Grade 6 Lesson at a Glance: Chapter 2, Lesson 3

Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
A Message of Ancient Days

Lesson at a Glance
Chapter 2, Lesson 3: Putting Maps to Work (pp. 42-45)

The Big Idea
Framework Concept: Technology Maps and map projections are used for many different purposes.

Brainstorm with students a list of ways people use maps. When students run out of ideas, have them look at atlases to find additional types of maps. Then have volunteers share any experiences they have had using different kinds of maps. Be sure that students understand that maps help locate places, communicate and organize information about people and places, and show distances.

Lesson Outline
Use the Lesson Outline to preview the content of the lesson. You may wish to print it for your students as a guide during reading.

Check for Understanding

Have students create thematic maps of your community. Students should choose a theme, such as "Parks and Recreation Areas," "Government Buildings," or "Public Transportation Routes" and research their topic. If possible, provide students with base maps of the community. Have them use symbols, colors, and lines to show the information on their maps.
Have students trace the continents and oceans from different map projections and cut out the shapes. Encourage students to compare the pieces from one projection with those from another to see how different projections distort size and distance.

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