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Kindergarten Maps Unit Overview

Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project

Essential

Questions

Enduring Understandings GLCEs Assessments

District

Resources

What do maps and

globes represent?

What is in our

environment?

Maps and globes represent places.

Everything has a place.

There natural (nature-made) and

human (man-made) characteristics

in our environment.

Key Terms & Vocabulary

Map

Globe

Up, down, in, out, below, above

Environment

Human characteristic – people made

objects or ways people have

changed the environment.

Natural characteristic – landforms

such as rivers, lakes, forests, etc.

G1.0.1

Recognize that maps and globes

represent places.

G1.0.2

Use environmental directions or

positional words to identify

significant locations in the

classroom.

G2.0.1

Identify and describe places in

the immediate environment.

Summative (Required):

Kindergarten Maps Unit Assessment

Formative (Optional):

My Classroom

My Environment

District

1


Kindergarten Maps Unit Lessons Breakdown

Title GLCEs Included Resources Needed Resources Suggested Resources

Lesson 1 My

Environment

G2.0.1 My Environment worksheet

Environment Card Game

There is a Map on My Lap by Tish

Rabe

Follow That Map by Scot Ritchie

Lesson 2 Identifying and

Using Maps

and Globes

G1.0.1

G1.0.2

G2.0.1

Maps and Globes

Discovery Education Video:

Understanding Maps: Key

to Everywhere K-2 (15

min. 11 Segments)

Me on the Map by Joan

Sweeney

My Global Address by Tamara

Nunn

Maps and Globes: Differences by

C. Bohanon-Brown

Buried Treasure: All about using a

map by Kirsten Hall

Lesson 3 Classroom

Locations

G1.0.2

My Classroom worksheet Classroom Map

Chart Paper

Can You Read a Map? by Rozanne

Lanczak Williams

2

Kindergarten Maps Unit


Lesson 1

Title: My Environment

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Unit of Study: Maps

Estimated Pace: 4-6 Days

Abstract: Students will recognize places in their environment.

GLCE:

G2.0.1 Identify and describe places in the immediate environment.

Key Concepts: environment and location / Human and Natural Characteristics

Important Questions to Ask:

What is your environment? (It is your surroundings or area around you.)

Where is your environment? In (your city or town), in (school), in classroom, in

(teacher’s) classroom.

Sequence of Activities:

Day One: Identify what an environment is.

1. Brainstorm on chart paper places students have gone (home, school, store, playground,

church, library, beach, zoo). Show pictures of these environments if available.

2. Have students talk with a partner about different places they have visited.

3. Talk with the students about how these places are all different environments. Explain

what an environment is to your students: Environment is your surroundings or area

around you.

Day Two: Where is your environment? Identifying things in that environment that are

Natural and Human characteristics. (Natural: Nature-Made) (Human: Man-Made)

1. Review what an environment is.

2. Talk with students about where they are right now. Explain to them that this is their

environment now. As the day goes on their environment will change.

3. Go on an “Environment Walk:”

Go to the Library in your school. Ask the students where their environment is

now? Talk about things that they see in their environment. Talk about what things are

Human Characteristics in that environment and what things are Natural Characteristics.

Make a list of what they say. Talk with them about what rules are in this environment.

Take the students outside, depending on the weather. Talk to them about where

their environment is now. Talk about things they see in this environment that are Human

Characteristics and Natural Characteristics. Write these ideas down. Talk about what

special rules students need to follow in this environment.

4. Take students back to the classroom. Ask the students if their environment now is the

Library? They should say NO! We are in the classroom. The classroom is our

environment now.

3



5. Brainstorm the different environments they visited. On chart paper list the Natural

Characteristics (Nature-Made), and Human Characteristics (Man-Made) objects they

encountered.

Day Three: Reviewing what and where an environment is, and what Natural and Human

Characteristics are.

1. Review what and where an environment is based on the activities completed above,

along with Natural and Human Characteristics.

2. Explain to the students that they are going to play an environment game. Show the

students the three different environment cards. Talk briefly about things that they would

find in each environment. Hang the cards up in three different locations in your

classroom. Next, pass out small picture cards of things that are found in each

environment. Give one to every child. Tell them that you are going to play a little music

and they are to move around the room and switch cards with everyone they pass. When

the music stops they need to look at their card and decide what environment it belongs in

and go stand by that environment card in the room. Once there, the student needs to hold

up their card for all to see. The teacher then can call on each environment area to name

off what objects the students are holding, and the class needs to decide if that object

belongs to that environment and if it is a Natural or Human Characteristic. Repeat as

many times as teacher wants.

3. Gather students for a discussion. Tell them that for homework, you would like them to

draw and label three objects that they ONLY find in their kitchen at home and three

objects that they ONLY find in their bathroom. They must write on the lines provided,

what the object is. Give some examples (ie. toaster in the kitchen, toilet in the

bathroom).Worksheet Attached: “My Environment” Homework.

Day Four: Discussion on Worksheet completed from Day Three: Environment Homework

1. Start a discussion with the kids as to what they found in each environment. Make a chart

on white board or chart paper. Label one side “Kitchen” and the other side “Bathroom.”

Draw or write things that the kids found in each environment. Talk about why you would

or would not find them in the other environment.

Extension Activities:

Follow playground maps to specific locations (swings, slide, sandbox, trees, garden)

Create student-centered useful maps

Connections:

English Language Arts

Mathematics

Instructional Resources:

Equipment/Manipulative

Playground Map

Chart Paper

4



Student Resources

Teacher Resources

Suggested Resources

Follow That Map by Scot Ritchie

There is a Map on My Lap by Tish Rabe

5



Lesson 1 Homework

My Environment Name _________________

Draw and label three things you can only find in your

kitchen.

Draw and label three things you can only find in your

bathroom.

This is a

________________________ .

This is a

________________________ .

This is a

________________________ .

This is a

________________________ .

This is a

________________________ .

This is a

________________________ .

6

Environment Card 1

7

Environment Card 2

8

Environment Card 3

9

Picture Cards

10

11



Lesson 2

Title: Identifying and Using Maps and Globes


Unit of Study: Maps

Estimated Pace: 4-6 Days

Abstract: The students will recognize that maps and globes represent places.

GLCE: G1.0.1 Recognize that maps and globes represent places.

G1.0.2 Use environmental directions or positional words to identify significant locations in the

classroom environment.

G2.0.1 Identify and describe places in the immediate environment (ie. classroom, home,

playground).

Key Concepts:

Maps

Globes

Positional Words (up, down, in, out, below, above)

Direction

Essential Questions to Ask:

Why do we use maps and globes?

What do maps and globes represent?

How do we use maps? Globes?

Sequence of Activities:

Activity One-Identify Maps and Globes

1. Read Me on the Map (or another comparable text about maps) and identify tools that people use to

locate places.

2. Show examples of maps and globes. These could be maps of the world, your school or a map of a

local zoo.

Suggested Resource: Discovery Education Video: Understanding Maps: Key to Everywhere, 15 min.,

11 Segments.

Activity Two-Create a Classroom Map

1. Review and discuss what maps and globes represent.

2. On chart paper, draw a map of the classroom and label the general areas. Encourage students to

give input to help create the map.

(Suggestions: If needed, create the classroom map over a period of days. The teacher could create

portions of the map prior to lesson. You could use clip art or photos to add detail to the map).

3. The following can be done once the map is complete.

Place an object in one of the general areas of the classroom that is indicated on the map. Give a

child a sticky note and have him/her place it on the map (to show the location of the object). This

can be repeated to show multiple locations and ways to indicate a location on a map.

12



Activity Three-Using a Map

1. Prior to beginning this activity, hide an object in the classroom that could be located on the map.

Show the location of the object by placing a sticky note on the map. The child must figure out

where the object is located by reading the map, then go find the object.

2. Review key concepts from previous activities.

3. As a variation:

Have one or more students go into the hallway.

Allow one or more students to hide a single object in the classroom. The teacher (or

student) will then mark the location on the map.

Allow the students to re-enter and attempt to locate the hidden object.

If the student(s) is unable to locate the object, students will give directions/positional words

to assist.

As time allows, continue the game with other student participation.

Revisit the game as needed. This game could be continued as a center within the classroom

to encourage the independent use of classroom maps.

Connections:


Mathematics



Maps and Globes

Student Resources

Teacher Resources

United Streaming Video

Understanding Maps: Key to Everywhere

K-2 (15 min. 11 Segments)

Suggested Resources

Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney

My Global Address by Tamara Nunn

Maps and Globes: Differences by C. Bohanon-Brown

Buried Treasure: All About Using a Map New York: Children’s Press 2003

13



Lesson 3

Title: Classroom Locations


Unit of Study: Maps

Estimated Pace: Two 20 min. lessons

Materials needed: Copy worksheet – MY CLASSROOM – one per student.

Abstract: Students will use environmental directions or positional words to identify significant

locations around the classroom.

GLCE:

G1.0.2 Use environmental directions or positional words to identify significant locations in

the classroom.

Key Concepts:

Up, down, in, out, below, above

Direction

Important Questions to Ask:

What words do we use to locate places in a classroom?

Day One - Sequence of Activities:

1. Give each student an item (ie. pencil, teddy bear counter, eraser, etc.).

2. Give students directions on where to place their item, such as, “Put your pencil up, put your

pencil down, put your pencil under your chair, put your pencil behind your back,” etc.

Day Two - Sequence of Activities: Copy Worksheet – MY CLASSROOM – one per student.

1. Remind students of the direction words “in, out, up, down, above, below.”

2. Choose items around the classroom to practice these location words.

Examples:

a. “Look up…what do you see?”

b. “Look down…what do you see?”

c. “What is below the clock?”

d. “What is above the door?”

e. “What is below the board?”

f. Point to a box or tub, “What is in the box?”

g. Point to another box or tub, “What can you take out of the box?”

3. Pass out worksheet MY CLASSROOM and give oral directions.

a. Look at the desk in the middle of the classroom.

b. Below the desk, draw a rug.

c. Above the desk, draw a clock.

d. Look at the box on the desk.

e. Draw a heart in the box.

f. Draw stars out of the box.

g. Look at the books.

h. Start at the books and draw an arrow pointing up.

i. Start at the books and draw an arrow pointing down.

14



Extension Activities:

Use directional words for practice in other areas in the school. (Library, Gym, Computer Lab,

Office, Art)

Follow a map to practice finding safety drill locations

Create student-centered useful maps

In your classroom, using sticky notes, label locations visited by students throughout the year.

Connections:


Mathematics



Classroom Map

Chart Paper

Teacher Resources

Suggested Reading

Can You Read a Map? by Rozanne Lanczak Williams

15

My Classroom Name _________________

0

20

40

60

80

100

1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr

East

West

North

Book

Book

Book

16

Documents

Kindergarten Maps Unit Overview - cisdsocialstudies - …cisdsocialstudies.wikispaces.com/file/view/Kindergarten+Maps+Unit...by Rozanne Lanczak Williams. 2. ... (home, school, store,