This Compass Rose Worksheet helps 2nd graders label the eight points of a compass rose and practice cardinal and intermediate directions. Includes an answer key for easy, no-prep map skills practice.
This map symbols worksheet asks 2nd grade students to name six common map pictures using a word box with two extra choices. A full answer key is included, so map key practice takes no prep.
Use this Find the Parts of a Map Worksheet to help 2nd Grade students name the title, key, compass rose, and scale on a real map, then read the map to answer questions. Answer key included.
This maps worksheet gives 3rd graders a printed town map with a key and a compass rose, then four reading questions and two route questions. An answer key is included, so map skills practice needs no prep.
This What Are Maps Worksheet gives 2nd graders a short informational passage about maps plus four questions and a written response on the main idea. An answer key is included, so checking work takes seconds.
This neighborhood map worksheet has 2nd graders draw their own street from above, then invent symbols and explain them in a map key. An open-ended template that builds real map skills.
North, south, and the way to recess!
Second graders learn that a map is a bird's-eye picture of a real place. They find the title, key, symbols and compass rose, and they use north, south, east and west to give directions. They start small, with a classroom or neighborhood map, then zoom out to their town, state and country. Kids also learn that a tiny symbol can stand for something big, like a little tree for a whole park. The click moment is when a child traces a route on paper and says, "That's how I walk to school!"
Maps make sense when kids connect them to places they already know. These are the moves we use every year.
Show a map key and play "What could this stand for?" with each symbol. Then hide the key and see if kids can still find the school, the park and the library. Talking through the symbols out loud turns the key into a tool, not just a box in the corner.
Why it works: pairing a picture with each word gives kids two ways to remember it, a well-tested principle of how people learn (Mayer, 2009).
Try it withMap Symbols WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Kids learn maps fastest by making one. Have them draw the streets around school, add their own symbols and a key, then trade with a partner who has to find a hidden treasure. Building the map is what makes reading one feel easy.
Why it works: kids understand an idea best when they touch it, then draw it, then write it, the order the U.S. Department of Education recommends for elementary math.
Try it withNeighborhood Map WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →A short check after each lesson shows who really gets it. Ask three fast questions, like "Which way is the river from the school?" Kids who miss one get a quick redo with a partner the next day.
Why it works: researchers who compared ten study methods found practice testing is one of the two that work best (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).
Try it withWhat are Maps WorksheetAssessmentsOpen it →Get kids moving, singing and giving directions like real explorers.
WorksheetsLabel the walls N, S, E and W, then call out "Two steps east!" Kids follow the directions and freeze when you say "Map check!"
Open Compass Rose Worksheet →
VideosSing along to the states and point to each one on a big U.S. map as it comes up.
Open 50 States Song →
WorksheetsHand out any map and race to find the title, key, compass rose and three symbols first.
Open Find the Parts of a Map Worksheet →Teacher favorites right now: Compass Rose Worksheet, 50 States Song and Map Symbols Worksheet.
Second graders learn the parts of a map, including the title, key, symbols and compass rose. They use cardinal directions to find places and describe routes on simple maps.
Start in a real room. Point out which way is north, label the walls, and play direction games like "walk two steps west." Then move to a paper map so kids see the same directions on the page.
A map key, or legend, explains what each symbol on a map means. For example, a small blue square might stand for a pool, and a tiny tree might stand for a park.
Draw a simple map of your home or street together, hide a small toy, and mark it with an X. Kids love following the map to find it, and then making a map for you.
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