Maps

People use maps for many different purposes. There are maps that show demographics—the different groups of people that live in a certain area; where every fruit tree in a particular area is located; where all the vending machines are. There are even maps that show great places to walk your dog.

Many areas around the world have maps that show their transportation systems. A lot of people use these maps every day to get to where they want to go. Sometimes, though, you can make your own map of a place in your head. You can do this by noticing certain markers and cues. For instance, say you had just moved to a new city and wanted to get to the grocery store. The grocery store’s location could be described in terms of its longitude and latitude, street address, and even sea level. But the information you’re after is where it is located in relation to your new home. Once you have this information, you can establish a route to get there. 

Take note of the landmarks near you and on the way to your destination. One way to remember you’re on the correct route might be to note, for example, that when you’re headed south, toward the store, the local library is on your left. That means the library is on the east side of the street. Let’s imagine you notice a house with a bright red door two blocks from the store. In the future, when you’re on your way to the store, you’ll be able to tell you’re almost there when you see the house with the red door. You keep walking. There’s a hat shop one block from the grocery store. Another landmark! If you were to go home and draw yourself a map of the area, you might include each of these landmarks.

Cues like these help us orient ourselves in the world around us when we don’t have access to maps, or are getting used to an unfamiliar environment. This route , the route to the grocery store, is now part of your internal map. When you’re walking around town, riding your bike or in a car, you’re absorbing data about where things are located in relation to each other. If you think about it, there are probably lots of places you can remember how to get to, by heart. Those internal maps contribute to your knowledge of the world around you. When you think of the city or town where you grew up, don’t you think of routes and pathways you’ve traveled habitually?

When we explore new places, we often make connections between various point As and point Bs through personal association. But since we can’t build these personal maps in every town and city in the world, we get to know some places by looking at maps. Knowing how to read a map and practicing reading maps of lots of different places are excellent ways to expand your knowledge of the world.

U.S. Geography and Regions

The United States is a large country with many different types of land and weather. To help us learn about the country, we divide it into four main regions: the West , the Midwest , the Northeast , and the South . Each region has its own landforms, climate, and natural resources.

The West has tall mountains, like the Rocky Mountains, and deserts, like in Arizona and Nevada. The Midwest is known for flat land and farming, especially corn and wheat. The Northeast has big cities, forests, and cold winters. The South has warm weather, beaches, and farmland. Each region is special and helps make the United States a strong and diverse country. 

Traits and Heredity

All living things have traits, which are features or characteristics that make them who they are. Traits can include things like eye color, height, fur pattern, or even how a plant’s leaves are shaped.

Many traits are passed down from parents to their offspring through a process called heredity . This means you may share some of the same traits as your parents, like curly hair or dimples. Traits that are passed down through genes are called inherited traits.

Not all traits come from heredity. Some traits are learned behaviors, which are gained from experience or practice. For example, a dog learning to sit or a child learning to play the piano are examples of learned behaviors, not inherited traits.

Plants also pass down traits. For example, a tomato plant may pass down the color or size of its fruit to its offspring.

Traits are controlled by instructions called genes, which are found inside cells. Genes come in pairs — one from each parent — and they help determine how an organism looks and functions.