Geography · 1st Year

Active learning ideas

Finding Places on a Map

Active learning helps students connect abstract map skills to real-world contexts. By manipulating physical photos, discussing perspectives, and comparing viewpoints, students build spatial reasoning that static maps alone cannot provide. This hands-on approach makes abstract concepts like scale, direction, and feature identification concrete and memorable.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary Curriculum - Myself and the Wider World
• NCCA: Primary Curriculum - Geographical Investigation

• 20–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Gallery Walk
• 35 min · Pairs

Gallery Walk: Then and Now

Display pairs of aerial photos of an Irish town from 50 years ago and today. Students move in pairs to identify three major changes (e.g., new housing, removed trees, road changes) and record them on a worksheet.

How can we use a map to find our way?

Facilitation Tip

For the Gallery Walk, assign each pair a specific photo pair (old map and new aerial) so all examples are covered efficiently.

What to look for

Provide students with a simple map of the school grounds featuring a grid. Ask them to identify the location of the library using coordinates (e.g., B3) and then describe the route from the classroom to the library using directional terms (e.g., 'Go two squares east, then one square north').

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Inquiry Circle
• 40 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Map vs. Photo

Groups are given an OS map and an aerial photo of the same area. They must find five things visible on the photo but not the map (e.g., cars, types of trees) and five things on the map but not the photo (e.g., place names, height).

What are the main directions on a map (North, South, East, West)?

Facilitation Tip

During Map vs. Photo, provide rulers and colored pencils to help students measure distances and highlight matching features.

What to look for

Give each student a small printed aerial photograph of a local landmark. Ask them to draw a simple compass rose on it and label the cardinal directions. Then, ask them to write one sentence describing where the landmark is in relation to a known point (e.g., 'The park is to the west of the school').

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

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Best View

Show an oblique and a vertical photo of a castle. Students discuss with a partner which one is better for seeing the height of the walls vs. the layout of the grounds, then share their reasoning with the class.

How can we describe where something is on a simple map?

Facilitation Tip

In The Best View think-pair-share, give students one minute of silent observation before pairing to ensure all voices contribute.

What to look for

Present students with a map and an aerial photograph of the same small town. Ask: 'What features can you see clearly on the map that are not obvious on the photograph? What features are easier to see on the photograph? How do these two ways of looking at a place help us understand it better?'

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by starting with students' lived experiences. Have them take their own vertical and oblique photos of familiar objects to immediately grasp perspective differences. Research shows that when students generate their own representations of space, they better understand how maps and photos function as tools for understanding place. Avoid starting with textbook definitions; instead, let students discover the concepts through guided observation and comparison.

Successful learning looks like students accurately locating features using grid coordinates, distinguishing between vertical and oblique perspectives, and explaining why different representations of the same place reveal different information. They should confidently describe routes and justify their interpretations with evidence from both maps and photos.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Gallery Walk: Watch for students who dismiss aerial photos as 'just pictures' without comparing them directly to the older maps.

  Have students create a two-column chart during the Gallery Walk, listing features visible on the map but not the photo in one column and features visible on the photo but not the map in the other. Ask them to explain why certain features appear differently or not at all.

• During Collaborative Investigation: Watch for students who confuse vertical and oblique photos as the same type of image.

  Provide each group with a protractor and a printed photo set. Ask them to measure the angle of the photo from the vertical line and record whether it is closer to 90 degrees (vertical) or less than 90 degrees (oblique).

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Methods used in this brief

• Gallery Walk
• Inquiry Circle
• Think-Pair-Share