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OverviewMaps
Maps lie. They have to. There isn't room for the world on a piece of paper.
Maps have three kinds of lies:
Lies of ommission -- Certain things aren't on the map. This can be general -- that class of object is never shown, or specific -- the map maker missed this one. Examples: Fences, powerlines, game trails, tree species.
Lies of commission. These are that are on the map, but don't correspond to their real world analog. It can be in three forms:
The real world object isn't there. A grove of trees has been cut down. A shed destoryed, a swamp drained.
The real world object is in a different place -- the map got what right, but not where. Feed sheds are moved. Stream banks erode. the map maker place it wrong.
The map is wrong about what the object is. E.g. a gas well is marked as a water well, a cabin is marked as a shed. A church is marked as a school. A lake is marked as a swamp.
Oversimplification. The edge where forest meets field is smoother on the map than the real edge. Only big bends of the creek are shown. The contour lines show the river bank, but not the rolling hills. All forest is marked as solid green, whether it's a tree every meter or one every 10 meters.
Training exercise:
Walk to a location where you have a good view of several kinds of country with a bunch of landmarks. I use my upper fields with it's view of several kinds of woods, a hill, a road, fence lines, and the end of one of the school buildings.
For this exercise I have them sit, but keep them out of reach of each other. Makes for less horseplay. You should have 1 assistant for each 5 students. Assistants can be parents, kids who have been trained early. Axe murderers picked up on the drive to the training area.
Each student needs a clipboard and a pencil. (If you need to fund this on the cheap a single sheet of masonite makes 32 boards. A box of bulldog clips from Staples finishes them. Cost: Under a buck each. Or try your dollar store.)
Step 1. Find yourself on the map. Put a dot where you think you are. Label that dot 1.
Walk around and check, but DO NOT CORRECT people who are wrong. Don't deprive them of their triumph.
Step 2. Point out things in the world that are aslo on the map. E.g. I point to the tip of an island of trees. Ask them to put a dot on the map, and label it "2" Similarly with the building, and the road beside the field. Do about 5 of these.
Step 3. Go back to the ones who missed up on step 1. Look at their marks and point out inconsistencies. Do not tell them that any point is wrong. Point out that the relationships don't match the world. E.g. The student has B clockwise of C on his map, but in the world B is counter clockwise. Or B on his map is closer than C, but on the world B is further.
This will sometimes cause them to 'click in' and you can almost hear the click.
Some of them still won't get it. Don't worry.
Step 4. Go for a walk. Walk to one of the landmarks you pointed out before. Go by it, and toward one that is further away. Stop part way there.
Ask which one is closer. Lot clsoer? or about equal. Now put another dot on your map where you think we are and call this one D.
Move on again to a place where a trail joins a road, or a field edge. You want a place where you will turn a corner.
Find the location on the map. Go the the head of the line but still on the main track. Hold your map overhead, with your thumb just below the point you are on the map, and the direction you are going above the map. This is the concept of thumbing a map. Walking with the map oriented so that your thumb is covering where you just were, and in front of your thumb is where you are about to go.
Get everyone on track with this. In some cases, I've taken my pencil out and drawn an arrow on their thumbnail.
Now stop just short of the corner. Tell them the stand still and watch your map.As you go around the corner turn the map. You will get some puzzled looks.
Move the ones that got it down the new trail 20 feet. Move the confused guys on either side of the corner where they can watch your hands all the way around the corner.
Go back and walk around the corner again. At the start point out that the road on the map matches the road in the world. As you go around the corner turn the map, keeping it oriented so that the map's road is still parallel to the real road. Point out that the map isn't rotating. You are orbiting around the map.
A few mjore will get it.
It may take one more pass with the remainder with them walking beside you as you do this.
Warning: Not all people get this. In particular many junior high kids have a poor sense of spatial relations. Girls are more likely to not get it in my experience.
At this point continue thumbing down the trail for about another 3-4 corners. Stop and check people.
Ask for a prediction for something out of sight ahead. "It turns left again. We cross a creek. There's a clearing on the left. There's a small pond on the right. What's this black line?
Don't answer questions about new features.
Go around the corner. See if they are right. This is another eyes light up moment for lots of kids being able to predict what's coming up is a feeling of power.
When you reach the black line, ask the guy who asked you. "Now, answer your own question. What is the black line?"
The concept we are aiming for here is that if they see a map symbol one way to figure it out is to go and look.
Finish your walk.
Ideally at this time:
Everyone knows the map for forest, clearing, road, trail, creek, powerline and whatever other stuff you can add.
Everyone can orient the map.
Everyone can thumb the map.
Everyone can make simple predictions about stuff that is out of site.