Maps Through Time

Compare maps of the same place at different times, and tell what changed, using each map's key.

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

What children learn in Level 2

A map is a picture of one moment. Put two maps of the same place side by side, and you can see what changed over time.
Start with the key. On Map A, green shows the first United States. On Map B, yellow is new, so that land was added between 1783 and 1803.
By 1848 the map reached the Pacific Ocean. Each color tells part of the story you'll learn this year.
Remember what a map like this leaves out. These lands weren't empty. American Indian nations already lived there, and the map shows only what the United States claimed.

Georgia Standards of Excellence in Social Studies:

MGS.10 — Map and Globe Skill 10: compare maps of the same place at different points in time and from different perspectives to determine changes, identify trends, and generalize about human activities (introduced in Grade 4)
MGS.6 — Map and Globe Skill 6: use map key/legend to acquire information from historical, physical, political, resource, product, and economic maps (mastered in Grade 4)
MGS.8 — Map and Globe Skill 8: draw conclusions and make generalizations based on information from maps (mastered in Grade 4)