Map Skills - Symbols and OS Maps

Objectives

To understand how symbols can be used on a map to show information more clearly.

To learn some of the most common O/S symbols.

Resources

📊 Map Symbols (PowerPoint) | 📄 Map Symbols Worksheet | 📄 OS Map Symbols Information | Symbols Pairs Game (Ordnance Survey)

Today's Lesson

Main Activity

Start with the PowerPoint presentation Map Symbols. Look at the first three slides together. Which map is easier to read? What makes it clearer? It is the use of symbols - they are easy to recognise and take up less space on the map than writing the names of everything.

Now look at Slides 4 to 18. Use the photos to complete the first page of the Map Symbols worksheet. (The correct answers are given at the end of the PowerPoint).

Now look at the second page of the worksheet and Slides 19 and 20. Ask your student to design their own map symbols, bearing in mind they should be simple, clear and easy to remember. If your student is really interested they can look at the full OS Map Symbols Information sheet.

Challenge Activity

See if your student can match the symbols to their names against the clock on the Ordnance Survey website.

PLAY - Symbols Pairs Game (Ordnance Survey)

Citations

[1] www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk