Planners Book Club — May 2008
Maps and Mapping
Maps and Mapping was the May 2008 selection of Planners Book Club.
Parents and Planners
School is almost over — what will your children be doing this summer? Send them on an adventure using maps. Get them started with Maps and Mapping, a fun introduction to maps and their uses. The book, which is wonderfully illustrated in color, includes many mapping activities. To link mapping to city planning, try the activities below.
Teachers
You may wish to use some of these activities listed here in your classes. There are also many online lesson plans and resources for classroom learning about maps. An easy way to find this information is to search APA's ResourcesZine, a website for teachers interested in city planning. Use the search function within the site and search on "maps" or "lesson plan maps."
Maps and Mapping is suitable for ages 8–12.
Discussion Questions and Activities for Maps and Mapping
1. Pages 10–11 Mapping the Street
Did you know that your street exists on a map? Here is any easy way to find a map of your street. Search for your city or town on Google Maps. Next, locate your street. Once you have found your town, look to see what the satellite map and the terrain maps look like.
2. Is your street your neighborhood?
Think about your street — do you consider this your neighborhood? Define the boundaries of your neighborhood—where does it begin and end? Try defining your neighborhood by deciding how far you would walk on a Saturday afternoon to see a friend, go the park or other place to play, or bike to the store. Set the boundaries for your neighborhood at the edge when houses, other buildings, and streets are no longer familiar. Create your own map or print the map from Google Maps. Draw the boundaries of your neighborhood. How much bigger is your neighborhood than your street or are they the same thing? How far from your home does your neighborhood extend? One block, four blocks, ten blocks?
3. Pages 8–9 Why We Need Maps
List the types of jobs and people who use maps in their jobs. For example, a ship captain uses navigation maps and charts to sail his or her ship. What other examples did you think of?
4. Pages 10–11 Town Maps
Do you have a city (town or community) planner on your list? Did you know that city planners use and make maps? An important element of the plan for your community is the map. There are many maps that a city planner will use. Here are few examples:
- Zoning maps
- Neighborhood maps
- Population maps
- Historic preservation district maps
- Street and building maps (by street address or land parcels)
- Transportation maps (bus, train, bicycle, and road maps)
5. Can you find your city, town, or community's zoning maps online? Use these words in your online search: "name of town + maps", "name of town + planning maps", "name of town + zoning", As an example, check out the City of Chicago's zoning maps.
6. Pages 28–29 Technology of Mapping
In the past, maps were drawn by hand based on measurements also taken by hand (pages 26–27). The people who drew these maps were called cartographers and surveyors. They used instruments such as the transit level, compass, and chain measures (called Gunter's Chain). To view photographs of these historic instruments, go to the Manthey on Historical Survey website.
Today, maps are designed using computers. Map makers use data such as satellite photographs and computer scans. One type of mapping system used by cities and other communities are Geographical Information Systems or GIS, for short. GIS uses a wide range of information (organized as data) and combines it into complex maps. You can learn about the interesting technology of GIS at the U.S. Geological Survey website.
More Fun with Maps
National Geographic Society
Search on "lesson plans + maps" or explore the maps online.
Newberry Library, Chicago
Historic Maps in the K–12 Classroom
Recommended Books on Mapping
My Map Book
Sara Fanelli
New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1995
Playful and beautifully colored, this book is very creative take on mapping. The cover opens into a poster and display area for your own, personal map. This book would be fun to share reading and looking at with your children.
Ages 6–8
Me on the Map
Joan Sweeney
New York: Dragonfly Books, Crown Publishers, 1996
Ages 6–8
Maps and Globes
Harriett Barton
New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1985
A delightful history of the history of mapping.
Ages 7–10
Maps and Mapping
Barbara Taylor
New York: Kingfisher Young Discoverers, 1993
This is a good accompaniment to the featured book and additional mapping exercises and details.
Ages 8–12
Maps: Getting from Here to There
Harvey Weiss New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1991
The title explains the emphasis of this book — maps as navigational tools.
Ages 9–12
Maps and Mazes
Hemel Hamstead, U.K.: Simon & Schuster Young Books, 1994
This book takes a more abstract and playful approach to mapping and mazes with well designed illustrations.
Ages 9–14
How to Draw Maps and Charts
Tulsa: Usborne and EDC Publishing
The book provides excellent detail on how to create your own maps.
Ages 9–15
Discovering Maps: A Children's World Atlas and Guide to Map Reading
Springfield, N.J.: Hammond World Atlas Corp., 2006
Suitable for older youth, this atlas focuses on world geography and mapping.
Ages 12–15
More about Maps and Mapping
