Map Skills worksheets
Map skills are the toolkit the rest of social studies is read with. These worksheets cover cardinal directions, keys and legends, scale, grid references and the difference between a physical and a political map — as questions about described maps, which print cleanly in black ink and can be answered without a colour copy.
Topics in this subject
- Compass Rose and DirectionsNorth, south, east and west plus the intermediate directions, and describing where one place sits relative to another.Grades K–3
- Map Keys and LegendsReading a legend, matching a symbol to what it stands for, and answering questions about a map from its key.Grades 1–5
- Scale and DistanceUsing a bar scale to convert map distance into real distance, and choosing a sensible scale for a given area.Grades 3–7
- Grid CoordinatesFinding a place from a grid reference and writing the reference for a place, reading the letter before the number.Grades 2–6
- Physical and Political MapsWhat each kind of map shows, which one to reach for, and what a thematic map adds.Grades 3–8
- Charts, Graphs and TimelinesReading a value off a bar or line graph, comparing two of them, and reading a timeline's scale.Grades 3–8