

I. A map of Poland: general geographic map, landscape map, touristic map (printed or digital), map scale, map symbols, map content.

A student is able to:

1) use the map key to retrieve information, and to use the map scale to calculate distances between particular objects;

3) read the content in the map of Poland;

4) read the content in the map or plan of school’s neighbourhood, referring them to element of a geographical environment observed in the field.

Purpose of the lesson

Students explain the difference between a plan and a map, and discuss map types.

Conditions to be met to succeed

• to explain differences between a plan and a map;

• to describe types of maps;

• to indicate relation between map contents and its scale;

• to select suitable map for obtaining particular geographical information.

Key competences

• communication in native language;

• communication in non‑native language;

• mathematical competences;

• IT competences;

• ability to learn;

• social and civic competences.

Methods/forms of work

• Work with text and multimedia, talk on topic, a brainstorm method.

• Individual work, work in pairs and work in groups.

Teaching accessories

• an abstract;

• an interactive or traditional writing board;

• a multimedia projector;

• tablets/computers;

• a number of plans of location of the school;

• topographical maps;

• touristic maps;

• geographical atlases.

Stages of the lesson

Introduction

1. The teacher provides a topic and a purpose of the lesson as well as conditions to be met to succeed.

2. The teacher asks students to read a paragraph from the abstract, explaining the term “plan”. Next, he/she initiates a brainstorm, asking students whether they know what is the purpose of any plan.

Realization

1. The teacher projects a plan of Stare Miasto in Zamość at the interactive writing board. He/she asks students to read information provided in such plan. He/she draws their attention to the map key and map scale. He/she adds that plans are mostly made in scales from 1:1,000 to 1:20,000, and do not take the Earth curvature into account, thus not containing any deformations resulting from the projection.

2. The teacher hands out plans of location of the school. Students analyse plans and share their observations.

3. The teacher selects point A at the plan. Students calculate distance from the point A to their school,
using two methods: in a straight line, and along the streets visible in the plan. Distance is measured with a strip of paper.

4. The teacher projects a topographic map at the interactive writing board, then discusses its components and explains what is their purpose and what do they represent. Students indicate elements of the map. Next, they receive generic topographical maps; the teacher explains during the talk that such maps are made with lower scales, in comparison to planes, ie. from 1:10,000 to 1:200,000.

5. The teacher shows a touristic map on the interactive board and encourages students to analyse it. Special attention is to be paid to its scale, as touristic maps are made with scales similar to topographical maps. Next, the teacher mentions reference maps, explaining their content and elements. He/she presents an overview of a numerical scale and a lexical scale.

6. The teacher divides the class to four groups. Each group is to receive a different touristic map. Students have to:

• define the area of Poland the map refers to;

• determine the map scale and convert it to lexical scale;

• indicate touristic routes and calculate the length of one;

• indicate major cities/towns and water bodies.

7. As the time limit defined by the teacher runs out, representatives of groups show the results.

8. The teacher tells students that content and scale of any map as well as a method of presenting geographical phenomena depend on the purpose of such map. With regard to the content, maps are divided to general geographic maps and thematic maps (the teacher provides their names); with regard to the scale, maps are divide to large‑scale maps (including topographical maps, made with scales above 1:200,000), medium‑scale maps (made with scales from 1:200,000 to 1:1,000,000) and low‑scale maps
(reference maps, made with scales below 1:1,000,000).

9. Students, while working in pairs, search for low‑scale and medium‑scale maps in geographical atlases.

Summary

1. The teacher shows an exercise at the interactive board:

• an exercise for improving the ability to recognize map types (matching presented maps to suitable names).

The exercise is to be completed during the lesson by volunteers or students indicated by the teacher.

2. The teacher evaluates efforts of students during the lesson, considering their commitment and individual abilities.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Topographic plan and various map types

Topographic map (or simply a plan) is a detailed cartographic image of a relatively small area (e.g. a city/town), presented on a plane with cartographic symbols, using a large scale (usually, from ca. 1:10,000 for little towns or their section to ca. 1:20,000 for large cities or conurbations). A plan covers up so small section of the Earth’s surface that it may be considered a midplane, thus nullifying a need to use map projection in this case. Mostly, a system of geographical coordinates is not drawn on a plan.

A bit lower scales (from 1:10 000 to 1:200 000) are usually used in topographic maps. They are detailed maps presenting land morphology and land cover, waters, roads, railways, buildings, administrative borders, country borders etc. These maps have topographic grid plotted all over.

Similar scale is used for tourist maps which present information about objects relevant from the point of view of a tourist, such as interesting natural and cultural objects, tourist routes, mountain huts, camp sites, post offices etc.

Lower scales – in comparison to topographic maps – are used for overview maps (a scale below 1:200,000) which depict countries, continents or their parts. These maps show relevant components of land cover – such as rivers, lakes, swamps, major cities, railways, roads, country borders, altitude points. Usually, the aforementioned elements of the map contents are presented over an image of land sculpture, projects with application of contour lines and colours specific for hypsometric scale. It is customary to call such maps physical maps or general geographic maps.

Another criterion for map categorisation may be classification due to the map contents. This classification demands separation of two major groups:

• general geographical maps;

• thematic maps;

General geographic maps display spatial relations between selected geographic phenomena. Most frequently, these maps present: land morphology, hydrography (meaning all waters, such as rivers, lakes, seas, swamps etc.), civil structures, roads, railways or borders.

Thematic maps present a specific phenomenon or a certain item (or sometimes a few issues from a specific field). These may be further classified into two groups:

• natural geographic maps, such as climatic, geological or soil maps etc.;

• social and economic maps, such as demographic maps, which are related to population, transport, tourist traffic, industry, history etc.

Due to the scale magnitude, maps can be classified to three groups:

• large scale maps (with scales above 1:200,000, such as real estate plans, city plans, topographic maps, tourist maps);

• medium scale maps (with scales from 1:200,000 to 1:1,000,000, such as route maps, overview maps, general geographic maps and thematic maps with higher scales);

• low scale maps (with scales below 1:1,000,000, such as overview maps, general geographic maps and thematic maps with lower scales, continent maps, world maps);