Classroom worked example
From a question to a map: a written project walkthrough
A useful map project begins with something to explain. Follow this written example to see how a small selection of places becomes a question, an evidence plan and a presentation.
Example status: Bellwater and the three places below are fictional. Replace the example places with documented public places before building a real map.
1. Turn a broad theme into a question
The theme is “our town’s history.” That is too broad to decide what belongs. The example question is: Which three public places would help a visitor understand how Bellwater remembers its past, and what would each place leave out?
The proposed study area is the town centre. The finished product is a three-feature map, an evidence table and a two-minute explanation. The number of points and presentation length are choices for this assignment, not product limits.
Include a place only if its evidence contributes a different perspective on local memory. An attractive café photograph would stay off the map unless a relevant source justified its inclusion.
2. Plan evidence before opening a map
These proposed names and possible collections are illustrative. The right-hand column is a research task, not a completed citation.
| Example feature | Possible contribution | Evidence to collect for a real project |
|---|---|---|
| Bellwater Town Museum | An institution’s account of major local events | A named collection or exhibition record, with title and date; check what the display actually says. |
| Bellwater Public Library | Documents that can complicate a single public story | A catalogue entry or named local-history document; note author, date and relevant page or section. |
| Bellwater Market Square Memorial | A public choice about what to commemorate | The inscription and a public heritage or civic record; separate the inscription from interpretation. |
3. Make each feature earn its place
The museum is included to investigate an institution’s presentation of history. The library is included to investigate a perspective that might be absent from that display. The memorial is included to investigate a choice about public memory.
These are proposed roles. Real research may undermine them: a library might hold no relevant collection, or a memorial might fall outside the boundary. Replace the feature or revise the question rather than inventing a source to preserve the plan.
Keep a record of the real feature name, documented public location, source title, link or reference, date consulted and an exact/approximate/contested location note. Do not guess precise coordinates for an uncertain place.
4. Sketch a legend and organisation
For this small example, distinguish museum display, documentary source and public commemoration. Write those category names in captions and the companion table as well as using any symbol or color.
If evidence conflicts with the main interpretation, give it a visible “Complication” label. Do not hide it to make the story neater. An unresolved entry can explain what still needs checking.
Choose a tool using the Maps, My Maps and Earth comparison, and follow its detailed guide for controls and permissions. The plan works on a printed map with numbered features too; the learning task does not depend on a particular login.
5. Draft a caption with a source and a limit
Use this pattern: Place → contribution to the question → specific evidence → source → qualification.
Caption template for a real memorial
[Documented memorial name] contributes the public-commemoration perspective. Its inscription names [verified event or people]. Source: [inscription record and named civic or heritage source, with date]. This establishes what the memorial says; it does not establish that every resident shares that interpretation.
Fill them after checking the evidence. A caption saying only “an important historical place” needs a reason and a source.
6. Align the map and text equivalent
Prepare a companion table with the same numbered features, category, evidence, source and uncertainty. A reader should be able to follow the argument without interacting with the map. Use descriptive feature names rather than “pin 1” as the only label.
Describe the relevant detail in any image and credit its source. Keep essential information in readable text. Color, hover or a camera movement must not be the only way to understand a claim.
| Feature | What the reader learns | What needs checking |
|---|---|---|
| Museum display | Which account an institution presents, after collecting actual evidence | What the exhibit leaves out and whether its date fits the question |
| Library document | A named source’s account, after reading and citing it | Author, audience and whether it corroborates or challenges another account |
| Public memorial | What a checked inscription commemorates | How the record supports the location and what it cannot prove about wider opinion |
7. Present a claim and a complication
Use a short script: name the question and boundary; introduce the legend; explain the three features; compare their perspectives; finish with a limitation.
A provisional conclusion for the design example is: “These three kinds of public places may offer different accounts of the past. A museum selects an exhibition, a document reflects its author and purpose, and a memorial states a commemorative choice. The real evidence must show whether those perspectives agree.”
In a completed project, replace it with the conclusion supported by the records, and name any disagreement the map cannot resolve.
8. Review before handing it in
- Every feature answers the question and has a traceable source.
- Real locations are confirmed; approximate or disputed ones are qualified.
- Student homes, private routines, full personal details and identifiable minor photos are excluded.
- The teacher reviews the school-approved sharing arrangement; use the My Maps sharing guide for permission steps.
- The companion text makes sense without the map.
- Use the printable assessment rubric to choose one priority revision.
Adapt the example
Change the town, question or evidence set. A literature project can compare settings and their text references; a science project can compare proposed sampling sites and explain selection bias. Preserve the small scope, evidence requirement and text equivalent.
The mapping lesson ideas and twelve student project models offer starting questions. The student map-project guide supplies the complete research, collaboration and assessment process.