Map Treasure Hunt

This idea I'm about to share is not my own...it is my brilliant team member's Kristina Rorem!  We share lesson plan duties and this week she was in charge of Social Studies.  The lesson for the day was spectacular.  We have been focusing on map skills and vocabulary.  Today they had to put their knowledge to work!  By the end one child said, "Man, that was fun but I sure am exhausted."

First, I made a map of the classroom.  Then, I had to hide and mark on the map where I put the post-its.  Each table was color-coded, green stars found green post-its.

I gave each table their map and they had to find the location on the map to find their post-its.

When they found all their post-its, they had to figure out the mystery mapping word.

This is the finished product!

It was also a great informal assessment for me because right away I could tell who could read a map and who needed more assistance.

I used words that we had just recently learned and put on our Social Studies/Science word wall.

If you get into mapping, I highly recommend taking the time for this!