Second Graders on the Map

In second grade, the students learn about the community they live in. They learn about the people who work and live there. They also learn about the neighborhood they live in, and practice writing their address. To help the students learn more about the neighborhood they live in, we introduced them to the concept of maps, and what they can show.

We began the mini-project in the computer lab. Using the Com-Web system and the ELMO, I read the book, A Bird's Eye View. The students were able to follow along by looking at the book as it was presented in front of them on their computer screens. After the shared reading, I showed the students a "bird's eye view" of my bedroom, which I created using Kid Pix. We talked about the tools that I used to create this 'map'. The students soon began creating their own maps of their bedroom. The following week, the students again used Kid Pix, this time to create a picture of the front of their home.

The next part of the mini-project began with another shared reading of Me On The Map. The students made connections with what they saw and heard from the book to their previous experiences, and what they saw in the classroom. For example, when talking about a map of the community, the children referred to the map of our community that we have posted in the classroom.

After the reading, I used the Smart Board to show the students a web-site that showed maps. Using www.mapquest.com, I typed in the address to the school, and showed them where the school is located on a street map. I then showed them an aerial photograph of the school from above--a "bird's eye view". The students were then given copies of street maps and aerial photographs of the area around their home to look at, both taken from Mapquest. They took the maps and their house that they created on Kid Pix, and mounted them on construction paper, along with their address that they copied onto lined paper.

This mini-project introduced the concept of maps to the students. They learned that they can use maps to help them find the location of different places, such as their home and their school.