Learning to Get Around

We love to travel and learning to get around in a new place is important. I never knew how to do this because my parents didn’t travel much. Once a year we would travel from New York to South Carolina and we used a AAA trip tic which was a thin spiral book with our route on it. That was the closest I got to learning how to use a map.

Now when we travel to new places, it is good to be able to read a paper map as well as a digital map because sometimes you might not have access to technology.

I have also used my GPS in places and didn’t end up where I expected to be so I don’t always rely on digital maps.

While traveling to other countries, I don’t have access to cell service in these countries because it can be costly. Instead, I have learned how to download the map of the area from Google Maps so I can use it offline. While I may not have had step-by-step instructions on how to get somewhere, I was able to see where we were at the time and plot a route to where we wanted to go.

Also, when we go to other countries, tourist information may give out maps with places of interest that they want to highlight. This is helpful in deciding what we want to do. We also might want to find a train or bus station so knowing how to get there quickly is helpful to beat the crowds.

It is good to start students off with a map of their local area. Have them identify specific places on the map. Have them write directions to go from one place to another. Then have them exchange directions with another person who follows the directions to see if they end up where they should.

Next, have them plan on going somewhere in a nearby city and have them plan the driving route from their home to that place.

If they are doing well with these map skills, it might be fun to have them plan a trip from their home to several destinations and back to their home. How many miles will this trip be and how long will it take?

I think this is a fun activity and it should be done several times over a length of time in order to help students learn and retain this skill. I think it could even be repeated once a month to give students practice.

How do you teach students map reading skills? Please share.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash