Science · 1st Grade · Earth's Systems and Changes · Weeks 19-27

Mapping Earth's Features

Students use maps and globes to locate and identify major landforms and bodies of water.

• Common Core State Standards
• 2-ESS2-2

About This Topic

Maps are one of science's most powerful tools, and first grade is the right time to begin building map literacy. Standard 2-ESS2-2 calls for students to map the shapes and kinds of land and water in an area and analyze the relationships between them. Students learn that maps are representations of real places, that a globe is a map of Earth in three dimensions, and that flat maps use symbols and colors to communicate information about terrain and water bodies.

In US classrooms, students often work with physical maps of the United States, local maps of their county or state, and simple hand-drawn maps of their school or neighborhood. These multiple scales help students grasp that a map can represent something as small as a classroom or as large as a continent. Reading a map's legend, understanding that blue usually represents water, and identifying where their home region sits on a national map are the practical skills this topic builds.

Active learning through map construction is the most effective approach for this topic. When students draw their own simple maps of a familiar area, debate how to represent features symbolically, and compare their maps to aerial photographs, they internalize cartographic thinking. Making a map is fundamentally different from reading one, and doing both gives students a complete understanding of what maps are and why they matter.

Key Questions

1. Analyze how maps represent Earth's features.
2. Construct a simple map showing local landforms or water bodies.
3. Justify the importance of maps for understanding Earth's geography.

Learning Objectives

• Identify major landforms (mountains, plains, plateaus) and bodies of water (oceans, lakes, rivers) on a globe and a flat map of the United States.
• Compare and contrast the use of symbols and colors on a map legend to represent different geographic features.
• Construct a simple map of a familiar area, such as the schoolyard or neighborhood, using symbols to depict at least two landforms or bodies of water.
• Explain how a map serves as a model to represent real-world geographic features.
• Analyze the relationship between the size and shape of a landform or body of water as shown on a map and its actual appearance.

Before You Start

Identifying Shapes and Objects

Why: Students need to be able to recognize and name basic shapes and common objects to understand map symbols.

Basic Spatial Awareness

Why: Understanding concepts like 'above,' 'below,' 'next to,' and 'far away' helps students interpret map layouts.

Key Vocabulary

Map	A drawing or representation of an area, showing physical features, cities, and roads.
Globe	A spherical model of Earth that shows its landmasses and bodies of water.
Landform	A natural feature of Earth's surface, such as a mountain, valley, or plain.
Body of Water	A large area of water, such as an ocean, lake, or river.
Symbol	A picture or shape used on a map to represent something else, like a tree or a building.
Legend	A key on a map that explains what the symbols and colors mean.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Maps show exactly what a place looks like from above.

What to Teach Instead

Students often think maps are photographs or perfect recreations. Comparing an aerial photograph to a simplified map of the same area helps students see that maps use symbols, colors, and choices to represent, not replicate, reality. This distinction is foundational to map literacy.

Common Misconception

A bigger map shows a bigger place.

What to Teach Instead

Students frequently confuse map scale: a large sheet of paper showing a classroom is a bigger physical object than a small sheet showing the United States. Using the same classroom and US maps and asking 'which shows more land?' directly addresses this confusion with concrete comparison.

Active Learning Ideas

Collaborative Map-Making: Our Classroom Map

Small groups create a top-down map of the classroom using a blank sheet of paper, rulers, and crayons. They must include a legend showing what each symbol represents and label at least five features. Groups compare finished maps to discuss how different teams chose to represent the same space and why legends matter.

40 min·Small Groups

Gallery Walk: Map Types

Post five different map types around the room: a physical relief map, a satellite image, a road map, a globe photograph, and a student-drawn pictorial map. Students rotate with a comparison chart, noting what each map shows well and what it leaves out. Debrief focuses on why different maps are used for different purposes.

30 min·Small Groups

Think-Pair-Share: The Hidden River

Show students a physical relief map with a river system. Cover the river with tape and ask: 'If you did not have this map, how would you know there is a river here?' Partners discuss clues (valley shapes, low elevation areas), then the tape is removed to reveal the river. The class connects map features to landform logic.

20 min·Pairs

Real-World Connections

• Cartographers, like those at National Geographic, create maps for atlases, websites, and educational materials, helping people understand the geography of places they may never visit.
• Pilots and sailors use maps and charts, which are specialized maps, to navigate safely across oceans and continents, understanding the location of land, water, and potential hazards.
• City planners use maps to show the locations of parks, rivers, and major roads when proposing new developments or improvements to a community.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

Provide students with a simple map of a fictional island. Ask them to point to and name one landform and one body of water shown on the map. Then, ask them to find the legend and explain what one symbol represents.

Exit Ticket

Give each student a small piece of paper. Ask them to draw one symbol for a feature in their classroom (e.g., a desk, a door) and write its name next to it. On the back, ask them to write one sentence explaining why maps are helpful.

Discussion Prompt

Show students a globe and a flat map of the United States. Ask: 'How are these two maps similar? How are they different? Which one do you think is better for seeing the whole world at once? Why?' Record student responses on chart paper.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you introduce maps to first graders?

Start with something students already know: their classroom. Ask them to draw the room from above without showing them a model first. Then compare their drawings to a simple blueprint. This immediately demonstrates what a map is, why we need a legend, and how perspective changes what we see, all without abstract explanation.

What is the difference between a map and a globe for first graders?

A globe is a three-dimensional model of Earth that shows accurate shapes and relative sizes. A flat map stretches or compresses parts of Earth to fit on paper, which distorts some areas. First graders can explore this by peeling an orange in one piece and trying to lay the peel flat, a classic demonstration of map projection.

What standards apply to map skills in first grade science?

Standard 2-ESS2-2 is the primary science anchor for mapping landforms and water bodies. US first grade classrooms often integrate this with social studies geography standards from their state's framework, making map skills a cross-disciplinary focus that reinforces the same concepts across subjects.

How does making their own maps help first graders learn cartographic skills through active learning?

Creating a map requires students to make every decision a cartographer makes: what to include, how to represent it, what scale to use, and how to communicate it to a reader. This active construction of knowledge builds understanding that no amount of map-reading alone can achieve, and it gives students agency over a real product.