Exploratory Activities (Introductory/Focus)

Students will begin a study of maps and map skills and will use the web based activities as a stand alone or as enrichment.

CONCEPT/OBJECTIVE

Map skills enrichment

Concept Development Activities (Procedures/Activities)

As a the teacher progresses through his/her text based lesson on maps and map skills, students can be given the web based activities as a follow up, enrichment, or as a learning center.

Guided Practice

Use the computer and technology to complete all of the following activities.

1. Define Cartography.  Write the definition in a complete sentence.
2. List the many different types of information one is likely to find on a typical road map for any of the fifty states.
3. Select a letter of the alphabet and write down at least 25 cities or towns that begin with that letter.  Use a road map of your state for this purpose.  Alphabetize this list using a word processing program.
4. Explain the purpose of a legend on a road map.

Independent Practice

1. In your won words, tell what the index of a map is used for and how this relates to the index of a book.
2. Summarize how one can use the mileage chart on your road map.
3. Close your eyes and point to two different places on the map that are some distance apart. Use the mapping program to find out the total distance these cities are apart.   Find at least three different routes between these two places and print out the driving directions.
4. Plan a seven day sight seeing field trip of your state to take with your class using a tour bus.  Make arrangements for hotels, restaurants, and amusements.  List an itinerary and the cost of each hotel, restaurant and amusement.
5. Use the legend on your map to help locate at least one specific site for teach category listed.

   a divided highway

   and interstate highway

   a roadside park or rest area

   a recreation area

   an airport

   a railroad

   the state capital

   a city of 25,000 to 50,000 people

   a historic site.

Extensions

1. Using the computer and search engines, choose the part of your state that would be the most desirable in which to live and work.
2. Create a "visitor's packet" for your state that would be available online.   Decide on what things your website must have to make your state appealing to visitors.
3. Rate your state on a scale of 1 to 5 in each of the following areas, with 1 being excellent and 5 being poor:

   climate

   geography

   history

   business and industry

   natural resources

   education

   Be sure to research each of these areas so you can defend your decisions.

Materials, Resources, Software

Utilize all the Internet has to offer.

Additional software includes online encyclopedias, dictionaries, and Rand McNally TripMaker software.

Learning Styles and Strategies 

Written: The guided practice assignments are written and can be emailed to the teacher.

Verbal: Activity 3 under extensions requires students to orally defend their answers

Kinesthetic: Students who learn best this way may chose to create a hard copy of their maps and manipulate the information through other means.

Visual: These enrichment activities are very visual. The visual learner will excel.