What is the difference between reference maps and thematic maps?

Reference Maps

The main purpose of a reference map is to show locations of many types  of features (e.g. cities in relation to highways and rivers or campgrounds  in relation to parks and highways). Reference maps often use  conventional colors and symbols to represent a great variety of topics.

Make several different types of maps available to the class during this  lesson. These maps could include political maps of different places, road  maps, physical maps that include political demarcations, etc.

1. As a class, look over the wall maps and the legends on reference maps.

a. What are some of the colors or symbols that are the same on these maps? What do these colors and symbols stand for?  Together, list these characteristics and discuss why we usually  use the same colors and symbols on maps.

2. Working in pairs, provide the students with a variety of reference  maps or use maps in the student atlases that are of different places.  Pairs should create a list of the different features on their map, for

example, roads, rivers, lakes, cities, towns, etc.

3. Next, compare the different lists in pairs and, as a class, discuss  what is not shown on the maps. (i.e., population density, Dairy  Queens, coal mining, corn growing regions).

Thematic Maps

Unlike a reference map, a thematic map usually presents only one topic.

1. Display on an overhead one of the first 33 black line maps from  Food for Thought. Do not show the map title or legend. Discuss  what the map is trying to show and list the student guesses.

a. Why are there different shades of one color? What does the  darker color stand for?

b. Give the students hints – tell them that this map shows an  agricultural product, production plant, or other topic related to  agriculture in Minnesota; continue their guessing.

c. Show the map title and legend. Discuss the use of shading.  (Example: This type of map is a choropleth map.)

d. Decide together why a map of this type might be used. Who  would use it and for what purpose? Does this map give as much information as a reference map? What other kinds of maps similar

to this one might be important?

2. Working in pairs, give a different thematic map to each pair in the  classroom (or display on the overhead) or refer to the student desk  map. Students should make a list of five facts they have learned from the map.

3. Use thematic maps to explore causation. Display an overhead of the

Frost Free Days  and ask students how the information on  this map might be related to the information on the maps they have.  Students should add the comparisons to their list of facts.

4. Optional: Repeat by using Landforms , Annual Precipitation  , Native Vegetation  , and the Major Cities and  Major Water Features (Minnesota Reference Map) to compare to the  crop maps. These maps are also in color on the Food for Thought Color Student Desk Map.