Map Legends Worksheet

A map legend is the small box that tells a reader what every symbol on a map stands for, and this Map Legends Worksheet gives students steady practice using one. Without the legend, a triangle, a dashed line or a blue oval is only a shape. With it, the same map suddenly shows campsites, a hiking trail and a lake. Reading a legend is one of the first skills students need before they can use road maps, park maps, atlases or the maps printed in a science or history book.

This 4th grade geography worksheet shows a campground map with no labels on its places at all, so the only way to answer is to go back to the legend. The legend mixes point symbols (a star, a square, a circle, a pentagon and a triangle), a line symbol for the trail, and an area symbol for the lake. Part A asks four questions that read one symbol at a time, including counting every campsite and finding the place directly west of the restrooms. Part B asks two questions that take two steps, such as following the trail from the picnic area to its end, or naming a symbol and then using the compass rose to give a direction. Students write each answer on the lines provided.

What’s Included

• A campground map with a seven-row map legend and a compass rose
• Four Part A questions that read the legend one symbol at a time
• Two Part B questions that combine the legend with cardinal directions
• A complete answer key on the second page

There are three good reasons this sheet helps. First, the map has no place names, so students cannot skip the legend and guess from a label. Second, it shows all three kinds of map symbols together, which is how real maps are drawn and what state tests expect a 4th grader to recognize. Third, the two-step questions ask students to connect the legend with direction words, the habit that turns a picture into a map a child can actually use.

Teachers and parents can extend the map legends worksheet in many ways. Have students add a new place to the campground, such as a boat dock or a playground, and design a symbol for it in the legend. Bring in a real park or zoo map and ask children to find its legend first, then name three symbols. At home, sketch a simple map of a bedroom or backyard together and build a legend along the side. Partners can also write one new question about the map and trade papers to check each other.

Related Resources

• Map Symbols Worksheet
• Map Scales Worksheet
• Maps Worksheet
• 50 States Song