Children listen to a story about Flora, a girl who loves to draw maps.
The maps in the book range from a map of Flora’s bedroom to a map of her town.
Materials
- Mapping My Day by Julie Dillemuth
Preparation
- Pre-read: Read through the story on your own before reading with children.
- Note: The book discusses a number of spatial concepts that are more appropriate for older children: such as the cardinal directions (east, west, north, south), a compass rose, and what direction the sun rises and sets. For preschool, the primary learning goal is to expose children to different types of maps and help them understand how maps can offer a model of the real world.
Directions
- Before You Read: Hold up the book and read the title, author, and illustrator. Tell children the book is about a girl named Flora who loves to draw maps. Ask children to describe what a map is (a small picture of a bigger place in the real world) and have them give some examples (what would a map of a neighborhood or a playground show, for example?).
- As You Read: At each map, pause and help children understand how the map is a smaller version of something real in Flora’s world.
- After You Read: Flip through the pages and stop at the different maps, asking children to name what each one shows.