A location sketch does not automatically measure distance

A drawing can show the park beside the library without telling us how far apart they are. Read the map's purpose and scale information before turning a useful positional picture into a numerical distance claim.

A sketch can show that the library lies beside the park without proving the walk is exactly fifty metres.

Name what the map does and does not represent

Read any scale note before calculating distance. A useful location sketch can still omit the information needed for proportional measurement.

Identify what the map aims to show. Check whether a scale is supplied. Label any limits of distance claims.

A neat drawing is not automatically drawn to scale.

Which distance claim would need more information? Use a simple legend and spoken explanations.

Resources

• Reflection Journal Template — Use the blank reflection space for observations; write the measurement units and setup separately.

Further reading

• ASIC Moneysmart — teaching lesson plans
• Australian Curriculum Version 9 — Mathematics

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