Haley Mayer

EDUC:228
Geography Lesson

Title: Maps and Treasure Hunt

Grade Level: 2
Subject: Geography
Materials:

Mapping Pennys World by Loreen Leedy

Map of the world
Map of the United States
Map of Iowa
Worksheets for students to label
School Map for the treasure hunt
Prize at the end of the treasure hunt- Blank map of Iowa and a treat
For additional practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
feature=player_embedded&v=cfPcBTfP0fs

Standards:
Essential Concept and/or Skill: Understand the use of geographic tools to locate and analyze
information about people, places, and environments. (SS.K-2.G.1)
NCSS Strand: III- People, Places, and Environments. After completing this lesson, students will
understand maps, map features, and locations of continents and oceans around the world. They
will work with the features on the map and geography terminology to develop a new sense of
geographical information.
Objectives:
Students will be able to identify and locate the seven continents and five oceans of the world
with 90% accuracy.
Students will be able to identify and locate given map features on a map with 85% accuracy.
Lesson Plan:
Introduction of topic (15-20 minutes):
Put up the maps on the whiteboard with magnets (world->US->Iowa). Does anyone recognize
any of these maps? (Call on a few students and ask where they have seen them before.) Today
we are going to talk about the world map and continent (large land masses) names and oceans.
Then we will narrow down our focus to North America and then specifically to Iowa. At the end

of the lesson, will we put all of our new knowledge to the test and go on a treasure hunt
through the school using a map I made of the school.
To start, lets look at the map of the world. There are 7 continents in our world. Does everyone
know what I mean when I say the word continent? (Assess students background knowledgesome may need an explanation of the word.) Each continent has its own name, who can name
one of the continents? (Call on students to name and place labels of continent names on the
map). Great, now in between all of the continents is this blue area, what does this blue area
represent on the map? (water/oceans). Right, our world is made up of mostly water (about
75%). Therefore, this completely blue colored area on the map is the ocean. There are five
different oceans; can anyone name one of them? (Call on different students to name and label
oceans on the map). Great, now it is your turn to label your own world maps. I have some
black maps on the worksheet I will pass out. As you can see, it only has the shapes on continents
on it. Your job is to color each continent a different color and label the continent with its name.
You will also color the oceans and label them too. I will leave our labels up on this big map in
case you want to check your answers or need a reminder. If you are stuck, you may also turn
and talk with your seat partner to compare answers. If you have extra time at the end, you may
color the continents and oceans with colored pencils. Give the students approx. 10 minutes to
label the oceans and continents. When finished, place them on the class work-basket on the
teachers desk to be reviewed later.
Activity (45 minutes):
Next, we are going to look at one particular continent, North America (point to it on the map).
This is the continent we live on. The United States is this big shape, sort of in the middle of the
continent. All maps have features that help us located different things or give us different
information. For example, this symbol is called a compass rose. It lets us know which direction
points which way on the map. Tell the students that the N stands for north, the S for south,
etc. Point out the symbols on the walls in the classroom (the north wall, south, etc.) Tell students
they will need that to remember information for the treasure hunt later. Also, point out the
legend on each map and its purpose (where we read the symbols and what they stand for),
usually represents the capital of the state (Des Moines), the
represents the location of a
city, and - - - (dashes) show the border of the state. Is there anything else you see on the map
that we could add to the key? (Rivers= blue lines). (Map features kid should know: compass
rose, legend, capitals, cities, borders, and rivers).
Read the book Mapping Pennys World as a whole group. Discussion questions throughout
and after reading: Point out the different keys and symbols used in the various maps- what does
this symbol stand for? Where is it located on the map? How are the maps in the story different
from the maps we have on the board?
After reading, tell the students that you have made a map of a place that should be familiar to
them (the school and grounds). This is our treasure map for today. We will work as a class/team
to locate various spots in the building and playground to find the surprise. (Before the lesson,
place stickers of various symbols throughout the school building that signify the next location the

students will need to go using the map.) The symbols used are listed on the map. The starting
symbol will be the
symbol. This will stand for the nurses office and be on the map in
the location of the nurses office. At the nurses office, a

will represent the gym.

Students will have to use their knowledge of recognizing the symbol in the key and determine
where the symbol is located on the map to find the route through the school. Continue for each
clue until you arrive back at the classroom where the students will find their treasure (little
rolled up maps of Iowa (exit slip) with a piece of candy in the middle.) During the treasure
hunt, the teacher can also ask questions such as, according to the map, which direction are we
going now? Which place does this symbol represent? Etc.
Closure (5 minutes):
After students have eaten their treats, tell the students that the map is a map of Iowa. The
symbols are already on the map, but have no labels. Review the symbols of compass rose,
legend, capital city, borders, rivers, etc.) They are going to complete their Iowa maps as an exit
slip for the lesson.
Total Lesson Time: 65-75 minutes
Grouping: Students will work in large groups for a majority of the lesson- learning map
features, read aloud, and treasure hunt. Students will work independently or with a partner, if
needed, during the time spent labeling the world map and Iowa map. Additionally, if students
are struggling they may be grouped together and work as a small group with the teacher at any
point of the lesson.
Adaptations:
Gifted learners: Students with a higher ability may be given different world and Iowa maps that
include other, more complex features such as elevation features, latitude and longitude, equator,
and other specific features.
Struggling learners: Students will be given individualized instruction if needed during
independent work times. These students may be grouped together or receive further information
from the teacher regarding maps and their features. Struggling learners may also be given and
electronic version of a map if available. The teacher also could use the continent and ocean
song from YouTube (listed in references and materials) if students need additional assistance in
learning the continent names and oceans.
Assessments:
Students will be assessed from the completion of the maps in class. Students will also be
assessed informally during discussions and during the treasure hunt.
They will be assessed using the following rubric for each map:

MAP
SKILLS
Map
Labels and
Features

Neatness

Accuracy

Beginning
(1)
0-2 map
features
are
present
within the
map and
used
majority
used
properly
Map is
messy and
is unable
to be read.

0-2
features/lab
els are
accurate

Participati
on in
Treasure
Hunt

Attachments:
World Map Worksheet:

Approachi
ng (2)
3-5
features
are
present
within the
map and
used
properly

Meeting
(3)
5-7 map
features
are
present
within the
map

Messy, but
fairly easy
to read the
labels,
features,
etc.

Clear, and
fairly easy
to read the
labels,
features,
etc.

3-5
features/lab
els are
accurately
placed

5-7
features/lab
els are
accurately
placed on
the map

Comments:

Total
Points:

+1 point
for
participatin
g
appropriate
ly in the
treasure
hunt

-/10

Exit Slip Map of Iowa:

Iowa Map to display on whiteboard:

Map of North America to display on whiteboard:

World map to display on whiteboard:

Treasure Map example:

References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cfPcBTfP0fs
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/iowa/
http://lessonplanspage.com/ssartediblephysicalanddirectionalstategeography25-htm/
Maps found on Google Image Search