Decide whether you want students to map the same neighborhood or their own individual neighborhoods. Determine what area (how large a space) will be considered a neighborhood. Introduce the lesson and explain the desired learning objectives. Read a book about neighborhoods or a story that shows how people work together in a community. Tell the students they will be creating a map that depicts major landmarks in the neighborhood. Explain that they will be using a variety of math skills to build their maps. Give them specific requirements, such as major streets or any special landmarks that exist inside the neighborhood.
Send home a description of the assignment you'll be doing in class. For homework, ask students to write down important landmarks around the city or town (schools, post office, supermarkets, fire and police stations, or their own homes). If possible, ask that students research their towns in order to find out the basic shape, major roads or highways, and the location of any bodies of water. Tell students to also create a list about how a map relates to math. In class, have a discussion about what students wrote on their lists. Write down their ideas on a chart.
Post the requirements of the project and somewhere in the room. Explain what materials students will use (town maps, rulers, pencils, protractors, stencils or shapes for tracing, and so on). Show a model of a neighborhood map that you have created ahead of time. Demonstrate how to begin the activity on a larger scale, by creating some basic elements of a neighborhood map on large chart paper. For older students, you can decide on a scale, such as 1 inch equals half a mile. If available, provide town maps and allow students to highlight their neighborhood(s) to use as a reference.
Instruct the students to begin working. Reassure them that their first draft will be a trial-and-error process and that erasing is allowed. Explain that they may have to move lines or shapes around as they figure out how to fit things on the map or where certain landmarks belong in relation to others. Remind students to label elements of the map. Require that a certain number of lines or different shapes appear on the map (if desired).
Ask students to use their first drafts to create a final draft that is clean and neat. Students can color the map or areas of the map. Meet as a group and allow students to present their maps to the rest of the class. Have a discussion about the types of shapes used on the maps, distance (how far certain features were from others), what units of measurement were most helpful, and how many students had the same elements on their maps. Use your mapping data to create class graphs (bar graphs, dot plots, and so on). Create similar lesson plans for the future, such as mapping your house, mapping the school or mapping the classroom.