Topic: What elements does a map consist of?

Author: Magdalena Jankun

Target group

5th grade students of elementary school.

Core curriculum

5th grade

I. Map of Poland: general geographical map, landscape map, tourist map (printed and digital), map scale, map signs, map content.

The student:

1) Applies the map legend to read information and the map scale to calculate the distance between selected objects.

3) reads the content of the map of Poland.

The general aim of education

The students indicate elements that a map consists of.

Criteria of success

• You will determine the differences between a plan and a map;

• make a division of maps;

• explain what map generalization is about;

• name basic elements of a map;

• discuss the concept of map legend.

Key competences

• communication in the mother tongue;

• communication in a foreign language;

• mathematical competences;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn;

• social and civic competences.

Methods / forms of work

• Work with text and with multimedia.

• Conversation, brainstorming method and a mental map method.

• Individual work and work in pairs.

Teaching aids

• abstract;

• e‑textbook;

• interactive or traditional board;

• multimedia projector;

• tablets/computers;

• Google Earth;

• physical map of world;

• geographical atlases.

Lesson plan overview (Process)

Introduction

1. The teacher presents the topic, lesson goal and criteria of success.

2. The teacher initiates brainstorming by asking students how they understand the concept of a map. The students write down on the board all their associations in the form of a mental map.

Realization

1. The teacher gives geographical atlases to the students. The task of each student is to choose one map and see what it presents. The students share their insights on the class forum.

2. The teacher asks the students to find definitions of a map and a plan in the e‑textbook (link to the page: http://www.epodreczniki.pl/reader/c/148602/v/latest/t/student‑canon/m/il4LFIM6Ay#il4LFIM6Ay_d5e143). Then, the teacher discusses them indicating the differences between these concepts.

3. The teacher discusses the division of maps due to their content. The students indicate two general geographic maps (physical) and two thematic maps in a geographical atlas.

4. The teacher emphasizes that a map is a source of geographic information, and the process of reading a map is facilitated by the signs that are in its legend. Using the physical map of world, the teacher discusses the elements of a map.

The teacher asks the students to look at an interactive illustration describing the scale and the legend of a map.

5. Then, the teacher shows signs on the map, dividing them into:

• point signs - indicating only the location of an object, whose size and shape cannot be presented on a given scale on the map;

• linear signs - indicating the location of an object with a strongly elongated shape;

• surface signs - showing the areas of occurrence of phenomena in the form of a coloured spot or lines, whereas the scale of colours - included in the legend of the map - means the height of the terrain.

6. The students will get acquainted with the photo gallery showing the plan and the map. They discuss the differences between them in the class forum.

7. Working in pairs, the students choose any map from the atlas. After the time set by the teacher passes, selected pairs present the results of their work.

8.. The teacher launches the Google Earth application to show the students real objects of the selected area. The teacher asks if all these objects can be moved to the map.

9. Summarizing the students' statements, the teacher explains that it is not possible for all real objects that are in field to be placed on the map, and that is why, when making a map, there are simplifications, i.e. generalizations of its content. Then, the teacher presents films illustrating quantitative and qualitative generalizations.

Summary

1. The teacher displays a single‑choice exercises on the board. The selected students do them.

2. The teacher proposes the students to look at the mental map created at the beginning of the classes. The teacher asks them to confront the associations with the knowledge gained during the lesson - which ones have proved correct and which are completely wrong? The students justify their answers.

3. The teacher assesses the students' work during the classes, taking into account their activity and individual possibilities.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

What components comprise a map?

A map is an image of the Earth’s surface or its section (it may also be another celestial object or the sky itself), displayed on a plane in reduced size, namely in scale, with application of a map projection. Drawing contents of a map, it is necessary to use suitable cartographic symbols; compilation of such symbols, accompanied by suitable descriptions, is called a map key or a legend. It is not possible to scram the map with all the possible objects existing in the presented area which forces us to simplify or generalise its contents.

The most basic components of any map are:

• cartographic image or main content of a map, informing us about arrangement of variety of objects and phenomena (natural, economic etc.) and connections between them;

• supporting components, namely a map key, so‑called map legend (map title, explanations of employed notation, possibly year of publication, creator etc.), charts or any other information. Sometimes the map may include additional components facilitating its use. These include cross sections, charts, tables or drawings (particularly popular in older maps).

A map usually contains variety of symbols. Such symbols may be divided into:

• point symbols, indicating location of an object of which size and shape cannot be projected on a map in provided scale;

• line symbols, indicating location of any objects with elongated shape;

• surface symbols, indicating areas of appearance of certain phenomena, using coloured or hatched blot. Colour scale, included in the map key, indicates terrain altitude.

Generalisation of the map contents may be:

• quantitative, consisting in generalisation of form (shapes of objects, e.g. rivers, borders, roads etc., are simplified) and content (some objects, e.g. minor towns or rivers etc., are omitted); typically, number of symbols visible on a map is reduced;

• qualitative, meaning that some map components are generalised – symbolised (e.g. built‑up area of a city is turned into a signature looking like a square, a circle tc.) or grouped (e.g. a number of minor forest areas with varied forest stand becomes a whole).