Texas TEKS 5.24.A

Social Studies5th GradeSocial studies skills

The Standard

apply mapping elements, including grid systems, legends, symbols, scales, and compass roses, to create and interpret maps

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students locate places and features using coordinates, map keys, direction markers, and distance information. They also make maps that use these tools clearly and consistently.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can identify a location by grid coordinate, explain what symbols mean, name a direction, and estimate distance. The student can create a readable map with accurate labels and tools.
Common Misconceptions: Students may reverse coordinate order or count grid lines instead of grid spaces. They may assume the top is always north, ignore the distance scale, or treat symbols as pictures rather than map features.
How to Assess It: Give students a simple town map. Ask them to name one location by coordinate, decode one symbol, identify a direction, and estimate one distance.

Lesson moves

Give pairs graph paper and classroom objects to build a map with coordinates, a key, a distance scale, and north marked.
Ask students to write directions from the school to a park using coordinates, compass directions, symbols, and estimated distance.
Play Map Tool Relay, where teams race to solve cards about coordinates, symbols, directions, and distances on the same map.
Use a town map to plan an emergency route, then state the grid location, direction, symbols, and estimated distance.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 5.24.A, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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