Elements of a Map

Syllabus: CBC · Grade 5 · Social Studies · Strand 1.0 Natural and Historic Built Environments · Sub-strand 1.1 Elements of a Map

Lesson objectives

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

• Identify the five key elements of a map: title, frame, scale, compass, and key.
• Illustrate these five elements correctly when drawing a simple sketch map.
• Interpret the meaning of symbols shown in a map's key.
• Use the compass rose to state directions shown on a map.
• Appreciate why maps are useful tools in daily life.

Summary

A map is a drawing that shows a place from above. But a drawing only becomes a proper map when it includes five special parts that every reader can understand, even a stranger who has never seen the place.

These five parts are the title, the frame, the scale, the compass, and the key. In this topic, you will learn what each one does, and how to use it to read, and draw, a map with confidence.