Introduction to Create a Community "My Map"

In this lesson, you will create a custom map featuring important places from your community.

A map is a picture or chart that shows locations such as rivers, mountains, and streets in a particular area.

Maps often show the exact locations of houses and streets in a neighborhood.

People use maps to help them get from one place to another.

You might use a map when plotting a hiking route or planning a driving trip.

Some types of maps you might see are: A map of a country, different maps of the world, or a road map showing the streets of a town or city.

But, maps reflect the people who create them, too.

Not everyone sees the world in the same way.

A cartographer, or a mapmaker, is a person who draws or produces maps.

Cartographers choose what to include and what not to include on a map and how to display information on their maps.

For example, if a cartographer finds a country more important, they could place it at the center of a map.

They might even draw it larger than other countries, when in reality it’s not as big.

Therefore, sometimes maps concentrate on one particular viewpoint or favor some locations over others.

This can be unfair.

Some communities might not be represented in maps.

If places that are important to a group of people are left off of a map, they might feel like they don’t matter.

When you review a map, ask yourself: who made this map and why?

And, what is not being shown? There are probably specific people and places in your community that are meaningful to you.

Other people have their own special places that are significant to them.

In this lesson, you will create a map that features places that are meaningful to you.

As you complete this lesson, you will: Create a new map and give it a title, Add places of interest to your map, And customize the map with titles, descriptions, and images.

This lesson uses Google My Maps, but you could use any mapping application or even draw on a piece of paper.

To work on this lesson, sign in to your Google account.

Open a new tab in your browser, and navigate to google.com If you are not signed in, do so now.

If you do not have a Google account, pause the video and create one.

Next, open Google Drive.

Create a new map in Google My Maps.

Then, decide on a theme for your map or use the theme your teacher assigned.

Some examples of themes you might choose include: Street art in your community, Local artists you share an identity with, Historic landmarks important to your culture, like sites of civil rights protests, Or locations where you have positive memories.

But you can choose any theme that you are passionate about.

Your theme could be as broad or narrow as you choose.

For example, you might create a map of murals in your community.

Or you might create a map of your favorite places to spend time with friends.

Your teacher may assign you a specific theme to fit a topic of study, like Black History Month.

In this case, you might create a map about: Civil Rights Landmarks, Local Black-Owned Businesses, Or African American Art and Music centers.

Once you’ve chosen a theme, rename your map.

If you’d like, you can use features within Google My Maps, like a screen reader, to make it easier to read.

Click on the links next to this video to learn how to use this and other features.

Now, it’s your turn: Sign in to your Google account, Create a new map in Google My Maps, Choose a theme, And rename your map.