NWR: Teaching map skills to K and 1st grade.

Regal Beagle Posted: Dec 05, 2006 06:59 PM

NWR: Teaching map skills to K and 1st grade.

Hello,
Can any teachers give suggestions on how to teach map skills to kindergarten and first grade.

Thanks

trish71407 Posted: Dec 05, 2006 07:42 PM

Re: NWR: Teaching map skills to K and 1st grade.

Why not make a map of the school with your class? If you have a bare sketch of it, they can label the different rooms (cafeteria, music, art, gym, your classroom, etc.) with pictures or words (if they can read well) then you could go over the parts of a map, a key and discuss why maps are important. If you live in a small town you could probably make a map of the town (more for 1st grade or older). How involved do you want to go? HTH

Regal Beagle Posted: Dec 05, 2006 08:29 PM

Re: NWR: Teaching map skills to K and 1st grade.

Hi,
Thanks for your suggestions. I had my first grade read a map with a key and it was too hard for them. My second first grade is an inclusion class with special education students. All I covered was N,S,E,W.

I then had them make a map of their classroom. I even marked the directions in their room.

They did OK with that, but I was looking for something to help them really understand it.

My kindergarten classes can not read at all yet.

I don't know why the curriculum would call for map skills so early in the year!

Thanks again!

robinandjoe Posted: Dec 05, 2006 08:37 PM

Re: NWR: Teaching map skills to K and 1st grade.

You could still map the school, but make a photo map...take the digital camera to all of the important places, and then put the map together with the kids and label it. It's something that you could keep up all year and even add to it as the kids are starting to read and write. They can add sentences about what you do in each of the areas/roomson the map :) Just an idea!
I teach Kindergarten, and I think I will actually try this!

Regal Beagle Posted: Dec 05, 2006 08:49 PM

Re: NWR: Teaching map skills to K and 1st grade.

Sounds like a good idea......When you say take a picture of all the important places and then put them together, how would you put them together?

Library, cafeteria, office, ect.??????

I am running out of ideas for community helpers. I am up to a dentist. Any good ideas for that????

I have done, a mail carrier, doctor, police officer, fire fighter.....

I teach Social Studies enrichment. I am given no supplies and have to travel from classroom to classroom. I have to carry everything with me and some teachers will not even allow me to hang things up or even write on their boards.

I see some great ideas sometimes, but I cannot do them because of time and lack of supplies.

Thanks so much for your help.

betani Posted: Dec 05, 2006 09:35 PM

Re: NWR: Teaching map skills to K and 1st grade.

community workers:

ambulance (emt, drivers, etc.)
teacher
garbage person
farmer
crossing guard
bus/train/plane driver (other public transportation)

uhhh... can't think of anything else right now, but if i do i'll let you know.

Regal Beagle Posted: Dec 05, 2006 10:07 PM

Re: NWR: Teaching map skills to K and 1st grade.

What kind of activities do you with the class after you discuss these community helpers?

Thanks

MattandTricia07 Posted: Dec 05, 2006 10:21 PM

Re: NWR: Teaching map skills to K and 1st grade.

someone in my classes just did a really great lesson on this for 1st graders..

she had found or made a map of a farm and then put things on it, like apple orchards, animal pens, things like that. she taught them what a compass rose was and the directions and cardinal directions- asked them questions like what direction do I have to go to reach the apples, etc. It was a really cute idea. You can throw in a map legend too for all of the places on the farm, title of a map (she asked them how they would know it was a map of a farm). Good luck!!!

LBride Posted: Dec 06, 2006 07:44 PM

Re: NWR: Teaching map skills to K and 1st grade.

You can draw an area map of the room with a simple map key. Then ask them to travel from place to place and see which cardinal direction they are going in.... be simple! I would also label the four directions in the room

lipglossjunky73 Posted: Dec 07, 2006 09:36 AM

Re: NWR: Teaching map skills to K and 1st grade.

Hi -

Have them draw a map of their house. Its something they know very well - even kids in the special ed class and kids with autism (which I am sure are in the inclusion classes) will be able to relate to it.

At this age, you want to begin with something that is meaningful to them. after they draw a map of their house, then you can try a compass rose with them, and make a game of it.

Ex - for HW - tell me somehting you would find in the north of your house.. or the south of your house, etc.... Having them use the rose on their house map.

Hope that makes sense. As long as you are fulfilling the standard of map skills, you are fine - map reading skills can apply to anyplace, really....

also, you can get a map of a toy store, or a mall (a pretend one, that is simple to read) and ask - where wuld we be able to find dolls? Cars? In the mall - clothing, pets, etc....

Hope this helps!