Make maps that share where places are, and find places and landmarks with a map and cardinal directions

Learning goal: Explain that maps are created to share information about places and their relative location, and locate places and landmarks using a map and the cardinal directions north, south, east and west. This lesson teaches a statement 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 a compass rose drawn on the board and, if you can, mark north on the classroom wall. Read the lesson aloud in short parts and let children point to the map as each place is named. The town of Oak Hill is pretend. For the practice task, children map the school or classroom, never a home or a route from home.

Why people make maps. A map is a drawing of a place as if you were looking down from above. People create maps to share information with someone else: where places are, what is near what, and how to get from one place to another. A map lets a person who has never been to a place find their way. The mapmaker chooses what to put on the map for the people who will use it. A map for a new student might show the office, the library and the lunchroom; a map for a bus driver might show streets and bus stops.

Relative location. Relative location tells where a place is compared with another place: "The library is south of the school." "The pond is next to the park." A map shares relative location by drawing places in the right spots next to each other, so a reader can see what is north, south, east or west of what.

Landmarks. A landmark is a place or object that is easy to see and easy to remember, so it helps people find their way. A tall water tower, a big red barn, a pond, a statue in a park and the flagpole in front of a school are landmarks. When you see a landmark, you can check where you are: "I can see the water tower, so I am near the school." Maps often show landmarks so readers can match the map to what they see.

Cardinal directions. The four cardinal directions are north, south, east and west. North and south are opposites; east and west are opposites. A compass rose on a map shows which way each direction goes. On many maps north is at the top, but not on every map, so always look at the compass rose first. To find a place, start at something you know, then read the direction: "Start at the school and go north to reach the water tower."

Read this with the children: a worked model. Mia's cousin Leo is visiting the pretend town of Oak Hill. Mia makes a map to share where things are, so Leo can find the library by himself. She draws the school in the middle, the water tower to the north, the library to the south, a pond to the west and a big red barn to the east. She adds a compass rose and a key. In her key a star marks each feature she chose as a landmark because it is easy to see, the pond is blue because it is water, and a gray line is a road. Then she writes: "Walk from the school to the library by going south. If the water tower is behind you, you are going the right way." Mia's map shares places (the school and the library), landmarks (the water tower, the pond and the red barn) and their relative location (north, south, east and west of the school).

The misconception. Some children think "up" always means north. On Mia's map north is at the top, but a map can be turned, or drawn another way. The compass rose, not the top of the page, tells which way is north. Another mix-up is thinking a landmark must be famous. A landmark only needs to be easy to see and remember for the people who use the map.

Worked example 1: Read a direction. Question: What is north of the school on the Oak Hill map? Find the school. Find N on the compass rose; it points to the top. Move from the school toward the top: the water tower. Answer: the water tower is north of the school.

Worked example 2: Turn the question around. The pond is west of the school. Where is the school from the pond? West and east are opposites, so the school is east of the pond. When you switch which place you start from, switch the direction to its opposite.

Worked example 3: Use a landmark. Leo walks from the school and sees the red barn in front of him. Which way is he walking? The red barn is east of the school, so Leo is walking east. If he wanted the library, he should turn around, walk west back to the school, and then go south, because the library is straight south of the school and the road to it starts there.

Worked example 4: Choose what to share. A new student needs to find the school office from the front door. What should the map show? The front door and the office (the places), the flagpole or the trophy case (landmarks the student will see on the way), a compass rose and a title. It does not need every desk in every room, because that is not the information the new student needs.

Representation task: Draw a map of your classroom or school hallway for a new student. Give it a title, a compass rose and a key. Show at least two places (such as the door and the reading corner) and two landmarks (such as the flag or a big plant). Write two direction sentences, such as "The reading corner is east of the door."

Independent performance: Trade maps with a partner. Your partner uses your map to answer three questions you wrote, such as "What landmark is north of the sink?" Success criteria: (1) your map has a title, a compass rose and a key; (2) it shows at least two places and two landmarks; (3) your three questions use north, south, east or west; (4) your partner can answer them correctly from your map alone; (5) you tell who your map is for and what information it shares.