Grade by Grade
E. Spatial Sense · Shapes, Maps and Measurement

Making and Reading Simple Maps

E1.4 E1.5About 35 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can draw a simple map of a familiar place from a bird's-eye view.
  • I can use symbols and a legend (key) on a map.
  • I can read a map to tell where places are compared to each other.
  • I can describe a route on a map.

Words to know

map
A drawing of a place as if you were looking down on it from above.
bird's-eye view
What something looks like from straight above, the way a bird flying over would see it.
symbol
A small picture or shape that stands for something real, like a green circle for a tree.
legend
A box on a map that tells what each symbol means. It is also called a key.
route
The path you take to get from one place to another.

Flying like a bird

Imagine you are a Canada goose flying over your neighbourhood. Looking down, you see the tops of houses, trees and cars. You don't see the walls or the tree trunks.

A map shows a place just like that: from above. This is called a bird's-eye view.

A view from high above a neighbourhood showing house roofs, trees, a curving street, cars and a backyard pool.
This is a bird's-eye view of a neighbourhood. You see only the tops of roofs, trees and cars, just like on a map. AI-generated image
from the sidefrom above
A table with a mug on it. From the side you see the legs. From above you see only the tabletop and the round top of the mug.

Symbols and a legend

Maps use symbols: small, simple drawings that stand for real things. A circle can stand for a tree. A small rectangle can stand for a bench.

The legend (or key) tells you what each symbol means. Always read the legend first!

GWtreeplaygroundbenchpondG = gate · W = washroom · 1 square = 1 block
A map of a park. Read the legend to find the trees, the playground, the bench, the pond, the gate and the washroom.
Worked example

Example 1: Reading the park map

Use the park map. Answer: (a) How many trees are in the park? (b) What is right beside the pond on its right side? (c) Is the playground closer to the gate or to the washroom?

  1. (a) Find the tree symbol in the legend (a green circle). Count the green circles on the map: 3 trees.
  2. (b) Find the pond. Look to its right: the washroom (W).
  3. (c) Count blocks from the playground to the gate: down 3 and left 1, which is 4 blocks. To the washroom: down 3 and right 6, which is 9 blocks.

(a) 3 trees. (b) The washroom. (c) The playground is closer to the gate.

Worked example

Example 2: Describe a route

Lily comes in at the gate. Describe a route to the playground along the grid.

  1. Find the gate (G) in the bottom-left corner.
  2. Find the playground (the square with an X) in the top row.
  3. Count up from the gate to the top row: 3 blocks up.
  4. Count right to the playground: 1 block right.

"Walk 3 blocks up, then 1 block right."

GWtreeplaygroundbenchpondG = gate · W = washroom · 1 square = 1 block
Lily's route: 3 blocks up, then 1 block right.

Making your own map

To make a map of a room:

  1. Look from above. Imagine you are a fly on the ceiling.
  2. Draw the outline of the room. Mark the door.
  3. Draw big things first, like the bed or the table, in the right places. Things that are close together in real life should be close together on your map.
  4. Use simple symbols. You don't need details.
  5. Make a legend so others can read your map.
  6. Give it a title, like "My Bedroom".

Many people make maps

People have made maps for a very long time. Many First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples have shared knowledge of the land, such as routes, rivers and landmarks, through stories, songs, place names and drawings. Maps can come in many forms, not only on paper!

Just for fun

Riddle: I have towns but no houses, forests but no trees, and lakes but no fish. What am I?

A map!

Hands-on activity

Map my room

You need: paper, a pencil, crayons and a small toy.

  1. Draw a bird's-eye map of your bedroom or kitchen. Include the door, the bed or table, and 3 more things.
  2. Make a legend with a symbol for each thing.
  3. Hide a small toy in the room. Mark its spot with an X on your map.
  4. Give the map to a grown-up. Can they find the toy using only your map?
  5. Then ask the grown-up to describe the route they walked ("From the door, I went past the bed to the window...").

Math talk: "Is the bed closer to the door or to the window? How does your map show that?"

Your turn

1

What is a bird's-eye view?

2

What does a map's legend tell you?

3

Use the park map. Where is the playground: in the top row or the bottom row?

4

Use the park map. What is in the top-right corner?

5

Use the park map. What is between the gate and the pond in the bottom row?

6

Draw a symbol for a car on a map. What will you write in the legend?

More practice: warm-up

1

Do maps show places from above or from the side?

2

What is another name for a map's legend?

3

Use the park map. How many benches are there?

4

From above, what shape is the top of a round cake?

5

Use the park map. What does the letter W stand for?

More practice: on your own

1

Use the park map. Describe a route from the gate to the bench.

2

Use the park map. Which two trees are side by side?

3

Use the park map. Describe where the pond is compared to the bench and the washroom.

4

Sam's bedroom map shows the bed far from the door. In real life, the bed is right beside the door. What should Sam fix?

5

Use the park map. Is it farther from the gate to the bench, or from the bench to the washroom?

Challenge

1

Use the park map. Find the route from the playground to the tree in the top-right corner. How many blocks is it?

2

Use the park map. Lily goes from the gate to the playground (3 up, 1 right), then to the washroom (6 right, 3 down). How many blocks does she walk in all?

3

Add a slide to the park map. Put it 1 block right of the gate and 2 blocks up. Which thing on the map is closest to the slide? How many blocks away is it?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

A map shows a place from...

2.

What tells you what the symbols on a map mean?

3.

From above, a soccer ball looks like a...

4.

On the park map, what route goes from the gate to the playground?

5.

On the park map, how many trees are there?

6.

When you draw a map of your room, things that are close together in real life should be...

For parents and teachers

Big idea: A map is a bird's-eye view of a real place. Symbols and a legend make it readable, and the positions of things on the map match their real positions.

Common difficulties:

  • Drawing things from the side (like trees with trunks, or chairs with legs). Ask "What would a bird see?" and look down at objects on a table together.
  • Forgetting the legend, or using symbols that are too detailed.
  • Putting things in the wrong spots. Start with big things and the door, then fill in.

How to help: Draw a map of your street or local park together. Look at a real map of your town or a park trail map and find symbols in the legend. Treasure-hunt games with a home-made map are a favourite.