Cardinal Directions and Maps

In Social Studies we learned about cardinal directions and maps. The students play "Simon Says" using cardinal directions, drew a map of the classroom according to items' location in the room, and went on a walk through the school using a blueprint map.

Classroom Maps

In Social Studies we have been learning about positional and cardinal directions. They played "Simon Says" using cardinal directions. They went on a hunt for hidden objects using positional words. They also took a "birds-eye" view of the school by looking at a blueprint of the school. They worked in groups to explain the position of various places in the school in relation to the library and using directional words. They also drew a map of our classrom noting where objects were located according to their position on the north, south, east, or west wall.

Scavenger Hunt

As a part of a lesson on how to follow multi-step directions, the students drew a map of familiar places in the school. After completing the maps, we went on a scavenger hunt throughout the school. The students were given directional words, as a review of Social Studies, to help them follow the map and find the hidden object. As we went on the scavenger hunt, the students identified various signs and symbols along with their meanings.

Never Eat Sour Watermelons

This week in Social Studies we have been learning about map skills and directional words. To help the students remember the order of the directions, we learned the silly phrase "Never eat sour watermelons!" This helps the students remember north, south, east, and west. We discussed how north should be on the top of a map. We then played "Simon Says" in our classroom using directional words. The students then drew a map of our classroom showing where objects are located related to which wall they are closest to. To extend the learning, the students identified various rooms in our school on a blueprint of the school. They identified where the gym, the music room, the art room, the cafeteria, library, computer lab, the playground, the office, and our classroom are. They then color-coded them on their own copy of the school blueprint according to which part of the school they are in - the north, sount, east, or west. Tomorrow they will use their maps to go on a walk to find rooms around the school.