Natural, Cultural, and Political

Sort map features: rivers and mountains; roads, towns, and farms; borders and capitals.

Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.

What children learn in Level 4

Maps show three kinds of features. Natural features are made by nature: rivers, mountains, canyons, and deserts.
Cultural features are made by people: roads, bridges, farms, canals, and airports.
Political features are lines and places people decide on: borders between states and countries, and capital cities.
Compare: a river and a canal both carry water, but nature made the river, and people dug the canal.

Georgia Standards of Excellence in Social Studies:

MGS.4 — Map and Globe Skill 4: compare and contrast the categories of natural, cultural, and political features found on maps (mastered in Grade 3)