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Grades K–2 · History & Evidence

How can maps show changes in a place?

A map uses marks and symbols to show a place from above. A road may be a line, and a building may be a small shape. A map keeps only the features its maker included.

H18 visual explanationTwo original invented maps show the same area at the same scale and orientation, labeled 1990 and 2020. The older map has a garden; the newer map has a library. Both show the bridge and road. Map evidence records selected spatial features, not a complete place or a certain cause of change.Maps record a place in different yearsTwo invented maps · same orientation and scale1990gardenBridge + road2020LlibraryBridge + roadNorth is up on both maps.Garden → library; bridge and road remain shown.

In the diagramMaps record a place in different yearsTwo invented maps · same orientation and scale1990gardenBridge + road2020LlibraryNorth is up on both maps.Garden → library; bridge and road remain shown.

Two aligned invented maps show a garden in 1990 and a library in 2020, while the bridge and road remain marked on both.

Our invented maps show the same place in two years. Both have a bridge and a road. One marked plot is a garden on the older map and a library on the newer map.

The maps preserve that difference. They do not explain why the place changed. Other records could tell more of the story.

About this explanation

Starting knowledge: Recognize simple place symbols and match the same feature across two pictures.

Sources

  • Library of Congress — Sanborn Maps: Articles and Essays
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