Map Skills

 If you ask middle schoolers to name all the states, many will be unable to do this. Additionally, if you ask students about directions, it will often be a struggle. While most will mention landmarks, such as well-known places, many will struggle using coordinates. This is exactly why students must learn map skills! One day, they will be driving and need to get around. So, they will need to know about scales, symbols, and locations. Whether using map skills worksheets or hands-on projects, students will significantly benefit from this instruction. Thankfully, the Map Skills: Design Your Own Amusement Park provides a wonderful challenge in a highly engaging format!

Map Skills: Design Your Amusement Park 

Students love amusement parks! For some, it is all about rides. For others, it is about the shows and food. Honestly, there is so much to do at amusement parks! So, this is the perfect element to bring in when working on map skills. 

This project allows students to design their own amusement park using map skills learned in class. This includes map elements, such as a scale, legend, symbols, and more! Honestly, students always have so much fun working on this project! It is a favorite each year. 

Setting the Tone 

Every amusement park has its own theme. This is a fantastic way to draw interest and encourage people to visit. So, students will create a theme for their park. Whether this is Rock N’ Roll, Video Games, or Vampires, students will love bringing their ideas to life! Seeing students’ excitement as they walk around the classroom and explore all the unique themes is always amazing. 

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As the weather warms up, students will start to see advertisements, commercials, and features of amusement parks. Companies do this to entice people to visit. Additionally, they want to show off something special. While working on map skills worksheets, students will also do this! They will write about their “best” ride. They will explain the features, such as twists, turns, and hills. Honestly, this is a fantastic way to combine geography and language arts! 

Limited Prep Project 

Students love working on projects and letting their creativity soar. However, there is often a lot of prep with them. Thankfully, that is not true with the Map Skills: Design Your Own Amusement Park project! There is a detailed assignment sheet and mapping essentials handout. Both are super helpful for students! Additionally, there is an amusement park planner worksheet, two marking guides, and teacher instructions. There is even a student example! 

Middle school students have so much going on in their lives. Honestly, many say this is the most challenging age to go through! Luckily, amazing teachers work hard to create hands-on, engaging lessons. This is crucial to ensuring students learn the material. Thankfully, the Map Skills: Design Your Own Amusement Park ensures students work on material they will use throughout their lives! Best of all, the map skills worksheets and project creates learning students absolutely love! 

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