الخرائط والرموز والاتجاهات
Geography · Key Stage 1 · The School
The compass
NORTH, EAST, SOUTH, WEST — clockwise from the top. "Never Eat Shredded Wheat" is how most people remember the order. North on a map is up unless the map says otherwise, and it usually shows a north arrow to prove it.
Symbols and the key
Maps cannot draw everything, so they use SYMBOLS: a blue line for a river, a green patch for woodland, a little cross for a church. The KEY tells you what each one means, and it is the first thing to read on any map you have not seen before.
Giving directions
Combine them: "go north along the blue line, then east at the church". Draw a simple treasure map of your classroom with a key and four directions, and give it to someone else to follow. If they get lost, the map needs fixing — which is the most useful lesson in the whole topic.
"Start at the church with a tower. Head NORTH along the footpath (a green dotted line) for 500 m. Turn EAST at the pub. The post office is 200 m on your right." Every one of those instructions needs the key: churches with towers and with spires have different symbols, footpaths and bridleways are different dotted lines. Now try following it while ignoring the key and see how far you get.