the community maps project assignment

What is a Map?

map (map), mapped, mapping, n. 1. a drawing representing selected features of the earth's surface or part of it. 2. a maplike drawing of anything: a highway way, a weather map. v. 1. to make a map of; show on a map. 2. to collect information for a map by exploring or surveying (a region, etc.).

A map is a picture of a place. There can be many different maps of the same place. No one map can show everything. Not all information about a place can be put on one piece of paper. In other words, for a map to communicate clearly, it must show a limited number of things.

Maps are made for different reasons. Different maps show different information. For example, some maps are made to show property lines and other maps show us how to get where we want to go (like road maps). Pirates used maps to find buried treasure. There are also weather maps which show precipitation (rain, sleet, snow) and cold fronts in a particular region.

The most important function of a map is to show location--where certain things are. Maps also show the characteristics and features of a place which make it unique and different from other places. Another feature alot of maps have in common is that they show distances between things.

Draw a map of your community, however you imagine it. This map should show the places (including landmarks, people, and things) in your community which are most important to you, their location, and how you get to these places.

Before you start on your community map, think about places you go to regularly in Gainesville (like your school), places where relatives or friends live, and your favorite places. Include these places in your map and show the roads or pathways you use to get to them. Your map doesn't have to be exactly how it is in real life. You can add more things to see to make your map fun to look at. Make sure that you label all the features of your map so that others can tell what they are.