Geography · Year 1 · Mapping Our School and Home · Autumn Term

Making a Treasure Map

Students create their own simple treasure map using symbols and directional language.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: Geography - Geographical Skills and Fieldwork

About This Topic

Making a treasure map introduces Year 1 students to essential mapping skills through play. They create simple plans of familiar places, such as the classroom or playground, using symbols for features like trees, doors, or tables. A key explains each symbol, and directional language guides users, for example, 'go straight past the bin, turn left at the slide.' This activity aligns with KS1 Geography standards for using positional language, observing places, and conducting simple fieldwork. Key questions guide students to design clear maps, justify symbol choices, and predict navigation success.

The topic connects geography with English through descriptive instructions and design technology via symbol creation. It builds spatial awareness, an early step toward interpreting real maps, and encourages justification skills for deeper thinking. In the Mapping Our School and Home unit, it turns routine spaces into exploratory adventures, boosting confidence in describing locations.

Active learning suits this topic perfectly. Students gain insights by physically following peers' maps, hiding treasures, and giving feedback on clarity. Movement reinforces directions, collaboration refines symbols, and trial-and-error makes abstract skills tangible and fun.

Key Questions

1. Design a treasure map with clear symbols and directions.
2. Justify the choice of symbols for different features on your map.
3. Predict how someone would use your map to find the treasure.

Learning Objectives

• Design a treasure map of a familiar area using a key and symbols.
• Identify and classify common features in a familiar environment to represent them with symbols.
• Demonstrate the use of directional language (e.g., left, right, straight on) to guide a user to a specific point on a map.
• Justify the choice of symbols used on a treasure map, explaining their meaning.
• Predict the path a user would take to find a treasure based on the map's symbols and directions.

Before You Start

Identifying Objects in the Classroom

Why: Students need to be able to recognize and name common objects and features before they can represent them with symbols.

Basic Spatial Language

Why: Familiarity with terms like 'in', 'on', 'under', 'next to' helps build the foundation for more complex directional language.

Key Vocabulary

Symbol	A simple picture or shape used on a map to represent a real object or place, like a tree or a house.
Key	A box on a map that explains what each symbol means, helping people understand the map.
Directional Language	Words that tell someone which way to go, such as 'turn left', 'go straight', or 'walk past'.
Feature	A noticeable part of a place, like a door, a bench, a slide, or a large tree.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Maps must show everything exactly to scale, like photographs.

What to Teach Instead

Year 1 maps prioritise clear symbols and paths over accuracy. Peer map-following activities reveal that simple, tested designs communicate better than detailed drawings. Discussion helps students refine their work.

Common Misconception

Symbols are understood by everyone without a key.

What to Teach Instead

A key ensures shared meaning. When students follow maps lacking keys, they experience confusion firsthand, motivating key inclusion. Group testing highlights this effectively.

Common Misconception

Directions always use compass points like north.

What to Teach Instead

Relative terms like left, right, straight suit beginners. Navigation games from varied starting points show compass use is unnecessary for local maps, building confidence.

Active Learning Ideas

Pairs: Classroom Map Swap

Pairs sketch a treasure map of the classroom with four symbols and a key. They label directions like 'two steps forward, turn right.' Swap maps, follow to find a hidden sticker, then discuss confusions.

25 min·Pairs

Small Groups: Playground Treasure Hunt

Groups draw maps of playground features using agreed symbols. Hide small treasures, exchange maps, and navigate using instructions. Debrief on what worked well.

40 min·Small Groups

Whole Class: Symbol Design Relay

Class brainstorms symbols for common objects. Teams relay to draw and label one symbol each on a shared key. Use the key to create individual mini-maps.

30 min·Whole Class

Individual: Home Map Challenge

Students draw a map from their front door to a 'treasure' at home, using three symbols and directions. Share predictions of how family would follow it.

20 min·Individual

Real-World Connections

• Cartographers create maps for navigation, tourism, and urban planning. They use symbols and keys to represent roads, buildings, and natural landmarks so people can find their way around cities or explore national parks.
• Theme park designers create maps for visitors to navigate large attractions. These maps use clear symbols for rides, restrooms, and food stalls, along with directional arrows, to help families find their favorite attractions easily.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

Observe students as they draw their maps. Ask: 'What does this symbol mean?' or 'How would someone know to turn here?' Note which students are using symbols and directional language correctly.

Exit Ticket

Give each student a small card. Ask them to draw one symbol for a feature in the classroom and write its meaning in the key. Then, ask them to write one directional instruction to get from their desk to the door.

Peer Assessment

Have students swap treasure maps with a partner. Ask each student to follow their partner's map to find a hidden 'treasure' (e.g., a sticker). Students then provide feedback: 'I understood this symbol,' or 'I got a little lost here because the direction was unclear.'

Frequently Asked Questions

What symbols work best for Year 1 treasure maps?

Use simple, bold drawings: wavy line for sandpit, rectangle for bench, circle with cross for tree, arrow for path. Limit to 4-6 per map. Involve students in choosing through voting; this ownership improves recall and justification. Connect to art by practising symbols first.

How to teach directional language in KS1 treasure maps?

Start with positional words: forward, back, left, right. Model with whole-class demos on a large floor map. Progress to writing short sequences like 'turn left, walk five steps.' Games where students direct peers reinforce usage and clarify ambiguities through trial.

Active learning benefits for Year 1 mapping skills UK?

Active methods like map hunts and swaps make skills experiential. Physical navigation cements directions, peer feedback sharpens symbols, and play reduces anxiety. This aligns with KS1 fieldwork, as students link maps to real spaces, improving retention over worksheets alone.

Common Year 1 mistakes in making treasure maps?

Errors include missing keys, vague directions, or overcrowding. Address by modelling annotated examples and peer review stations. Prediction tasks, where students guess navigation success, prompt self-correction. Scaffolds like direction dice ensure all practise accurately.