Reading Earth's Maps
Aligned to 4-ESS2-2 — Next Generation Science Standards.
What this lesson teaches
Maps show where Earth's features are, like mountains, oceans, and rivers. When we look at many maps together, patterns appear — mountains often line up in long ranges and earthquakes happen in the same areas again and again.
Worked examples
Example 1
On a world map, most tall mountain ranges and volcanoes sit along the edges of the oceans, forming lines instead of being scattered randomly.
Example 2
Earthquakes cluster in the same narrow bands as volcanoes, tracing the edges of Earth's giant plates.
Example 3
Patterns let you predict. Knowing where the bands run tells engineers which cities need earthquake-resistant building codes.
Practice questions
- Look at a map of your country. Where are the mountains, and where is the water?
- On a simple map, mark where you think a river would flow — remember water moves from high land to low land.
- Describe one pattern you notice about where mountains, volcanoes, or oceans are found.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Leer los mapas de la Tierra
Los mapas muestran dónde están las características de la Tierra, como montañas, océanos y ríos. Cuando miramos muchos mapas juntos, aparecen patrones: las montañas suelen alinearse en cadenas largas y los terremotos ocurren en las mismas zonas una y otra vez.
Ejemplo 1: En un mapa del mundo, la mayoría de las cadenas de montañas altas y los volcanes se encuentran a lo largo de los bordes de los océanos, formando líneas en lugar de estar regados al azar.
Ejemplo 2: Los terremotos se agrupan en las mismas franjas angostas que los volcanes, marcando los bordes de las placas gigantes de la Tierra.
Ejemplo 3: Los patrones permiten predecir. Saber por dónde van las franjas les dice a los ingenieros qué ciudades necesitan reglamentos de construcción antisísmica.
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