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1st grade · Social Studies · Unit 1 of 10

Maps

Symbols, directions, near and far

What your child practices

Reading a simple map with north at the top, using north, south, east and west, map symbols and legends, and near and far.

Maine Learning Results learning standard: Geography 1 · gathering information about the neighborhood from maps and pictures

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. A map shows where places are.
  2. The legend (or key) tells what each symbol means.
  3. North, south, east, west. The sun comes up in the east.

Example: What tells you what the symbols on a map mean? Look in the map's corner box. It is called the legend, or key. Answer: the legend (or key)

Maps in Maine

In the Maine Learning Results, this is unit 1 of 10 in 1st grade Social Studies, before Our Land.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Maine Department of Education

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Look at the map. What is south of the house?

    ⬆️ North is up

    🟩 🚒 🟩

    🏫 🏠 📚

    🟩 🏊 🟩

    • 🏊pool
    • 🚒fire station
    • 🏫school

  2. Question 2

    What do N, S, E and W on a compass mean?

    • 😊nose, smile, ears, wave
    • 🔤near, small, easy, wide
    • 🧭north, south, east, west

  3. Question 3

    What does a map show?

    🗺️
    • 🥪what we ate for lunch
    • ⏰what time it is
    • 📍where places are

  4. Question 4

    Look at the map. Which way is the school from the house?

    ⬆️ North is up

    🟩 🏊 🟩

    🏫 🏠 🌳

    🟩 🏪 🟩

    • ⬅️west
    • ➡️east
    • ⬇️south

  5. Question 5

    Look at the map. What is east of the house?

    ⬆️ North is up

    🟩 🏥 🟩

    🚒 🏠 🏪

    🟩 🏫 🟩

    • 🏪store
    • 🏥hospital
    • 🏫school

  6. Question 6

    Which one is nearest to the child?

    🧒🌳➖⚽➖➖🧸
    • 🧸teddy bear
    • 🌳tree
    • ⚽ball

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