AC9M3SP02: Interpret and create two-dimensional representations of familiar environments, locating key landmarks and objects relative to each other

A map is a two-dimensional representation viewed from above. Symbols, labels, keys and relative position language help locate landmarks and communicate routes.

Learning routine: Orient map → Identify landmarks → Use position language → Follow route → Create representation

Success looks like

• Interpret maps
• Use landmarks
• Use relative position
• Follow routes
• Create maps with keys

Success criteria:

• Interpret maps
• Use landmarks
• Use relative position
• Follow routes
• Create maps with keys

Students should recognise common two- and three-dimensional shapes, use positional language and interpret simple representations of familiar places. Start with a physical model or drawing before using more abstract spatial language.

Key idea: A map is a two-dimensional representation viewed from above. Symbols, labels, keys and relative position language help locate landmarks and communicate routes.

Learning routine: Orient map → Identify landmarks → Use position language → Follow route → Create representation

representation

a drawing or model that shows a place

landmark

an important object or place used to locate position

relative position

where something is compared with something else

What is the big idea in this topic?

A map is a two-dimensional representation viewed from above. Symbols, labels, keys and relative position language help locate landmarks and communicate routes.

What routine should I use?

Orient map → Identify landmarks → Use position language → Follow route → Create representation

How do I know I am ready to move on?

You can interpret maps, use landmarks, use relative position, follow routes, create maps with keys and explain how your model or calculation supports the answer.

• Drawing side view — Maps usually show familiar spaces from above.
• No key or labels — Symbols need meanings.
• Vague directions — Use landmarks and ordered direction words.

1. What does a map key explain?

   • the meaning of symbols
   • the time of day
   • the price of objects
   • the answer to every route

2. Complete the position sentence.

   Prompt: The library is □ the garden and the oval.

3. Which view is most common for a simple map?

   • from above
   • from underneath
   • only from the side
   • inside every object

4. Write a three-step route from a gate to a classroom using landmarks.

5. Match the position word to its meaning.

   Match: beside • between • north of ↔ above on a north-up map • next to • in the middle of two landmarks

6. Complete the mapping rule.

   Prompt: A symbol should be explained in the map □.

1. Create a map of a familiar space with at least six landmarks, a key and two routes.

2. Compare a photograph and a top-view map of the same place. Explain what each representation communicates best.

Explain the reasoning, not only the final answer.

1. Explain why two maps of the same place may use different scales or details.

2. A student draws a classroom map without labels or a key. Explain what information is missing.

Review hint: Follow the routine “Orient map → Identify landmarks → Use position language → Follow route → Create representation” and use the worked model to check whether your answer is reasonable.

• I can interpret maps.
• I can use landmarks.
• I can use relative position.
• I can follow routes.
• I can create maps with keys.

Quick check: What does a map key do? • Describe a position relative to a landmark. • Follow a three-step route.

Read the topic guide and use the teacher slide for instruction. Students can then use the worksheet for written work, open Practice for supported feedback, or take the Test when they are ready.

Use reliable, community-approved sources and identify the specific Nation, People or community where the source does. Do not present diverse First Nations knowledges as one generic tradition. Follow local cultural and intellectual property protocols before reproducing cultural material or inviting community participation.

The content description and elaborations below show the curriculum ideas taught in this unit. Items marked as teaching context support lesson planning.

• Content description: interpret and create two-dimensional representations of familiar environments, locating key landmarks and objects relative to each other
• E1: designing the layout of a space; for example, a proposed games room or the classroom using a blank sheet of paper as the boundary and cut outs of shapes to represent furniture from a top view perspective
• E2: locating themselves within a space such as a basketball court, an oval, stage or assembly hall, guided by a simple hand-held plan indicating the different positions of the participants in the activity
• E3: sketching a map within the classroom indicating where they have hidden an object, swapping maps with partners and then providing feedback about what was helpful and what was confusing in the map
• E4: identifying differences in the representation of a place on a map, in an aerial photograph, in a street view and in a satellite image and discussing the different information the representations can give
• E5: creating a two-dimensional plan of the school on a floor mat, representing key buildings and landmarks, then programming a robot to move to different locations within the space
• E6: exploring land maps or cultural maps used by First Nations Australians to locate, identify and position important landmarks such as waterholes (teaching context)

Australian, Victorian and NSW alignment retained from the previous page

• Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 — ACARA
• Victorian Curriculum — VCAA
• NSW Curriculum — NESA

Official curriculum sites are the source of record.

• AC9M3SP01 — Classifying Objects by Features and Uses
• AC9M3ST01 — Collecting and Recording Data
• All Year 3 Mathematics topics

Curriculum equivalents for Interpret and create two-dimensional representations of familiar environments, locating key...

Mapped skill: interpret and create two-dimensional representations of familiar environments, locating key landmarks and objects relative to each other

These references identify matching or closely related learning. Curriculum sequence, terminology and depth vary, so teachers should use the mapped skill and lesson difficulty to confirm suitability.

Australian Curriculum v9.0 is the canonical source for this SkillrHub lesson. Victoria and NSW entries name the closest published state codes or outcomes; international entries are planning references rather than claims of identical curricula.