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Where's the best place to hide a treasure?

Work of Water Unit
Lesson 1 of 6
Mapping Landforms & Bodies of Water
4.9 (256 reviews)
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
Video trouble?
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DISCUSS:
What features do you notice on this map?
What might they look like in real life?
Video trouble?
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DISCUSS:
Which feature on the map do you think looks like this in real life?
Video trouble?
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DISCUSS:
If you go north from the pink dot, what will you be heading toward?
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Here’s what we said:
If you go north, you’ll be heading toward the treasure!
Congratulations – you’re ready to go on your own treasure hunt in the activity!
Video trouble?
Step
01/18
You’ll work with a partner.
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Step
02/18
Get your supplies.
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Step
03/18
Cut the Map Pieces sheet in half along the thick black line. Then, cut
all the pieces out along the dotted lines. You should each have 9
pieces.
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Step
04/18
Spread out your map pieces.
Sort them into two piles: land features and water features.
Discuss with your partner:
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Step
05/18
Read Clue 1.
Which land or water feature do you think the clue is describing?
Why? Discuss with your partner.
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Step
06/18
The missing feature on your map is a lake.
Glue the lake piece onto your map.
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Step
07/18
Read Clue 2.
Which land or water feature do you think the clue is describing?
Why? Discuss with your partner.
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Step
08/18
The missing feature on your map is a bunch of hills.
Glue the hills piece onto your map.
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Step
09/18
Read Clue 3.
Which land or water feature do you think the clue is describing?
Why? Discuss with your partner.
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Step
10/18
The missing feature on your map is a bunch of mountains.
Glue the mountains piece onto your map.
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Step
11/18
Read Clue 4.
Which land or water feature do you think the clue is describing?
Why? Discuss with your partner.
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Step
12/18
The missing feature is a river.
Glue the river piece onto your map so that it starts in the mountains
and travels south.
Video trouble?
Step
13/18
Read Clue 5.
Which land or water feature do you think the clue is describing?
Why? Discuss with your partner.
Video trouble?
Step
14/18
The missing feature is a waterfall.
Glue the waterfall piece onto your map so that the water travels
east, into the ocean.
Video trouble?
Step
15/18
Read Clue 6.
Which land or water feature do you think the clue is describing?
Why? Discuss with your partner.
Video trouble?
Step
16/18
The missing feature is an island.
Glue the island piece onto your map.
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Step
17/18
Read the final clue. Where do you think the treasure is hidden?
Discuss with your partner. Then draw an “X” in the square where you
think the treasure is on your map.
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Step
18/18
Here’s what we thought.
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
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DISCUSS:
What feature do these three places have in common?
(Hint: It’s a feature you found on the Mapmaker’s map!)
Video trouble?
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DISCUSS:
Based on the map, what land and water features would you find in this real place?
Video trouble?
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hill


1 of 22

a high area of land that isn't as tall as a mountain
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mountain


2 of 22

a high area of land with steep sides
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valley


3 of 22

a low area of land between hills or mountains
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canyon


4 of 22

a low area of land with sides that are almost straight up and down
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cliff


5 of 22

a high area of land with a side that is almost straight up and down
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mesa


6 of 22

a high area of land with a flat top and sides that are almost straight up and down
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plains


7 of 22

large areas of flat land with few trees
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island


8 of 22

land with water all around it
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landform


9 of 22

a natural structure of Earth’s surface, like a mountain or canyon
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ocean


10 of 22

a large area of salt water that covers the Earth
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lake


11 of 22

a large area of water with land all around it
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pond


12 of 22

an area of still water, larger than a puddle but smaller than a lake
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river


13 of 22

a long, thin area of water that flows

waterfall


14 of 22

flowing water that falls from a tall place
Video trouble?
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feature


15 of 22

an important part of a place or thing
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map


16 of 22

a picture that shows the features of a place and where those features are
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model


17 of 22

a pretend version of something that scientists use when the real thing is too big, small, or complicated to work with
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compass star (compass rose)


18 of 22

a drawing on a map that points to the four main directions (north, south, east, west)
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north


19 of 22

one of four main directions; when you face north, west is to the left and east is to the right
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south


20 of 22

one of four main directions; if you are facing north, it is behind you
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east


21 of 22

one of four main directions; if you are facing north, it is to the right
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west


22 of 22

one of four main directions; if you are facing north, it is to the left
🎉 That’s it for this lesson! How did it go?

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Where's the best place to hide a treasure?
Work of Water Unit
Lesson 1 of 6
Mapping Landforms & Bodies of Water
4.9 (256 reviews)

Featured Reviews

“I am really glad you added this lesson! It was a great way to introduce maps and matches with our curriculum perfectly! Students were engaged the whole time! ”
· Crystal · Teacher
“My class loved the treasure map. They also liked learning about all the landforms.”
· Kathy · Teacher
“This was one of the best lessons in MS! So easy for the students to follow along!”
· Cheryl · Teacher
“-Easy to prepare -Students loved the map ”
· Alana · Teacher
“Oh my gosh, such a fun lesson! The kids were so excited by the "treasure" we were looking for. Great job in explaining north/south/east/west and how to use that on a map. Great intro to map reading skills : ) ”
· Shannon · Teacher
“The students loved the entire lesson. They had a lot of fun figuring out where the treasure was hidden on their maps.”
· Sandra · Teacher
“The kids were very involved. They loved the voice of the mapmaker. I liked how it zoomed over to see what the place looked like in real life. ”
· Lori · Teacher
“My students loved the activity. They had so much fun listening to to the clues and discussing with their table groups what they thought was the answer. ”
·
“They loved using the clues to figure out the map features!”
· Cheryl · Teacher
“The children enjoyed the treasure hunt. Kept them engaged and having fun learning!”
· Maureen · Teacher
“It was easy for teachers and worth the lesson for students ;;) Thank you ;;)”
· · Teacher
“The hands-on activity was soooooooooo fun!”
· Adri · Homeschooler
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this lesson, students explore maps as useful tools for understanding where landforms and bodies of water are located. In the activity, Mystery Mapmaker, students identify different land and water features based on their shapes. Then, they use those landmarks to complete a map and locate a treasure of their very own.
Preview activity

Vocabulary

Assessments

Not included in your Mystery Pack

Map Pieces printout
1 per pair
Treasure Map printout
1 per student
Treasure Map Answer Key printout
1 per class
Glue Sticks
1 per student
Scissors
1 pair per student
Prep Instructions

We suggest students work in pairs.

Classroom Treasure

Want to add even more fun? Make the treasure at the end of the activity real! You decide what it is—maybe a tasty treat, five extra minutes of recess, a special brain break, or anything else that would bring a little extra joy to your classroom!

Standards

Jump to

Exploration

12 mins

Hands-On Activity

35 mins

Wrap-Up

12 mins

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Unit Reading

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Credits
 
Water Lesson 1: Where's the best place to hide a treasure?

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