Alabama Social Studies SS24.7.1b
The Standard
- SS24.7.1
- Describe the world in spatial terms, using maps and other geographic representations, tools, and geospatial technologies.
Use physical, political, and special-purpose maps to identify the distribution of people, location of places, and classification of physical features.
2024 Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students choose the right map by reading its title and key. They locate places, find where people are concentrated, and tell mountains, rivers, and plains apart.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given physical, political, and population-density maps of the United States, a student can locate Denver, identify the Rockies and the Mississippi River, and point to a densely populated area. They can name the map and key they used for each answer.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may mistake state borders for natural features or expect a political map to show mountains. They may think darker population shading always means more people in total, rather than more people per square mile.
How to Assess It
- Give students three U.S. maps: physical, political, and population density. Ask them to locate Denver, mark a dense area, label one mountain range and one river, and name the map used for each.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Pairs use physical, political, and population-density maps to mark Denver, the Rockies, the Mississippi River, and a dense region on a blank U.S. map.
Ask: Which map would you use to find a state border, a river, or a crowded region? Give a clue from each key.
Play map match: show three U.S. map snippets; teams hold up physical, political, or population cards and name a clue.
Compare a city bus route map with a population-density map; choose a neighborhood for a new stop and point to the evidence.
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Printable SS24.7.1b Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to SS24.7.1b, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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Related Standards
- SS24.2.8
Differentiate between the features of a physical map and a political map, and explain how these features contribute to the map’s purpose.
- SS24.1.9
Differentiate among landforms, bodies of water, and other physical features on maps, globes, and satellite and digital images.
- SS24.7.1c
Utilize maps to explain relationships among people and places, including governmental alliances, immigration patterns, and trade patterns.
- SS24.1.8
Describe the features of political and physical maps.
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