Map Rubric Maker

Directions: Fill in the information below.

STEP #1: SCHOOL, TITLE, AND TEACHER NAME

Enter the appropriate information in the correct box below. Please note that if the title is left blank, nothing will appear in the output.

School Name:
Title of Rubric:
Teacher Name:

Once you have completed the form above, click the "GENERATE-MAP RUBRIC " button below to create your rubric.



How to Assess Map Skills

While travelers and explorers commonly used maps in the past century for navigation, they still come in handy in understanding geography. In times when GPS or other electronic devices give up, a map will never die due to battery issues. Hence, map skills for kids are crucial, while knowing how to assess these skills is also imperative for teachers.

What Are Map Skills in Geography

Map skills are the ability to read and interpret a map. A map features the earth's surface, including physical features such as mountains, rivers, and cities. Maps also include other information such as labels, legends, scales, and grids. Reading this information and comprehending it to make the most out of it requires skills that kids must be taught in school.

Assessing Map Skills

To assess your student's map skills, you can design a rubric to help you effectively evaluate your students. Here are some criteria on which you can base your assessment.

Identification of Symbols

To read a map effectively, students must be well aware of the meaning of symbols on the map. It includes identifying map keys, compass rose, and other symbols representing specific roads or territories. This knowledge can aid students in reading maps clearly and forming a sense of direction.

Identification of Landforms

Students must be well equipped with the knowledge of using symbols to identify landforms on a map clearly. It includes mountains, rivers, valleys, lakes, etc. It is also crucial for students to have the ability to read political maps using the boundaries and locating countries.

Knowledge of Scale

A map is a graphical representation of wide areas and locations that are measured in kilometers. A scale helps make those measurements small enough for people to read and understand the distance between two places. Students must use the scale to read a map accurately and effectively.

Location of Objects and Places

On maps, people can identify the location of certain objects and places using a compass rose. However, these locations are mostly relative to each other. For instance, one may consider a burger shop across the street from a school situated in the north of the school, depending on the compass rose's direction.

Students must have this basic knowledge of identifying the location of places with respect to the north direction on the map.

Sense of Directions

Maps help navigate directions thanks to the scale and compass rose. It's integral for students to be well equipped with a sense of direction using maps. This skill ensures students know how to identify the shortest path between two places.

Wrap Up!

Assessing map skills for kids is crucial as it provides data on how many of your students can effectively read maps. It also depicts where students might need your help and where they can venture out independently to polish their map reading skills.

Make the assessment fun by conducting a treasure hunt using maps or providing a worksheet with a map of the neighborhood to make the task relatable. Happy teaching!