Mapping Activities

Welcome to the Mapping lessons and activities. We suggest doing the Topographic Map and the Using a Compass activities before attempting Create a Map with your students.  On the other hand, the World Map Projection activities can be done independently.

In Topographic Maps, students investigate the need for topographic maps and how to read and use them. Using a Compass includes instructions for teaching compass use and several activities to help students increase their proficiency. The Creating a Map activity challenges students to accurately take angle and distance measurements of an area and create a scale map.

Through inquiry activities in World Map Projections, students are challenged to make a “map” on a surface of a sphere flat, then make a flat map accurately fit on a sphere. Finally, many different world map projections are examined for strengths and limitations.

• Topographic Maps

• Using a Compass

• Create a Map

• World Map Projections