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2nd grade · Social Studies · Unit 11 of 12

Reading Maps

Titles, directions and legends

What your child practices

Map titles, cardinal and in-between directions, legends and symbols, grids and simple scales, and maps of the home, school and community.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: 2.3(A); 2.3(B) · using map elements such as title, cardinal directions and legend, and making maps of familiar places

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. A title tells what a map shows. A legend explains its symbols.
  2. North is at the top. Opposites: north–south, east–west.
  3. On a grid, find the column letter, then the row number.

Example: Dallas is north of Houston. Houston is ___ of Dallas. Going back is the opposite direction. The opposite of north is south. Answer: south

Reading Maps in Texas

In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 11 of 12 in 2nd grade Social Studies, after Who Runs Our Community? and before Making & Trading.

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: Texas Education Agency (TEA)

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

    The school is north of the park. The park is ___ of the school.

    • east
    • north
    • south

  2. Question 2

    On a grid map, the library is in square C2. Find it by going to column…

    • 2, then row C
    • A, then row 1
    • C, then row 2
    • any square

  3. Question 3

    A map of Austin would show…

    • streets, parks and buildings of the city
    • every country
    • the moon
    • only oceans

  4. Question 4

    A map is a drawing of a place seen from…

    • above
    • under the ground
    • inside a box

  5. Question 5

    On a map of Texas, Dallas is north of Houston. Houston is ___ of Dallas.

    • north
    • south
    • east
    • west

  6. Question 6

    On a map, 1 inch stands for 1 mile. Two places are 3 inches apart. How far?

    • 3 miles
    • 1 mile
    • 30 miles

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