Reading Maps - Map Making 101

This episode of the Geography Unit podcast focuses on reading and creating maps. The main components of a map are discussed, including compass roses, scales, legends, and titles. The importance of knowing how to read a map is emphasized, as technology is not always reliable. Understanding maps can help in situations where GPS is unavailable or signal is lost. The episode concludes by mentioning upcoming map-making projects. And welcome back to another episode of our Geography Unit podcast, Maps, Maps, and More Maps. Oh my! This is episode three, Mapmaking 101, Reading Maps, okay? I will be going along with the Canva presentation that was linked with this podcast in our Google Classroom. However, just like all of our previous episodes, kids, you don't need to be following along with the Canva presentation. You can just be listening to this at the same time. It's just to make it a little bit easier for you and to help us understand the lesson just a little bit more. But we don't have to. All right, so what are we going to be focusing on this episode? This episode, again, we're going to be focusing on being able to read and create maps, right? We've been talking about a lot of different components and key elements that maps have. However, we're going to go a little bit more in depth and talk about a couple more components that a map needs to be an effective map, right? So our objective that we've been talking about the last few days, I'll go over it one more time. You will be able to read and create maps with essential key elements such as title, compass and a scale in order to solve real-world challenges by using effective communication and critical thinking skills. All right? So a couple of those things sound familiar, right? So we've been talking about a couple of these. So compass roses, right? We tried our cardinal directions activity earlier this week when we talked about the different cardinal directions, north, south, east, and west, as well as scales, right? Not the scale that you use to weigh yourself within the bathroom, but the scale to measure the distance. So if you remember, we talked about compass roses, right? We looked at a bunch of different styles. Compass roses can look greatly different from each other. However, they all have the same thing, the four cardinal directions, north, south, east, and west, right? If you remember our funny little acronyms and statements that we came up with, my favorite one was, never eat soggy waffles, because if you look at a compass rose, what's always at the top? North, right? The end. And how you fill it out is how you read a clock, going clockwise, which is going to the right. So the top is north, right is east, the bottom is south, and the left is west. Never eat soggy waffles. And that's just my acronym, right? You can come up with a whole bunch of different ones on your own. The other thing we talked about was a scale. You guys remember, scales, just like compass roses, can look greatly different from each other, depending on the map that you're looking at. The map of the state of Texas is going to have a different scale than the map of your bedroom, right? Because there's different distances. There's greater distances, smaller distances, right? So we did a couple of activities the other day of being able to read a map and using that to give us an actual distance versus the ratio on our map. So what other things does a map need in order to be an effective map? Well, if you remember, we looked at a bunch of different maps on Monday, and a lot of them were very simple, with a couple of different pictures and icons, but if you guys remember, there was that one that was complete chaos. There was lines, colors, symbols, icons, pictures, there was so many things everywhere on First Glance, and we had no idea what each one of them was. So how are we going to be able to know what those pictures are? Well, there's this thing called a legend. Each map needs its own legend. So that way, if you were to look at another chaotic and messy map like the one we did, you'll be able to take one of those little symbols or pictures, go to this legend, which is usually located around the side of the map, and find that matching picture in the legend box, and it'll give you a description of what it is. So for example, you see on a map, there's just a triangle. The triangle could mean anything. However, if you look at the legend, you find a triangle, oh, okay, seeing this triangle means that it's a grocery store. Okay, cool. Right? So you see how having a legend can be extremely useful when reading a map? And the other component that a map needs is a title. Everything needs a title. Every map needs a title. Even your classwork, when you turn it in, it needs your name, a title, right? Every map needs a title. So that way, you know what map you're looking for and what map you need to look for for whatever purpose you need. So if you're looking at the Canva presentation, there is a slide with a picture. The title is My Neighborhood. Okay, so I know this map is of my neighborhood. If we look at this map, we see that there is a bunch of different pictures on there. We see umbrellas, trees, park benches, buildings, coffee cups, books, lakes. There's a bunch of different pictures and lines going on here, right? Just by looking at this map, are we going to be able to read it just like this? If I were to just give you this picture and say, hey, I am in South Downtown coffee shop. I need to go to North Uptown's grocery store. Will you be able to tell me where to go just by this? No, right? Because we don't even know what any of these pictures mean. We don't know what these are. And also, what's another thing that we've been talking about that's missing? That's right. There's no compass roads. How do I know that South is on the bottom of this map? South could be on the left side of this map. There's no compass roads to tell me what direction this map is facing or what direction I need to go. Right? Awesome. So, there's no scale either. So, this map of my neighborhood could be of like a little corner or it could be of the whole neighborhood in the big, all of Houston. Who knows? Right? So, again, this is just an example to show you that having these components on a map makes it very effective in order for us to read the map. Without this, just like now, we have no idea how to use maps. I have no idea how to give you directions. So, I couldn't help but overhear all week. I've been having some students come up to me, Mrs., why do I need to know this? Why is this important? I have a GPS. I have Apple Maps. I have Google Maps on my phone. We have a map's GPS in our car. Why do I need to know how to read a map? And that's okay. It's okay to ask questions. It's okay to know why. Right? Why do we need to know this? It's important. Right? Well, as we have seen in this classroom, technology isn't really reliable a lot of the time. Right? Computers, phones, tablets, or Chromebooks, they can break down. Right? Technology can break down. Also, we can lose signal. GPS can go out and lose signal. Right? So, that's why it's always important if you're in a scenario or situation where you need to know where to go, you need a map, but your phone's not working, or you lost your phone, or there's no signal, whatever the case may be, it will be extremely beneficial if you knew how to read a map. So, that way, for example, if you're going on a hike in the woods, just a family of friends, family, whatever the case may be, right, in the middle of the woods, normally, there's no signal. So, maps, GPS is not going to work, even if you have your phone. So, how are you going to know where to go? Right? Being able to understand how to read a map can give you a better understanding of the GPS, and it'll be able to help you get out of those sticky situations. On top of that, even if you lost your phone, you can whip out a paper map, like a physical map, and be able to get your way out. So, that way, you won't get lost, and you always know where to go. Right? Everything in life can be unpredictable. So, that's all I have for you on this episode of Map Making 101. If you need to replay this episode again, by all means, feel free to do so. Feel free to go over the camera presentation that goes along with this podcast. Remember, at the end of the week, we are going to be starting our map-making projects, so it'll be very important for us to understand the key components that go into making a map. Okay? All right. Thank you, students, for tuning in and listening, and I can't wait to see you again in class.