Geography · Year 2

Active learning ideas

Map Symbols and Keys for Local Maps

Active learning works well for map symbols because children develop spatial thinking through movement and interaction. Hands-on tasks like hunts and design activities help students connect abstract symbols to real places in their community, making the key meaningful rather than just a list.

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

• 25–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Placemat Activity
• 30 min · Pairs

Scavenger Hunt: Local Map Symbols

Distribute printed maps of the school area with keys. In pairs, students locate and circle 10 symbols, recording what each represents in a table. Groups share one finding with the class to discuss the key's role.

What do you notice about the symbols used on a local map?

Facilitation Tip

During the Scavenger Hunt, pair students so they can discuss symbol meanings aloud as they search, reinforcing vocabulary and teamwork.

What to look for

Provide students with a simple local map and its key. Ask them to point to the symbol for the school and then find the school on the map. Repeat for a park and a road, asking 'What does this symbol mean?'

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Placemat Activity
• 25 min · Small Groups

Matching Game: Symbols to Features

Prepare cards with symbols on one set and photos or words of features on another. Small groups match them using a provided key, then create sentences like 'The triangle means a park.' Time for two rounds.

How does a map key help you read a map?

Facilitation Tip

In the Matching Game, provide two sets of cards: one with symbols and one with feature names, so students physically sort and label them together.

What to look for

Give each student a small card. Ask them to draw one symbol for a familiar local feature (e.g., a tree for a park) and write its name. Then, ask them to write one sentence explaining how a map key helps us.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Placemat Activity
• 35 min · Individual

Design Your Key: Classroom Map

Students draw a simple map of the classroom or playground. Individually, they invent three symbols, add a key, and explain choices to a partner. Display maps for a class gallery walk.

Can you draw your own symbol for a school, a park, and a road?

Facilitation Tip

For Design Your Key, give students blank keys with room for four symbols so their choices stay focused and manageable.

What to look for

Show students two different maps of the same local area, each with slightly different symbols. Ask: 'What do you notice about the symbols on these maps? How does the key help us understand them? Which map is easier to read and why?'

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Placemat Activity
• 45 min · Whole Class

Fieldwork Walk: Symbol Spotting

Take a short walk around school grounds with clipboards and maps. Whole class ticks off observed features matching symbols, then returns to plot routes using the key.

What do you notice about the symbols used on a local map?

Facilitation Tip

On the Fieldwork Walk, bring clipboards with a simple map and key so students can mark symbols they spot in real time.

What to look for

Provide students with a simple local map and its key. Ask them to point to the symbol for the school and then find the school on the map. Repeat for a park and a road, asking 'What does this symbol mean?'

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should introduce symbols with real objects first, so students see how a tree icon stands for many trees. Avoid starting with the key alone, as that can make symbols feel arbitrary. Instead, build understanding through discovery and talk. Research shows that students learn best when they move from concrete examples to abstract symbols, so always connect tasks to their local environment.

By the end of these activities, students will confidently use a map key to locate features, interpret symbols correctly, and explain why keys are necessary. They will also begin to notice how symbols simplify real places for clear reading.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Scavenger Hunt, watch for students who assume a symbol for a house looks exactly like a real house.

  During the Scavenger Hunt, ask students to compare the symbol on the map to the real house they see, then discuss why the symbol is simpler. Use the key to confirm the meaning together.

• During the Matching Game, watch for students who guess symbol meanings without checking the key.

  During the Matching Game, require students to place both the symbol card and the feature card on the key before confirming a match. Peers can challenge incorrect pairings by pointing to the key.

• During Design Your Key, watch for students who copy symbols from one map style without understanding why symbols vary.

  During Design Your Key, display two different maps of the same area and ask students to compare the symbols for the same feature. Discuss how consistency helps readers understand maps more easily.

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Methods used in this brief

• Placemat Activity