The Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography

Lesson Plans for Grades K-12

The Smith Center works with its seminar and institute participants to produce map-based lesson plans for grades K-12. The lesson plans encompass a variety of subject areas and grade levels. We encourage teachers to review plans other than those indicated for their classroom grade level and to adjust specific tasks as necessary for their situation. Whenever possible, we have included an image of the map on which a lesson is based. When it is not possible to include a map image, we suggest where a suitable map image can be acquired for little or no cost.

From our 2003 NEH Summer Institute, Everyday Maps: Teaching and Historical Perspectives
Some of these plans have also been published in Mapline.  Everyday Maps was made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the print or web versions of the plans do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities, or those of The Newberry Library.

• Developing a Gateway to the West: A Chicago Success Story (Grades 9–12)
  By examining an 1862 Railroad and Military Map of the United States and Mexico, students will gain an understanding of how various factors influence a city’s development.
  
  
• The Marvelous World of OZ (Grades 4–6)
  Students investigate the major themes in fantasy maps, expand basic map reading skills, write imaginative narrative essays based on the map, and create a fantasy map detail based on the core map.
  
  
• Colonization and Its Impact on Nation-State Building: Case Study of the African Continent (Grades 6–8)
  Students will analyze two historic maps of Africa to promote their knowledge and understanding of colonialism and the dynamic nature of political geography.

We also invite you to use Historic Maps in K-12 Classrooms, a website developed by the Smith Center to supply educators and students with commentary on and four suggested lessons for each of the 18 high-resolution historic maps it features.