Map Skills

  "How to Read a Map" lyrics

I'm lost.
What should I do?
You need a map.
I need a clue.

Flower shape - easy to see,
Letters N, W, S and E.
Why does this help and tell me now what does it mean?
It's a COMPASS ROSE.
The compass rose shows North, South, East and West.

North and South - well now I know,
East and West - which way they go.
What do you call these four main directions?
The CARDINAL DIRECTIONS.
Intermediate directions would be northeast, southeast and so on.

How far is it from here to there?
Can we measure distance to anywhere?
The map size is smaller than the real world.
Look for the SCALE.
The scale is like a little ruler that helps you measure distances between places.

A little lost.
I'm getting clues.
From a map.
That I got from you.

Dots, triangles, colors and many lines;
What do all these things define?
I see a tiny airplane and what is this star?
These are SYMBOLS.
An airplane shows the airport; a star is a Capital city.

How did you know what the symbols are
When you're driving around like in a car?
Can you find it on the map and where will it be?
Use the MAP KEY.
The map key tells you what the symbols mean.

This map doesn't show the entire place.
I know that it's part of a bigger space.
Could it be from England, Iraq or Mexico?
Look for the INSET.
The inset is a small map that's a more detailed view of part of the main map.

I was lost.
But I learned something new
How to read a map.
And I thank you

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