Maps: Understanding Topographic Maps
Overview
Grade: 4th
Topic: Earth Science
Standard:
Scientific Inquiry , Practice and Applications. Grades 3-5. Use appropriate mathematics, tools and techniques to gather data and information.
In this lesson students will be introduced to topographic maps that show the 3D world in 2D. They will create mini maps to help them further understand these maps.
Format
Short video introduction to maps
2 activities for students
Wrap up video
Quiz
Materials
Student worksheets
Pencil or pen (activity 1)
Handful of Clay or play dough (activity 2)
Marker (not a crayon or pencil) (activity 2)
Plastic bag (can be a ziploc or a grocery bag) (activity 2)
Sheet of paper (activity 2)
Lesson
Video Introduction
Watch 9:35 minute introduction video on topographic maps. (same video is located at the top of this page).
Activity 1: Understanding the wiggles
Students will look at some simple maps and select which maps fit which scenario.
Activity 2: Making Mountains
Students will create landforms from clay and press to paper to form maps
Gather your materials.
Clay/playdough
Plastic bag
Paper
Marker
Watch how to video to help you understand the directions below:
Place the clay/playdough in the bag and move towards one corner.
Squeeze the clay to make a hill
Use the marker to draw concentric rings around the hill.
Quickly before the marker dries, press your mountain down onto the paper for the rings to transfer to the paper.
Repeat for the following landforms”
Make two hills in the bag
Make a hill that has a gentle slope on one side and a steep slope on the other
Wrap Up
Set up a Q&A time for your students with your county's Soil and Water Educator. Contact.
Assessment
Quiz - google forms 10 questions, all multiple choice.
Extensions
Activity: More Clay Mountains
You can also make clay mountains that the students cut apart at different heights to create a mountain. They use dental floss to cut the clay. This takes a little more dexterity than some 4th graders have, especially earlier in the school year. There are some great examples online:
Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1AWNR-Y0pQ (10 min)
Reading
These readings are free with registration on ReadWorks, a nonprofit that provides Common-Core-aligned readings. All readings include comprehension questions.
How to read a physical map (grade 5. Non-fiction, 1,293 words) Not just about physical maps, but about topographic maps
Our Changing Earth: Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions (grade 4, fiction, 840 words and questions set). Story about children going on a hike with their uncle and learning about maps.
Other Resources
Access Free Topographic Maps
USGS has free access for you to download topographic maps https://www.usgs.gov/products/maps/topo-maps
View Free Maps using color for contours
GeoFlyer App
Available from Apple Store and Google Play. I use the free versions.
Using the app, you can “fly” through a map seeing the landforms. Works much better in areas like the Rocky Mountains and Grand Canyon than it does for flat Ohio. You can also fly through the Alps in the European version.
Questions
Questions? Please contact your county SWCD educator