Grade 2 History and Social Studies Unit 2 | Student Lessons
Five lessons on maps, directions, Alabama and simple map scale. Examples with maps and distances are imaginary. Download lessons and fillable practice. This is one unit, not a full-year textbook or verified standards crosswalk.
Practice workbook | Teacher guide and answers
Day 1: Maps show places
A map is a drawing or picture that shows selected places and features. A map can show a classroom, neighborhood, state, or a larger area. Mapmakers choose what to include, so a map does not show everything.
A map title tells what the map is about. A map key, also called a legend, explains what symbols mean. A symbol is a mark or picture that stands for something else. A blue line might stand for a river if the map key says so.
Imagine a map with a star for a school and a blue line for a river. The star is a symbol for the school. The real school is a place, not a star drawn on paper. This is an imaginary map.
Day 2: Directions
A compass rose or north arrow shows directions on a map. The four main directions are north, south, east and west. On a map with north at the top, south is at the bottom, east is to the right, and west is to the left. Check the north arrow because maps can be turned.
Imagine a north-up map. A park is above a library. The park is north of the library, and the library is south of the park. A school to the right of the library is east of the library.
Practice by drawing a small map and marking north. Add a square for a library and a circle above it for a park. Label your symbols in a key. This is a model, not a map of a real neighborhood.
Day 3: Alabama and its places
Alabama is a state in the United States. It has cities, towns, rivers, hills, forests and a coast along the Gulf of Mexico. A city is a community where people live and work. A river is a natural flow of water.
The Tennessee River crosses north Alabama. A map can help us find the river and nearby communities, but a map by itself does not tell us whether the water is safe to enter or drink. Ask a grown-up and use current local information.
Physical features are parts of the natural landscape, such as rivers and hills. Human-made features include roads and buildings. People use maps to locate both kinds of features.
Day 4: Map scale and distance
A map is smaller than the place it shows. A scale helps tell how map distance relates to ground distance. For this imaginary map, suppose 1 inch on the map stands for 2 miles on the ground.
Worked example: A line that measures 2 inches on this imaginary map stands for 4 miles, because 2 groups of 2 miles make 4 miles. A 3-inch line stands for 6 miles. These are practice numbers, not measured distances between real places.
A straight line on a map may not follow the roads people travel. Use the scale printed on the map you are reading, and check whether the map has been resized.
Day 5: Independent map check
Use what you learned about maps. For questions 6 and 7, use this imaginary scale: 1 inch on the map stands for 2 miles on the ground. A grown-up may read directions aloud.
Extension
With a grown-up, draw a map of a room. Add a title, a north arrow and a key with two symbols. Explain what each symbol stands for.