What students investigate

Students learn that a map is a model of a real area and that it shows land and water as seen from above. They see how a hill can be shown with a labeled mark, how a creek follows one connected, winding line, and how a pond covers an area with a closed shoreline.

Then they read and check maps. A map keeps the positions of features (beside, between, near), a key explains its shapes and symbols, and different areas have different patterns of land and water. The last cards ask whether a map has the right features in the right places.

Who it is for

Maps Around Us is written for Grade 2 Earth science. It is a good start before students draw a map of the schoolyard or a nearby park, because they practice what a useful map needs.

It pairs with Finding Water, which looks at where water is found on Earth.

What students learn

10 learning ideas, one at a time. Each one is a silent animated Learn card, then Review and Mastery questions.

1. A map is a simple model of a real area.
2. A map can show land and water as viewed from above.
3. Land patches have shapes. A labeled mark can show a hill.
4. A creek follows a connected, winding course on a map.
5. A pond covers an area with a closed shoreline.
6. The shoreline marks where land touches the pond.
7. A map keeps the positions of land and water features.
8. A key explains what shapes and symbols mean on one map.
9. Different areas have different land and water arrangements.
10. A useful map includes the right land and water features in the right places.

Science words in this pack

Each word is taught on its Learn card, then used again in Review and Mastery.

• map
• model
• from above
• land
• hill
• meadow
• creek
• line
• pond
• water area
• shoreline
• bank
• beside
• between
• near
• symbol
• key
• pattern
• area
• check
• missing

Inside the pack

How it works in class

• Learn. 10 silent whiteboard animations, one idea per card. No audio, so it works on a classroom screen or a quiet device.
• Review. 30 practice questions with feedback. Ideas a student misses come back.
• Mastery. 30 questions to show what each student knows on their own.
• Certificate. A student who finishes can print a certificate or save it as a PDF. It shows first-try Review and Mastery results and the ideas that needed a retry.

Standards connections

These cards support parts of the following NGSS performance expectations. They do not replace hands-on investigations.

• 2-ESS2-2 — core ideas

More in Science in Motion — Grade 2

• Materials Detectives: Observe, Test & Sort Look closely. Test properties. Sort what you find.
• Choosing Materials Pick the best material for a job by testing its properties.
• Build With Pieces See how a set of small pieces can be built into many new objects.
• Heating & Cooling Find out which changes from heating or cooling can be undone.
• Compare Habitats Compare the plants and animals that live in different places.
• Shaping the Land Explore hills, valleys and rivers, and how wind and water change land.
• What Plants Need Test what plants need to grow: light and water.
• Pollinators & Seeds See how animals move pollen and help seeds travel.
• Finding Water Find where water is on Earth, as solid ice or liquid water.
• The Water Cycle Follow water as it moves between sky, land, and water.

About the Science in Motion — Grade 2 series