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Grades K–2 · Societies

How do map symbols help us find places?

A tiny house on a map can stand for a whole home because map symbols represent larger places. On this pretend map, the house means Home and the tree means Park.

Lines keep another kind of information: which places connect. The chosen arrows lead from Home along a line to School and then onward to Park. Passing School helps describe the route even when the traveler does not go inside it.

The house, school, tree and book building stand for the named places. Arrows on the joined lines mark the chosen route from Home past School to Park.

C17 visual explanationPretend neighborhood map. The house symbol is Home, the flag building is School, the tree is Park and the book building is Library. Selected route: Home, then School, then Park. Lines are pretend roads and arrowheads show a chosen direction. This map gives no real-world route, distances or safety instructions.A pretend neighborhoodSchoolParkHomeLibrarySymbols stand for places

In the diagramA pretend neighborhoodSchoolParkHomeLibrarySymbols stand for places

Symbols stand for places, and joined lines stand for connections. The chosen arrows lead from Home past School to Park.

A second connected route reaches Park past Library instead of School. The destination stays the same while the route changes. Leaving out details makes the connections easier to see, but this invented map's short lines do not tell real road lengths.

About this explanation

Starting knowledge: Match a symbol to its key and follow a pictured route.

Connect this idea: Networks, Exchange & Time

Sources

  • National Council for the Social Studies — C3 Framework: K–2 civics and familiar-place maps
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