OVERVIEW:

Young students need to build a foundation for under–standing of the 5 themes of geography. To help them build that foundation, primary teachers must find literature which brings the themes to their level. By building this foundation in the early grades, students will be able to use the themes in later grades to establish an understanding of geographic information.

PURPOSE:

This activity will help students understand location and map making.

CONNECTION TO THE CURRICULUM:

(As part of an integrated unit)
Social Studies, Language Arts, Math (measurement), Science

GRADE LEVEL: K-8, with adaptations

TIME: Two class periods

MATERIALS:

• Lost! by David McPhail (HBJ 1st grade, book 6)
• 5-12" squares of paper
• pencilscrayons
• chalkboard and chalk
• chart paper - one for each group, about 3' x 3'

CONCEPTS:

Places can be located on maps.
People find their locations on maps.

OBJECTIVE ONE:

Students will draw locations from the story.

ACTIVITIES:

• Students will listen to the story and focus on the places the bear and the boy go.
• Students will brainstorm the locations in the story.
• Students will discuss the order in which the locations occurred.
• Students will work in groups to make drawings of all the locations of the story.
• One- two drawings per child. (4-8 drawings)

EVALUATION:

Monitor and adjust student discussions.

Groups will turn in one picture for each location, and one for each member of the group.

EXPANSION:

The same kind of activity can be done with Jack Gantos' Worse than Rotten Ralph, Rex Schneider's The Wide-Mouthed Frog, Adelaide Bedtime for Bears, and I Love Saturday by Patricia Reilly Giff, (also in the 2nd grade HBJ reader, UP ONE HILL AND DOWN ANOTHER)

OBJECTIVE TWO:

Students will put their pictures on a map.

ACTIVITIES:

• Students will listen to the story a second time, focusing on the order of the locations in the story.
• Groups will place their pictures on a piece of butcher paper as they think they belong.
• All group members must agree on placement of their pictures before they can be glued down.
• Students will add streets, forest, and details to map.
• Students will include a map key, compass rose, cartographers' names, and title on the map.

EVALUATION:

Monitor and adjust student discussions.

Students will write a short paragraph explaining why they placed the pictures where they did on the map.

EXPANSION:

Students may take pictures or draw pictures of things they find in their neighborhood or town and place them on maps in the same manner.

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