Name: Types of Maps Worksheets
SKU: 632771a9b15de974458bc106
Price: 39.99 USD
Availability: InStock

About this resource

What's inside this resource

This resource covers six kind of maps:

Political maps
Physical maps
Topographic maps
Climatic maps
Economic / Resource maps
Road maps

Not only does it explain to students what each map means but also explains what scales and map symbols are used for.

There is a quiz, cut and paste activities, fill in the blanks, map symbols activity, make your own map and key project, draw that map activity, and more!

There is plenty of projects to create if you let your creativity come afloat!

For example poster projects and interactive journals.

The student will also get to create 6 flip cards to demonstrate their knowledge of the 6 different kinds of maps. They may even paste their flip cards on their journals or poster board to make great bulletin boards. Includes full page posters to use in your classroom!

Enjoy!

What's included

Six map-type definition posters: Political, Physical, Topographic, Climatic, Economic/Resource, and Road Map
Two condensed reference posters combining all six map-type definitions
A map scale, symbols, and legend poster
Four posters on the equator, Tropic of Cancer/Capricorn, cardinal/intermediate directions, and lines of latitude and longitude
A cut-and-glue 'What Type of Map?' matching worksheet and a two-page vocabulary flap-card matching set
Fill-in-the-blank worksheets: 'Cartography Vocabulary' and 'Map Key Words'
A multiple-choice 'Map Quiz' worksheet and a 'Looking at Map Symbols' matching worksheet
Hands-on worksheets: 'Make a Map' (design symbols/key), 'Mapping my Neighborhood', 'Draw that Map!' (all six map types plus scale/symbols), 'Knowing the United States' (color-by-key physical map), 'Me and the United States' (personal map with key), and 'Imaginary Lines' (draw latitude/longitude/equator)
Three 'My State' worksheets for drawing a road map, a climatic map, and a topographic map of the student's own state
A written-response worksheet: 'Maps are important because...'
Answer keys for every worksheet that has a single correct answer

Resource types: Worksheets, Worksheets & Printables

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

Define and distinguish six map types: political, physical, topographic, climatic, economic/resource, and road maps
Identify map scale, symbols, and legends and explain what each is used for
Locate and describe the equator, Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn, and lines of latitude and longitude
Apply map-type knowledge by drawing original political, physical, topographic, and climatic maps of their own state
Design original map symbols and a key, and use them to create a neighborhood or personal map

Teaching tips

Introduce the six map-type posters and the condensed two-page summary posters together as a single visual reference before assigning any worksheet
Use the vocabulary flap-card set as a review station after the posters, since it repeats the same six map-type descriptions in cut-and-glue form
Assign 'Make a Map' before 'Mapping my Neighborhood' so students design their own symbol key first and then apply it to a real drawing task
Save the three 'My State' map worksheets (road, climatic, topographic) for last, since they require applying every map type taught earlier to a single real location
Use the multiple-choice map quiz as a checkpoint before the open-ended drawing tasks, since its answer key allows quick self- or peer-checking

Skills covered

Map-type identification — students match six map types (political, physical, topographic, climatic, economic/resource, road) to their descriptions across the cut-and-glue, flap-card, and quiz activities.
Cartography vocabulary — students fill in terms such as legend, scale, and symbols in the 'Cartography Vocabulary' and 'Map Key Words' worksheets, checked against a provided answer key.
Latitude/longitude and direction concepts — students identify the equator, Tropic of Cancer/Capricorn, cardinal and intermediate directions, and lines of latitude and longitude on the 'Imaginary Lines' worksheet.
Original map creation — students design their own map symbols and key, then draw a neighborhood map, a US-features map, and road/climatic/topographic maps of their own state.
Written reflection — students explain in their own words why maps are important on the closing worksheet.

Good to know

Questions teachers ask about this resource

Which worksheets ask students to draw their own maps rather than answer questions about existing ones?

Five do: 'Make a Map' (original symbols and key), 'Mapping my Neighborhood', 'Draw that Map!' (all six map types plus scale and symbols), and the three 'My State' worksheets for a road, climatic, and topographic map of the student's own state.

Do the worksheets come with a way to check answers?

Every worksheet with a single correct answer does — the matching, fill-in-the-blank, quiz, and symbol-matching pages each pair with a matching solutions page, while the open-ended drawing and reflection worksheets do not need one.