Chapter 14: Maps and Locations

Long before phones, travellers used maps to find their way. A map is a small picture of a big place. Roads, rivers, mountains, cities , all shrunk down to fit on a sheet of paper.

In this chapter we learn to read maps, follow directions (north, south, east, west), use a scale to measure real distances on a map, and describe locations using a grid. By the end, you will be able to navigate any map confidently.

What's inside

• The four main directions and the in-between ones.
• Map scale , distance on map vs. real distance.
• Grids , describing a location by its row and column.
• Following directions and drawing simple maps.

How to read this chapter

Read in order. Keep a notebook with square grids. The hands-on tasks need a real map (an atlas page, a city map, or a building plan) and a compass app or simple sense of north.