🔢 MathGrade 3Lesson 33
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Design a Mini City Map

Lesson preview: the Mini Lesson and Vocabulary are open to everyone. Guided practice, exercises, the parent checklist and the printable PDF worksheet come with full access (free 7-day trial or membership).

Learning Objectives

  • 1Use geometry knowledge to design a simple city map
  • 2Apply coordinate skills to label positions on a grid
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Mini Lesson

A city map uses a grid to show where places are. Streets run across (East-West) and up and down (North-South). We use shapes for buildings: rectangles for shops, triangles for parks, circles for fountains, and squares for libraries. A compass rose shows the four directions: N, S, E, W.

Planning Your Map

  1. Draw a grid with streets going across and up.
  2. Add a compass rose in one corner (N at the top).
  3. Place buildings on your grid using different shapes.
  4. Label each building and street clearly.
  5. Use coordinates (column, row) to describe each location.

Shape Review

  • Rectangle: 4 right angles, opposite sides equal — great for buildings.
  • Triangle: 3 sides — used for roofs or parks.
  • Circle: round with no corners — used for fountains or roundabouts.
  • Square: special rectangle, all 4 sides equal — used for town squares.
  • Pentagon, hexagon: 5 and 6 sides — used for unusual landmarks.
My Mini City MapA city map grid showing streets as lines, buildings as rectangles and triangles, a fountain circle, and a compass rose in the corner.My Mini City MapOak StreetShopParkFountainLibraryNSUse shapes and coordinates to map your city!
Map LegendA map legend showing rectangle equals building, triangle equals park, circle equals fountain, and square equals library.Map Legend= Building= Park= Fountain= LibraryAdd your own symbols to the legend!
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A coordinate pair (x, y) gives the column number first, then the row number. Think: "along the corridor, then up the stairs!"

Vocabulary
Map
A drawing that shows places from abovee.g. I drew a map of my mini city.
Coordinates
A pair of numbers that name a point on a gride.g. The library is at coordinates (3, 5).
Grid
A pattern of squares made by crossing linese.g. I plot buildings on the city grid.
Symbol
A small picture on a map that stands for a placee.g. A book is the symbol for the library.
Legend
A small box on a map that tells what each symbol meanse.g. My map legend names every place.
Scale
A note that shows how a small distance equals a real distancee.g. My scale: 1 grid square = 50 meters.
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← Lesson 32: Explore Shapes in Real EnvironmentsLesson 34: Shopping Budget Project →