Activity Overview
Activity Title: Map School & Draw Favorite Place
Grade Band: Elementary (Lower)
Students explore geography through familiar spaces, learning how to navigate their classroom, school, and nearby surroundings. Using simple mapping skills, they draw a map of their school and mark their favorite location. This lesson builds spatial awareness, visual observation, and understanding of directions, while connecting geography to daily life and community.
Time Required
1–2 class sessions
Materials Needed
- Paper and drawing tools (pencils, crayons, markers)
- Clipboards or hard writing surfaces for outdoor exploration
- Compass or labeled classroom direction chart
- Example classroom/school maps
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Learn and use basic mapping symbols.
- Identify and describe familiar places using cardinal directions.
- Create a simple labeled map of their school.
- Communicate ideas about location and space clearly.
Essential Questions
- How do maps help us understand where things are?
- What places are special or important to us at school?
- How can we describe where things are using directions?
Inspired Conversation Topics
- What makes your favorite place in school special?
- How do you know how to get from your classroom to another room?
- How do maps show us information?
Educator Resources & Links
Book List
- Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney, grades K-1
- Follow That Map! by Scot Ritchie, grades K-1
- There’s a Map on My Lap! by Tish Rab grades K-1
- Mapping Penny’s World by Loreen Leedy, grades K-3
- My Map Book by Sara Fanelli, grades K-3
- How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz, grades K-3
- The Once Upon a Time Map Book by B.G. Hennessy, grades 1-4
Optional Family Extension Activity
Invite families to walk through their neighborhood or yard with their child and draw a simple map showing familiar landmarks, like their house, a playground, or a tree.
Teacher Note
Encourage curiosity and observation — maps can include creative symbols, colors, and labels that reflect how each child sees the world.
Technical Tip
If students are using digital drawing tools, save images as PDFs or print for