Mapping My JourneyTeacher’s Notes

IntroductionThe Mapping My Journey Activity can teach your students about choosing safer routes to and from school. You can either use it in class as a simple activity, extension of other related curriculum work, or send it home as a homework activity for students to complete with a parent or guardian.

The student activity sheet requires a street map of the community surrounding your school.

If you don’t have a map, you could:

1. Get one from your local council, or

2. Print your own from an online mapping facility

How to get a map from Google:

1. Go to Google Maps http://maps.google.co.nz

2. In the entry bar beside the “Search Maps” button, type in your school name and town.

3. The result will list Place Marks (they look like push pins) - select the correct one and right-click on the push-pin and select “Centre Map Here”

4. Keep zooming in until you have a workable image of your school area

5. Print the map by clicking on the Print icon (above the Map and Satellite tabs)

6. Stick the map onto the back page of the mapping activity sheet and photocopy

Student Activity : Steps 1 and 2The purpose of these first steps is to help students understand how their community relates to the map they are creating.

Students complete a map of their neighbourhood by locating their house, school, favourite parks, library, supermarket and friend’s houses. They then map their route to school that day, and begin to complete the Legend for the map.

Note: For students who have been driven to school, ask them to draw the route they would normally use if they can walk or bike to school. If their street isn’t on the map, ask them to chose a different starting point like a drop-off point a few blocks from school or a friend’s house.

Student Activity : Steps 3 and 4The next steps help students identify safe and unsafe places in their neighbourhood, and identify a safe route to school and to the other places they hang out.

You can use the “safe places” listed on the activity sheet and brainstorm some additional “safe places” with the class and add them to the blank space provided. Also, discuss how students chose their safe places.

A similar brainstorming session can be carried out for “unsafe places”.

Numbers (in GREEN circles) and letters (in RED triangles) correspond to the safe and unsafe places - these symbols should be placed on the map where appropriate.

You may want to use a larger map to:

• Demonstrate how to complete a legend on a map

• Draw a sample “safe route” that makes use of safe places and avoids unsafe places.

• Develop a wall display with all the completed maps.

HomeworkIf you are sending home the activity you may wish to attach a letter to parents. A sample letter is available at:

www.gw.govt.nz/safe2school

Adapted from Blazing Trails Resource from Active & Safe Routes to School, A Programme of Green Communities Canada.