Community Map

1. The teacher will begin the lesson by reading the story ‘Look Where We Live! A First Book of Community Building’ by: Scot Ritchie
2. Before beginning the story, the teacher will show the students the map of the children’s community and the places they will see when traveling.
3. While reading the story the teacher will keep a list of people and places the children stop and see along the way in their community. (examples: gas station, school, community garden, etc.)
4. After reading the story, the teacher will have the students look at the list that was made of the people and places that they saw and visited in the story, and ask the students to think about the community they live in. Are there any similarities? Differences? The teacher will have students think about things they see around their school, and places they pass on the way to school each day.
5. The teacher will check the ones that are similar in their community, and write down other places the students come up with that are different in their community.
6. The teacher will then show students what a map looks like, and explain why maps are used. The teacher will show students basic symbols that are used on maps to represent people or places. (symbol examples: school, hospital, bank, water, park, road, etc.) **symbols should be chosen by what is found in your own community**
7. Once the teacher has reviewed the symbols they would use on a map of their own community, the teacher will have the students map out their own community.
8. Students will be given a blank piece of construction paper, a list of symbols that should be included on the map, and markers/colored pencils.
9. The teacher will have the students draw a picture of their school in the center of their paper. (teacher will demonstrate what is asked of the students on the board for the students to see)
10. The teacher will then draw the surrounding roads near the school. (It should be based on your own school).
11. Once the school and the roads have been drawn, the teacher will have the students look to the symbol list that was provided and have the students think about where these places are located and should be drawn on the map. The teacher will walk through each symbol with the students, and have them think about where the places are located and have them draw the symbols on the map as they move through the activity.
12. Once the students have finished their maps, the teacher will refer back to the map in the read-aloud and have the students compare and contrast again what they see to be similar and different between the two maps.

Community Maps will be different depending on the people and places that are within your own community. 

Remediation: Students who need extra support may work with a partner

Extension: Students who have mastered the content can complete their map digitally or choose to add additional items beyond what is listed. 

The students will be informally assessed through the questioning that takes place throughout the lesson. The teacher will be able to see if the students understand how a map is used and the meaning of the symbols used if the students are able to take part in the discussions about the maps. The teacher will also be able to see this based on whether or not the students are able to compare and contrast the community map in the story to their own community maps they created.