Craft Lesson 3

Craft Lesson 3

Introducing Maps

Resources

Wong, Janet. “Minn and Jake.” Frances Foster Books. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003.

Discussion

Reading maps and learning directions is an important ability that is necessary to have in life. Introducing maps and teaching the basic concepts of directions can be beneficial at an early age.

How to Teach It

The teacher can begin by reading chapter 8, The Long Hike Home from Minn and Jake (pg 40-44) to students. The teacher can explain to students the directions (north, south, east, and west). The map on page 42 can be put onto a transparency or drawn on the chalkboard and also handed out to students (with a compass on it). The map will help students put the concept of direction into perspective. We can practice direction by asking questions such as, “If Minn and Jake are at the Water Tank, and they walk north, where will they end up?” Teachers can in time make question more complex such as, “If Minn and Jake walked north to arrive at The Screep, where did they come from?”