Map It Out

Whenever I go to a tourist destination such as an amusement park or outlet mall, I grab extra maps of the location.  They provide an authentic application of mapping skills for children because they are usually written in a reader-friendly format.  My favorite map I have snagged is of a Harris Teeter grocery store when it had a grand opening celebration.  I put the maps and some books related to maps in a bucket so the materials can be easily carried. 

Students choose a map from the bucket. They write questions using information from the map.  They use their Marzano question stems and also their QAR cues to write their questions.  For some of the maps I have questions premade.  I will put these in the bucket if I assign lower level readers to this center.  Then they exchange questions with a partner.