1. Unit Title
● Kindergarteners on the Map
2. Grade Level Content Expectations (GLCEs) and Content Standards, and Anti-Bias
Standards:
● Maps show connections among people, places, and things within a community.
4. Essential Questions:
5. Unit Objectives:
6. Rationale:
Students will create maps with different Challenging: The students are new to
aerial perspectives (i.e. spatial mapping and they are not yet aware of their
recognition). surroundings, so this will be an introduction
to them.
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Students will be able to walk around the Active: Students are moving around, using
school to create a map of the important different workspaces and collaborating with
landmarks throughout the building. peers.
Students will label their maps they create Integrative: Proper punctuation and
and use proper punctuation and capitalization is a new skill learned in
capitalization. kindergarten. Students will integrate their
new literacy skills for this concept in their
mapping activity.
Stage 2: Assessment/Evidence:
1. Prior Knowledge:
● Students will create a detailed map of their town with group members. Students will be
responsible for including labels, creating their own legend, and including cardinal
directions on the map they create.
Rubric
If the student has completed the task, place a check mark on the line. If they haven't completed
the task, leave the line blank.
One student in my class is an ELL and For this student, the teacher will bring different types of
speaks a very little English. She just visuals such as a map and compass. To help this
arrived to America at the start of this student understand that a legend is a map key, the
semester. My mentor and I use visuals teacher will show a picture of a key. The teacher will
to help her understand what is being also be sure to place the student with a strong English
asked of her. She often understands speaker during group work so the ELL student can
the task once shown a visual picture, further learn from and benefit from working with this
and will then complete the work to the other student.
best of her ability.
A few students in my class are very low The teacher will sit next to these students during small
academically. These students are still group center work. By doing this, the teacher can help
working on their letter sounds and letter these students while still giving attention to the other
identification. Additional support is often students. The teacher will have a letter strip in front of
needed for these five students, and these students when writing to assist with spelling and
they often need one-on-one support. letter sound knowledge.
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2. Overview:
CCSS.ELA-
LITERACY.L.K.1.
E Use the most
frequently
occurring
prepositions
(e.g., to, from, in,
out, on, off, for,
of, by, with).
discussion, if
they do not wish
to share out with
the class.
opportunity to do
a turn and talk to
share with a
partner at the
table, so they can
feel more
comfortable
before sharing
with the whole
table. The
students do not
have to share
their map to the
whole table, but
they will be
encouraged to at
least share their
map with a
partner.
Big Powerful Idea: Maps show connections among people, places, and things within a
community.
Essential Questions:
● Where am I in relation to other people, places, and things in my community?
● How do I meet my needs and wants?
● How do we describe places and locations within our community?
● How do we use maps and globes in everyday life?
Lesson Objective: Students will be able to examine various types of maps and discuss their
findings, in order to connect their knowledge about their community, to their state, country,
and the world.
Materials:
● Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney
● Brain POP Jr Video - “Reading Maps”
● Map
● Globe
● Chart Paper for KWL
● Markers for KWL
● Me on the Map Flip Book
Lesson Procedure:
Introduction
The teacher will begin by showing students both a map of their country and a globe. The
teacher will then ask the students to discuss what they already know about maps. The teacher
will fill in the ‘K’ portion of the KWL chart with students responses. The teacher will facilitate
the discussion by asking students the following questions to elicit their thoughts on maps.
Before sharing out with the class, students will have the opportunity to turn and talk with a
partner to generate ideas to the following questions:
1. What are these?
a. Students may respond with: a map, the USA, a globe, the world, etc.
2. What are maps/globes used for?
a. Students may respond with: to show you parts of the world, to help you find
your way, for driving, to help you, etc.
3. What previous experiences have you had with maps?
a. Students may share experiences they have had or observed with their parents
using maps, a map on a phone, a GPS, etc.
Transition
The teacher will then explain that our next unit will be focused on maps and learning more
about how maps can help us by showing connections among people, places, and things.
Detailed Activities
After completing the ‘K’ portion of the KWL chart, the teacher will then engage students with
an interactive read aloud of Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney and Annette Cable. The
teacher will then fill in the ‘W’ portion of the KWL chart, asking students what they want to
know or learn more about over the next few days with mapping. Before sharing out with the
class, students will have the opportunity to turn and talk with a partner to generate ideas to the
following questions:
1. What do you want to learn more about when focusing on mapping?
2. What questions do you still have about how maps are used?
3. What questions do you still have about why we use maps?
Transition
The teacher will then show students the Brain POP Jr. video titled, “Reading Maps”.
Closure
After watching the video, the teacher will ask students if there is any new information they
want to add to what they have learned about maps (the ‘L’ column) from both the interactive
read aloud and the video, or if they have any new questions to add to the ‘W’ column. The
teacher will inform students that over the next few days they will be learning more about how
we describe places and locations in our community, and how maps can show us connections
among our community. Finally, students will go back to their seats and work on completing the
first two pages of the Me on the Map flip book (pages about home, and neighborhood). The
teacher will emphasize that the “house” page is referring to the students’ “home”, and that not
everyone may live in a house, but everyone has a home. Homes are very different and no two
homes will be exactly the same.
Assessment: The KWL chart will serve as both a pre assessment and post assessment once
completed. The teacher will assess what students already know about mapping, and what
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interests and questions the students still have for the unit. Once the chart is completed at the
end of the unit, the teacher can see what students learned about mapping and if/how their
questions were answered. The teacher will be able to see how students’ thinking changed
over the course of the unit by using the KWL chart.
Day 4: Compasses
GLCE(s): 1 – G1.0.2 Describe places using absolute location (e.g., home address) or relative
location (e.g., left, right, front, back, next to, near).
Big Powerful Idea: Maps show connections among people, places, and things within a
community.
Essential Questions:
● Where am I in relation to other people, places, and things in my community?
● How do I meet my needs and wants?
● How do we describe places and locations within our community?
● How do we use maps and globes in everyday life?
Lesson Objective: Students will be able to describe and demonstrate how we use
compasses and cardinal directions to help us find things around us.
Materials:
● Map Skills Compass Worksheet I and III
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2I81_BFb-s
● Meaningful: This lesson allows students to see how compasses help us find our way
around the world.
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● Integrative: This lesson will integrate some science as students learn about magnetic
fields and how they make compasses work
● Value-Based:
● Challenging: This lesson is challenging because students will grapple with the
abstract concept of cardinal directions not being definite
● Active: Students will be able to use the classroom to help them learn how to use
directions to find things. Students will also be working in pairs.
Lesson Procedure:
Introduction:
● Teacher will begin by showing students a compass rose.
○ Ask students have they ever seen one before?
○ What are compasses used for?
● Teacher will introduce students’ cardinal direction words North, South, East and West
by bringing their attention to the signs posted in the classroom
○ Play the cardinal direction song
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2I81_BFb-s) and ask students to sing
along and point to each direction when it is said.
○ After listening to the song, the teacher will ask students to find something in
each part of the classroom.
● Explain to students that when describing locations and directions we say North to
describe things that are above or in front of something else. West refers to something
to the left of something else and East to the right. South refers or things below or
down.
Transition: Teacher will have students return to their table spots to complete their first
worksheet.
Detailed Activities
● At their table spots, teacher will guide students through the worksheet, cutting and
pasting one label at a time.
● After completing the first worksheet, teacher will model number 1 and 2 on second
worksheet.
● Students will work with a partner to complete questions 3 and 4 on worksheet
Transition: Review questions 3 and 4 whole group
Closure: Explain to students how we compass and why they are important when talking
about directions. Be sure to explain to the student’s that North is not always what’s directly in
front of us.
Assessment: Assess how well students were able to answer question 1 and 2 with guidance
from teacher. Assess how well students are able to answer questions 3 and 4 independently
or in pairs.
GLCE(s):
1 – G1.0.1 Construct simple maps of the classroom to demonstrate aerial perspective.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.4 Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with
prompting and support, provide additional detail.
Big Powerful Idea: Maps show connections among people, places, and things within a
community.
Essential Questions:
● Where am I in relation to other people, places, and things in my community?
● How do I meet my needs and wants?
● How do we describe places and locations within our community?
● How do we use maps and globes in everyday life?
Materials:
● Example of a map of town
● Visuals (compass, map)
● Paper
● Pencils
● Crayons
● Meaningful: This lesson is meaningful because it allows students to see how maps
can be used in their own personal lives.
● Integrative: The lesson is integrative because students will be using their knowledge
from literacy to write using proper capitalization and spelling on their maps.
● Value-Based: We understand that students will want to and will include different
places from their town on the map. Students will be able to choose the important
places to them and incorporate these into their town maps.
● Challenging: The lesson is challenging because students will be making a map from
scratch on their own. This will be the first time they do this, so it will be a challenging
activity.
● Active: The lesson is active because students will be collaborating with other students
and moving around to share their maps they have created with their peers.
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Lesson Procedure:
Introduction
Students will be working in centers for this activity. We will begin by having a discussion on
what we have learned about maps. We will discuss the concepts of what maps can tell us,
cardinal directions, legends, prepositional/positional words, and the various types of maps
there are.
● What have we learned so far about maps?
● What can maps tell us?
● What are the cardinal directions?
● What do legends tell us on a map?
● What types of maps are there?
Transition
Once the introduction discussion is completed, ask the students something they like about
their town. Then, explain to the students they will be creating a map of their town today.
Detailed Activities
● After the introduction discussion and giving students a chance to talk about their
favorite place in their town, students will be shown an example of what their map of
their town is to look like.
○ This is the map I created of my town. Do you see how I included a title on my
map that says, “My Town”
○ Notice how I have a compass and legend on my map. This will help the person
looking at my map know what is included on it.
● The teacher will explain to the students that the map must include a title, compass,
and legend. The teacher will point these out on their map, so the students can see a
visual of what it looks like.
○ Pointing to the title on the example map say, you need to have a title on your
map.
○ Pointing to the compass on the example map say, you need to have a
compass included on your map with the cardinal directions labeled.
○ Pointing to the legend on the example map say, you need to include a legend
on your map.
● The teacher will tell the students to use their best kindergarten handwriting and use
proper uppercase/lowercase letters on their maps like they have practiced in literacy
centers.
○ Use your best kindergarten writing while creating your map. Think about what
letters are uppercase and lowercase just like you do your other writing.
● The students will be given a template to help them create their map of their town.
○ Pass out the template to each student
● The students will then draw, color, and label their map with as much detail as possible.
● When students are finished with their map, they will share their map with the 4-5 other
students at the table explaining what they drew and wrote on their maps.
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○ You may share your map with a partner if you finish early before you get to
share your map to the table group.
Transition
Let students have the opportunity to share with their group what they drew and wrote on their
map.
Closure
Explain to students again why it is important that we have maps. Tell them how they help us
with our daily activities. Explain that they can give us a lot of information. Explain that all maps
are not the same and can tell us different things, so it is important we look at the legend on
the map.
● Maps are important because they can help us find information about places/things we
use in our daily lives. They even help us to drive places. All of our maps are not the
same and they can tell us different things. Be sure to look at the legend on the map so
you know what the map is telling you.
Assessment:
If a student decides to share their map with the group, check to see if they drew a colored
map of their town, included a title on their map, included a compass, included a legend, and
included labels. If a student does not want to share their map, take a look at a different time to
see if they included these things. If a student includes these requirements on their map, they
understood the content presented to them during this unit.