Exploring Our World: Junior Cycle Geography · 1st Year · Geographical Skills and Mapping · Summer Term

Hills and Flat Land on Maps

Students will understand how maps show hills and flat areas using simple colours or shading.

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

About This Topic

Digital Geography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) represent the modern frontier of the subject. This topic introduces students to how digital data is collected, stored, and layered to create powerful maps. They learn that GIS is not just about finding a route on a phone; it's a tool used by planners, emergency services, and environmentalists to make complex decisions.

In the NCCA Junior Cycle, 'Digital Literacy' is a key cross-curricular skill. Students explore how layering different types of data (e.g., flooding risk, population density, and hospital locations) can help identify the best place to build new infrastructure. This topic prepares students for a world where data-driven decision-making is standard.

This topic particularly benefits from hands-on, student-centered approaches where students can use digital mapping tools to create their own 'layered' maps and solve real-world planning problems.

Key Questions

1. How do maps show us where the land is high or low?
2. What colour might a map use for mountains?
3. How can we tell if a place is flat or hilly from a map?

Learning Objectives

• Identify specific colours or shading patterns on a topographic map that represent different elevations.
• Compare two different maps of the same region to determine which map more effectively communicates relief features.
• Explain how contour lines indicate the steepness or gentleness of slopes on a map.
• Classify areas on a map as either hilly or flat based on the spacing and pattern of contour lines or shading.

Before You Start

Introduction to Maps

Why: Students need a basic understanding of what a map is and its purpose before learning how specific features represent landforms.

Cardinal Directions and Scale

Why: Understanding map orientation and basic scale is foundational for interpreting any map detail, including elevation.

Key Vocabulary

Topographic Map	A map that shows the shape and elevation of the land using contour lines or shading, providing a three-dimensional view of the terrain on a two-dimensional surface.
Contour Line	A line on a map that connects points of equal elevation, used to show the shape of the land, including hills, valleys, and slopes.
Elevation	The height of a point on the Earth's surface above a reference level, usually sea level, indicated on maps by numbers on contour lines or colour bands.
Relief	The variation in elevation and slope of the land surface, showing how hilly or flat an area is.
Shading (Topographic)	The use of different colours or tones on a map to represent different ranges of elevation or steepness, making it easier to visualize the land's shape.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

GIS is just a fancy version of Google Maps.

What to Teach Instead

While Google Maps uses GIS, a true GIS allows you to analyze and query the data (e.g., 'show me all schools within 1km of a park'). A 'query' activity where students have to find specific locations based on multiple criteria helps show this power.

Common Misconception

Digital maps are always 100% correct.

What to Teach Instead

Digital maps are only as good as the data put into them. A 'data error' hunt, where students find mistakes in digital maps (like a business that has closed), helps them understand the importance of data verification.

Active Learning Ideas

Simulation Game: The GIS Layer Challenge

Using transparent plastic sheets or digital software, students 'layer' different data (e.g., a map of a river, a map of low-lying land, a map of houses). They must identify the 'high-risk' zones where all three layers overlap.

45 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Story Maps

Groups use a digital tool (like ArcGIS or Google My Maps) to create a 'Story Map' of a local issue, such as a new cycle lane or a park. They must add points of interest, photos, and descriptions to explain their plan.

60 min·Small Groups

Think-Pair-Share: How GIS Saves Lives

Students watch a short clip on how emergency services use digital maps. They brainstorm with a partner three ways this is faster than using a paper map and share their ideas with the class.

20 min·Pairs

Real-World Connections

• Civil engineers use topographic maps to plan the routes for new roads and railways, carefully considering gradients and potential construction challenges in hilly areas like the Wicklow Mountains.
• Hikers and outdoor enthusiasts rely on detailed topographic maps, often using apps like Ordnance Survey Ireland's, to navigate safely through varied terrain, identifying steep ascents or flat resting spots in places like the Burren.
• Urban planners analyze shaded relief maps to understand the existing landscape before designing new housing developments or infrastructure, ensuring they account for drainage and accessibility in both flat plains and undulating countryside.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

Provide students with a small section of a topographic map. Ask them to circle one area they identify as hilly and one area they identify as flat, and to write one sentence explaining their reasoning based on the map's features.

Quick Check

Display a map with colour-coded elevation bands. Ask students to hold up fingers to indicate the elevation range of a specific coloured area (e.g., 'Show me 1 finger for 0-100m, 2 fingers for 100-200m').

Discussion Prompt

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are planning a bike race. Which map feature, contour lines or colour shading, would be more helpful for identifying challenging uphill sections, and why?' Facilitate a brief class discussion.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best hands-on strategies for teaching GIS?

The most effective way to teach GIS is to have students actually use it. Using simplified GIS platforms to create their own maps or 'layering' physical transparencies to simulate how GIS works makes the concept of data layers clear. Collaborative projects where students use digital maps to solve a local problem, like finding the best spot for a new youth center, also demonstrate the practical power of the technology.

What does GIS stand for?

GIS stands for Geographic Information System. It is a computer system for capturing, storing, checking, and displaying data related to positions on Earth's surface.

How do layers work in digital mapping?

Layers allow you to see different types of information on the same map. For example, you could have one layer for roads, another for rivers, and another for population density. You can turn these on and off to see how they relate to each other.

Who uses GIS in their jobs?

Many people use GIS, including town planners, environmental scientists, delivery drivers, emergency services (police/ambulance), and even marketing companies to find out where their customers live.