Swim into Social Studies 1: Community Map

Learning Outcomes:
Children will:
- construct a simple model of their local community, using small objects to represent large ones.
- demonstrate an understanding of scale, that is, give reasons for using small objects to represent large ones on a map.

Activity:

Working in groups, the children will draw a simple map of their community on a sheet of bristol or poster board. The map should include streets, parks, and important buildings. Children should be reminded about the use of scale,e.g., a house would be smaller than a school. Children may need to rework their drawings to adust the scale.  Using objects (blocks of different sizes) or paper cut outs the children can create a model of their community. Using colour pencils or paint they can colour grass areas, trees, streets, etc.

Assessment:
Circulate around the classroom as students work on their models.
Note and record individual students understanding of scale.