Geography · Week 3 · Thinking Spatially: Maps, Places, and Regions
Mental Maps of Home
Drawing mental maps of the Coachella Valley and comparing them to see how different people experience the same place.
- Students will
- Students draw a mental map of the Coachella Valley, compare it with a partner's, and use maps to explain how location and experience shape people's views of the same place (NGS 2).
- SEL skill
- Explain why a partner's map differs by describing what matters to that partner
- What it looks like
- Students practice understanding a partner's perspective and showing that they see why another map looks different.
- Content focus
- Mental Maps of Home
- Format
- Partner exchange
Social awareness
Social awareness means understanding how other people see things and caring about their feelings, including people whose backgrounds and experiences differ from yours. More social awareness activities
What you get
A teacher guide with what to say, step by step, plus student pages and a supports page for students with diverse learning needs, including those with IEPs. Print or Project it, or assign it in Google Forms and Google Docs for Google Classroom. Your first 10 activities are free.
Standards
- NGS.2: National Geography Standard 2
- CA HSS Analysis Skill: CST4 Relate current events to the physical and human characteristics of places and regions. (Chronological and Spatial Thinking)
- C3 Framework (national): D2.Geo.2.9-12 Use maps, images, and other representations to explain how the locations of places relate to their political, cultural, and economic dynamics.
- Literacy in history: WHST.9-10.7 Conduct short and sustained research projects to answer a question or solve a problem.
More social awareness activities for Geography
- People on the Move Social awarenessMapping the push and pull factors behind migration to California through published accounts and an imagined traveler, and listening with respect.
- Cultures Side by Side Social awarenessChoosing sources that reveal the languages, foods, and traditions of a cultural mosaic and practicing curious, respectful questions about traditions different from one's own.
Previous: Maps Tell Stories · Next: Drawing Regions
RoseThread Connect activities are drafted with the help of AI and shaped by educators. Students never have to share anything personal. Our five SEL skills are informed by CASEL's SEL Framework; RoseThread Learning is not affiliated with or endorsed by CASEL.