Use maps, globes and simple models to locate places, and describe what makes places and regions unique

Learning goal: Use maps, globes and other simple geographic models to locate and identify places, and explain that places and regions are unique because of their physical characteristics (landforms and bodies of water) and human characteristics (structures built by people). This lesson teaches two statements from Ohio's July 2026 K–8 social studies standards, which the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce anticipates districts will begin to implement in the 2027-28 school year.

For the adult: Have three tools ready: a globe, a flat map of the United States or of Ohio, and a simple model the class builds from blocks or paper on a table. The point is that all three are geographic models: smaller, simpler things that stand for real places.

What is a model? A model is a small copy that stands for something bigger. A toy car is a model of a real car. A geographic model stands for a real place on Earth. We use models because real places are too big to see all at once.

A globe. A globe is a model of the whole Earth. It is round, like the Earth. Blue on a globe usually stands for water, such as oceans and lakes, and other colors stand for land. On a globe we can locate the continent of North America, find the United States in it and point to where Ohio is. Because a globe is round like Earth, it shows the shapes of the land and water without stretching them.

A map. A map is a flat drawing of a place, usually seen from above, as a bird would see it. A map can show a whole country, a state such as Ohio, a town or even one classroom. A map is easy to fold, carry and draw on. Because the real Earth is round and a map is flat, a map of the whole world must change some shapes, sizes or distances, and in some parts of the map the changes are large. A map has a title that says what place it shows and a key that says what each symbol means.

Other simple models. A table-top model made of blocks can stand for the classroom or the playground. A sand-tray model can show a hill and a river. These models help us see where things are compared with each other.

Locate and identify. To locate a place means to find where it is. To identify a place means to say what it is, often by reading its label or symbol. On the Ohio map, the children can locate Lake Erie along the top and identify it by its label. They can locate the Ohio River along the bottom edge of the state. On the globe they can locate the Atlantic Ocean and identify it as a body of water.

Physical characteristics. Every place has natural features. Landforms are shapes of the land, such as hills, valleys, mountains and flat plains. Bodies of water are lakes, rivers, ponds and oceans. These are physical characteristics. Ohio has Lake Erie to the north and the Ohio River to the south; much of western Ohio is fairly flat, and parts of southeastern Ohio are hilly.

Human characteristics. Places also have things built by people: houses, schools, bridges, roads, farms, stores and tall buildings in cities. These are structures built by people, called human characteristics. A bridge over a river is human; the river under it is physical.

Why places are unique. No two places have exactly the same mix. A town beside a lake with a lighthouse is different from a town in the hills with a covered bridge over a creek. The mix of landforms, water and buildings makes each place unique, which means one of a kind.

What is a region? A region is a bigger area where many places share something. A farming region has many farms and fields. A lake region has many places along the same lake. A region is unique too: a region of hills and forests looks and feels different from a region of flat farm fields. We name regions by the characteristics they share.

The misconception. Children often think the map is the real place, or that a place looks exactly like its map colors. A map river drawn bright blue does not mean the real water is bright blue, and a tiny square for a school does not mean the school is tiny. Another mix-up: thinking a globe and a map are different Earths. They are two models of the same Earth. We choose the model that fits our question.

A worked model inside the lesson. Question: "Where is Ohio, and what water is next to it?" Step 1: On the globe, find North America, then the United States. Step 2: Switch to the Ohio map, which shows more detail. Step 3: Read the key and labels. Answer: Ohio is in the United States in North America; Lake Erie is to the north and the Ohio River is to the south. Both are bodies of water, so they are physical characteristics.

Worked example 1 — choose the right model. Question: "Which ocean is east of the United States?" The globe shows the whole Earth, so we can see the United States and the ocean beside it. Turn the globe and find the United States, then look east: the Atlantic Ocean. We chose the globe because the question is about a big part of the Earth. For "Where is the reading rug?" the class block model is the better choice.

Worked example 2 — sort characteristics. A picture of a hypothetical town shows a hill, a river, a bridge, a school and a lake. Physical: hill (landform), river and lake (bodies of water). Human: bridge and school (structures built by people). Answer: three physical, two human. The bridge is human even though it crosses water.

Worked example 3 — compare two regions. Hypothetical Region A: flat land, many farm fields, barns and grain bins. Hypothetical Region B: steep hills, forests, a winding river, small towns with covered bridges. Physical difference: flat land versus hills. Human difference: barns and grain bins versus covered bridges and small towns. Each region is unique because its mix of physical and human characteristics is different. Both are regions because many places inside each share the same features.

Representation task — our three models. With adult help, the class uses the globe to locate North America and the United States, then the Ohio map to locate Lake Erie and the Ohio River. Next, the class builds a table-top model of a hypothetical place using a blue paper strip for a river, a paper mound for a hill, and blocks for a school, a house and a bridge. Children label each piece "physical" or "human."

Independent performance: Each child makes a small picture map of a hypothetical place with a title and a key showing at least one landform, one body of water and two structures built by people. Then the child answers four questions orally or in writing: (1) Point to two places and tell where each one is on your map. (2) Which features are physical and which are human? (3) What makes your place unique? (4) Tell one way a globe is different from a map.

Success criteria: The map has a title and a key; the child locates and identifies at least two places using the map; physical and human characteristics are sorted correctly with a reason; the child explains one way a globe is different from a map; and the child names one thing that makes the place unique. Drawing skill is not scored.