Map Your School:
Grades 3-12
Overview: You can use this lesson to incorporate about as many subjects as you want – writing, drawing, math, computer design, even fire safety. For example, do you know where all the fire extinguishers are in your building? A school map could tell you.
Teacher Preparation: Locate a 50-100 ft. tape measure, and graph paper.
Procedure Ideas:
* Math: As an ongoing project throughout the first few weeks of school, students could be sent out on “measuring missions” periodically to measure specific area and return.
* Writing: Students can research and write a history of your school building to be added to the map.
* Geography: Use a latitude and longitude grid like city and country maps use.
* Computer: If you use graph paper to layout your rough draft, then plugging the information into a drawing program using a background grid will be simple, and all your lines will be straight.
* Health/Safety: Special maps could be made just to show locations of fire extinguishers and fire drill exit routes.
* Art: Include a pencil rendering of the front of your building.
* Graphic Design: The map could be part of a school brochure, giving art students both drawing and technical exercise.
* Internet: If your classes are actually creating web pages, the map could be used as a starting point for a clickable image map; clicking on a room would bring up a page on that class.
* Work with Parents: At home, students can map their house showing the location of all electrical outlets and light fixtures, then have parents help determine the corresponding fuses or circuit breakers. Use different colors or numbers to indicate which circuits the fixtures are on, then keep next to the breaker box for future reference.
Options/Variations: Designed on a computer and printed out, this map could be distributed to all teachers, or given to parents at special events.