USGS Learning Web :: Lesson Plans :: Exploring Maps

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Introduction and Lessons

*This packet is only available online. Exploring Maps is an interdisciplinary set of materials on mapping for grades 7-12. Students will learn basic mapmaking and map-reading skills and will see how maps can answer fundamental geographic questions: "Where am I?" "What else is here?" "Where am I going?"

The map images and activities in this packet can be used in various courses, including geography, history, math, art, English, and the sciences. The images on the enclosed poster and the educational activities have been selected both to enrich our knowledge of mapping itself and to present maps as representations of reality.

The following activities are presented to assist in teaching these concepts of Exploring Maps. Please consult The Teacher's Guide which explains how the activities are related to Location, Navigation, Information, and Exploration. From there, you can locate the following activities:

Maps

Maps are made for many reasons, and as a result, vary in content. Some maps made for general purposes may show roads, towns and cities, rivers and lakes, parks, and State and local boundaries. The history of civilization has been illustrated by maps: battle maps by soldiers, exploration maps by empire builders, thematic maps by scientists. Presented here are a variety of maps and their descriptions.

Click on the images to view larger version.

1744 Map of France based on triangulation surveys by Jacques Philippe Maraldi and Cesar Francois Cassini de Thury. This survey took three generations of the Cassini family to complete. Courtesy of the Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress.

1901 Pheil's Universal Time Indicator. A dial, rotating around the center point, shows time around the world. Polar projection, north at center. Courtesy of the Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress.

1980-1987 Mosaic map of Antarctica. Created from 23 satellite images. Courtesy of the British National Remote Sensing Centre. 1980-1987 Mosaic map of Antarctica. Created from 23 satellite images. Courtesy of the British National Remote Sensing Centre.

1989 Computer-generated map showing earthquake-prone areas. High-risk areas appear as white peaks. Courtesy of Melvin L. Prueitt, Los Alamos National Laboratory. Data from the U.S. Geological Survey.

1990 Image of Saturn from the Hubble space telescope orbiting the Earth. Courtesy of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Explorers Exploration depends on the ancient skill of navigation. Columbus, for example, was not sure how far he had to sail westward. In his journal he recorded his latitude observations and estimates of distance traveled, under-reporting this distance to the crew, "lest the trip be long." The tales of explorers are filled with adventure and heroism. Join in their discovery and experiences in this Explorer section of the Web.