Mapping Our Street
A 40-minute Grade 1 lesson on drawing a map of a street from memory, with a key.
Mapping Our Street is a free 40-minute Kindergarten to Grade 2 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D2.Geo.1.K-2 — draw a map or chart of a place you know. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Kindergarten to Grade 2
- Length:
- 40 minutes
- Standard:
- D2.Geo.1.K-2
Kindergarten to Grade 2 · Geography
D2.Geo.1.K-2
Construct maps, graphs, and other representations of familiar places.
Objective
Students will be able to draw a map of the street with four places and a key.
Students are successful when they can
- Draws from above.
- Puts places in the right order along the street.
- Uses a key with three symbols.
What you need
- A walk along the street, or photographs of it
- Large paper and rulers
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — what is next to what?
5 min- Name the buildings along the street in order from the school gate.
- Do not draw anything yet.
Teach — the road first, then the buildings
13 min- Draw the road as a long shape down the middle. Everything hangs off it.
- Add the library, the shop and the bus stop in the right order.
- Say why order matters more than shape: a map is for finding things.
- Add a key with three symbols and use them.
- Show a map with a beautiful building and everything in the wrong order.
“Draw the road first. Then everything has somewhere to go.”
Guided practice — map from memory
12 min- Pairs draw the street with four places and a key.
- They swap maps and check the order against a photograph.
- Wrong orders get corrected, not redrawn.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the mapping page.
- Read each question aloud.
Close
2 min- Hold up one map. The class checks the order.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Draws buildings from the front.
Why: That is how they are seen from the pavement.
Fix: Draw the roof shape. From above, a shop is a rectangle.
Puts places in the wrong order.
Why: Each is drawn separately from memory.
Fix: Walk the street in your head from the gate, naming as you go.
Omits the key.
Why: The symbols are obvious to the person who drew them.
Fix: Swap maps. A symbol nobody else can read is a private code.
If they are not there yet
- Two places rather than four.
- Give the road drawn already.
If they finish early
- Add distances or a scale.
- Map the route from home to school.
- Add a north arrow and check it.
Exit ticket
Draw the street with the library, the shop and the bus stop in the right order.
What to look for: Correct order along the road. A front-view drawing means the roof-shape point needs repeating.
Printable practice for D2.Geo.1.K-2
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Mapping Our StreetCircle the best answer.
Questions about Mapping Our Street
How long does the Mapping Our Street lesson take?
40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does Mapping Our Street teach?
D2.Geo.1.K-2 — D2.Geo.1.K-2, Geography for Kindergarten to Grade 2: “Construct maps, graphs, and other representations of familiar places.” In plain terms, draw a map or chart of a place you know.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
A walk along the street, or photographs of it, large paper and rulers and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: draws buildings from the front; puts places in the wrong order and omits the key. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “Draw the street with the library, the shop and the bus stop in the right order.” Correct order along the road. A front-view drawing means the roof-shape point needs repeating. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with Mapping Our Street?
Yes — 1 printable D2.Geo.1.K-2 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is Mapping Our Street free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 7 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Aligned to D2.Geo.1.K-2 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.