Using a simple map to find your way
Geography · Key Stage 1 · The School
Matching the map to the real place
A map of the school grounds shows the same shapes as the real grounds, just much smaller. The playground on the map is where the real playground is. Find one shape on the map and then find the real thing it matches.
Following the map as you walk
Hold the map the same way you are facing. Find where you are on it. Find where you want to go. Trace the route with your finger first. Then walk it for real, checking the map at each turn.
Giving directions from the map
Use the map to give someone else directions. "Go past the big tree. Turn left at the gate. The door is straight ahead." Each instruction should match something you can actually see on the map, and then see for real.
Following a map from the gate to the hall
Start at the school gate on the map. The map shows: forward past the office, right at the corner, forward past the playground, left through a door, and the hall is straight ahead. Walk it for real, checking the map after every single turn. If you end up somewhere wrong, go back to the last correct point on the map, not all the way to the start, and try that one step again.
A map is a tool, not just a picture
A map is not just something to look at. It is a tool for actually getting somewhere, in a real place, step by step. The more you use one, the faster you get at matching what is on the paper to what is right in front of you.