Kindergarten Spring History — Calendar Time, Holidays Across Traditions, and Mapping Our Neighborhood
Lesson 12 25 min hist.gK.s.lesson_12

Map symbols and the key — how maps speak

Skills targeted
Objectives
  • Students can identify 6+ standard map symbols (school, library, park, hospital, road, water, place-of-worship, home).
  • Students can use a map key to decode an unfamiliar symbol.
Vocabulary
symbolkeylegendstand fordecodelook up

Lesson plan

Warm-up

3 min

Daily Calendar Circle. Then: 'Yesterday we walked to places. Today we learn how MAPS show those places — using SYMBOLS.'

Teacher moves
  • Show MG-5 wall and trace a symbol with finger
  • Ask: 'have you seen any of these before?'

Direct instruction

9 min

On a map, we can't draw every detail. So mapmakers use SYMBOLS. A symbol is a little picture that STANDS FOR a real thing. Watch: this book symbol stands for a LIBRARY. This tree stands for a PARK. This blue line stands for a RIVER. But how do you know what each symbol means? You LOOK IT UP in the KEY (also called the LEGEND).

Key examples
  • Notice — the symbol is small and simple. The meaning is in the key. ALWAYS check the key.
    model Teacher points to each symbol and reads the meaning: book=library, tree=park, blue line=water, brown line=road, red cross=hospital, house=home, school-shape=school, dome/cross/star/crescent=place of worship
    prompt Show MG-5 wall with 8 symbols
  • The key turned a symbol I didn't know into something I do know.
    model I notice a blue line — what does it stand for? CHECK THE KEY: water. Where in our neighborhood is the water? The creek by the park.
    prompt Apply MAP-NOTICE-WONDER to MG-4 Neighborhood Map using the key
Checks for understanding
  • What does the book symbol stand for?
  • If I don't know a symbol, what do I do?
Sourcework
Source type
map with legend as source
Routine
MAP-NOTICE-WONDER applied: NOTICE a symbol; WONDER what it means; ASK the key (decode)
Details
MG-4 Neighborhood Map with 5-element key.
Media
MG-5 Chart
Map Symbols Key Wall — a 24x36-inch chart introducing 8 standard kindergarten map symbols with their meanings in 24pt sa

Map Symbols Key Wall — a 24x36-inch chart introducing 8 standard kindergarten map symbols with their meanings in 24pt sans-serif: blue line = water, brown line = road, green patch = park/grass, gray square = building, red cross = hospital, book = library, tree = park, house = home. Each symbol large enough to see from across the room. Symbol cards detach for use on individual child maps.

M-K-S-GEO-12-A Chart
24x36-inch wall chart with 8 standard symbols. Each symbol shown at 4x4 inches in left column, meaning in 24pt sans-seri

24x36-inch wall chart with 8 standard symbols. Each symbol shown at 4x4 inches in left column, meaning in 24pt sans-serif in right column. Symbols: open book (LIBRARY), tree (PARK), blue line (WATER), brown line (ROAD), red cross (HOSPITAL), house (HOME), school-building outline (SCHOOL), dome/cross/star/crescent four-icon row (PLACE OF WORSHIP). Symbols are also available as detachable cards for tabletop use.

Guided practice

9 min
Tasks
  • Symbol-meaning matching game: pair 6 symbol cards to 6 meaning cards
    scaffold Picture-photo pairs, color-coded backs
  • Look-up challenge: teacher points to an unfamiliar symbol on a sample map; pairs use the key to decode and announce
    scaffold Magnifying glass available to inspect symbols
Media
M-K-S-GEO-12-B Manipulative Physical / non-image

Card pair set: 8 symbol cards (3x3 inches each) and 8 meaning cards (3x3 inches with photo + word). Color-coded backs (symbol cards green, meaning cards blue) for self-correction. Stored in zip pouch labeled 'Symbol Match Game' with 2-pair, 4-pair, and 8-pair difficulty progressions.

M-K-S-GEO-12-C Manipulative Physical / non-image

11x17 sample tourist map of a fictional small town with the map key folded under a flap. Includes 8 placed symbols. Some symbols match the key directly; one or two are mystery symbols (small icon of a flag, a tower) for stretch decoding via context.

Formative assessment

2 min
Exit ticket
  • I show you a map symbol. Use the key to tell me what it stands for.
scoring Uses key correctly + names meaning = mastery; tries key but wrong = practicing; doesn't try key = re-teach

Closure

Moves
  • Add 'symbol' and 'key' to Word Wall
  • Preview: tomorrow we'll use OUR walking-tour photos with map symbols

Homework

5 min
Tasks
  • At home, find a map (paper or phone) and find its KEY. Bring back one symbol and its meaning to share.

Exercises in this lesson

hist.gK.s.geo.map_symbols.ex_01
Look at this map. Use the KEY to find: (a) the library, (b) a park, (c) a road. Point to each.
 decode with key · diff 3

Differentiation

Scaffolds
  • Pre-paired starter symbol-meaning examples
  • Picture-only key (no text)
  • Sentence frame 'The ___ symbol stands for ___'
Extensions
  • Find a symbol that isn't in our key — invent its meaning
  • Compare two different map keys (atlas vs. tourist map)
English Learners
  • Bilingual key cards
  • Allow naming in home language with English echo
Ieps 504s
  • 3-symbol simpler set
  • Pointing-only response
  • Extended time

Teacher notes

Map symbols are an abstract leap — work concretely. Connect symbols to the real walking-tour photos from lesson 11: 'here is the photo of OUR library; here is the symbol that stands for libraries on a map.' Avoid making children memorize symbols — teach them to USE THE KEY as the always-available reference. This skill (look up unknown information using a key/legend) is a foundational research skill that will carry through K-12. The MAP-NOTICE-WONDER routine continues here and in lesson 17.