You have just been informed you are moving, but you have the choice of three locations. Where do you go? This is the question class members answer in a map skills project. Learners examine three locations using maps, gather information about the location, make an informed decision about the spot they will choose, and present their findings about the new locale through self-drawn maps, charts, and letters. 

Concepts

map skills, charts, friendly letters

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast three places of interest 
• Extend the friendly letter's requirements by asking learners to explain why they chose the location they did 
• Schedule time to research in more depth the location of choice

Classroom Considerations

• Learners should be familiar with different types of maps and charts, and with how to write a friendly letter 
• The additional materials attached provide activity instructions, due dates, and notes 
• Some elements of project based learning are missing, but can be added to the lesson with slight modifications 

Pros

• Due dates are left blank so you can fill them in according to your schedule 
• The lesson prompt creates a real world and personal context 

Cons

• Rubrics are not provided 
• Notes to pupils are written in a negative tone
• Some errors are apparent and may cause some confusion about what is expected

Common Core

W.4.4 W.5.4 W.6.4 W.7.4 RH.6-8.7