Birds Eye View and Symbols

Active learning helps Year 3 students grasp the abstract shift from ground-level views to birds eye views by making spatial concepts concrete. Through hands-on activities, children experience how maps simplify the world, turning complex scenes into recognizable symbols they can interpret and use.

• Year 3
• Geography
• 3 activities
• 20 min–45 min

Learning Objectives

1. Identify standard Ordnance Survey symbols representing common features like buildings, roads, and water bodies.
2. Compare a 2D plan view of an object or area with its 3D representation.
3. Explain how a map key aids in interpreting geographical information.
4. Create a simple map of a familiar environment using standard symbols and a key.

Stations Rotation

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Stations Rotation: The View from Above

Set up stations with everyday objects like a mug, a shoe, and a toy car. Students must draw each object from a side view and then from a direct birds eye view to see how the 2D shape changes. At the final station, they match their drawings to a set of mystery plan view photos.

Prepare & details

Why do cartographers use symbols instead of drawings?

Facilitation Tip: During Station Rotation: The View from Above, set up clear visual prompts at each station to guide students from ground-level to birds eye view without verbal instruction.

Setup: Tables/desks arranged in 4-6 distinct stations around room

Materials: Station instruction cards, Different materials per station, Rotation timer

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 30 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Symbol Detectives

Provide groups with a large OS map and a set of 'mystery feature' cards. Students must search the map to find the symbols matching their cards and use the map key to identify what they represent. They then create a giant classroom key by drawing the symbols on post-it notes.

Prepare & details

How does a birds eye perspective change our understanding of a space?

Facilitation Tip: For Collaborative Investigation: Symbol Detectives, assign small groups one symbol type to research and present to the class, ensuring each group contributes to a shared class key.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 20 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Designing a New School Symbol

Students think of a school feature that doesn't have a standard OS symbol, such as the 'friendship bench' or the 'forest school area'. They design a simple, clear symbol in pairs and explain to the class why their design is easy for a traveler to understand.

Prepare & details

What makes a map key effective for a traveler?

Facilitation Tip: In Think-Pair-Share: Designing a New School Symbol, model the think phase with a think-aloud to show how to focus on essential features before designing symbols.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

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

Teaching This Topic

Teaching this topic effectively requires moving between concrete and abstract thinking. Use real-world comparisons, like comparing a classroom to its map, to bridge the gap between 3D and 2D. Avoid overwhelming students with too many symbols at once; introduce them gradually with meaningful contexts. Research shows that students learn spatial concepts best when they create their own representations, so incorporate drawing and modeling activities.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students confidently identifying and using birds eye view perspectives and standard OS symbols to represent real-world features. Children should explain why symbols are necessary and how they differ from photographs or scale drawings.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Station Rotation: The View from Above, watch for students who assume maps should look like satellite images.

What to Teach Instead

Pair students to compare a satellite image with a corresponding map during the station, asking them to highlight how symbols like roads or buildings are clearer and more useful on the map than in the photo.

Common Misconception

During Collaborative Investigation: Symbol Detectives, watch for students who believe symbols must match the size of real objects.

What to Teach Instead

Provide blocks and have students build a small model of a church or post office, then place the OS symbol on top to show that the symbol marks the location, not the size.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

After Station Rotation: The View from Above, show students a simple birds eye view map of the classroom with OS symbols. Ask them to point to the symbol for the door and write the meaning of the tree symbol on mini whiteboards.

Exit Ticket

During Collaborative Investigation: Symbol Detectives, give each student a card with a picture of a common object. Ask them to draw the birds eye view and select the correct OS symbol from a list to represent it on a provided map template.

Discussion Prompt

After Think-Pair-Share: Designing a New School Symbol, present two different map keys for the school playground, one clear and one confusing. Ask students which key is more effective and why, focusing on clarity and usability.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge early finishers to create a birds eye view map of the school library using only OS symbols, including a key and a route from the door to a chosen bookshelf.
• For students who struggle, provide a partially completed map key with images next to symbols to scaffold understanding during Collaborative Investigation: Symbol Detectives.
• Deeper exploration: Invite students to compare historical maps with modern OS maps of the same area, noting how symbols and perspectives have changed over time.

Key Vocabulary

Plan view	A view of an object or area from directly above, looking straight down. It shows the shape and position of features as seen from a birds eye perspective.
Birds eye view	A perspective from a high vantage point, looking down on an area. It is similar to a plan view but can include some sense of depth or height.
Symbol	A simple picture or shape used on a map to represent a real-world feature, such as a church, a tree, or a road.
Map key	A list or chart that explains what the symbols on a map represent. It is essential for understanding the information presented on the map.
Ordnance Survey (OS) symbols	Standardized symbols used by the Ordnance Survey, the national mapping agency of Great Britain, to represent features on their maps.