Advanced Higher Geography Proportional Symbol Map

This lesson is designed to meet the requirements of the Scottish curriculum and provides students with a practical and in-depth understanding of this powerful data visualisation tool.

In this lesson, students will delve into the purpose, analysis, design, and evaluation of proportional symbol maps. Through the themes of Covid-19, population density and rivers, students will explore real-world data and develop essential skills that go beyond theoretical knowledge.

This download includes a PowerPoint for teaching and a PDF for pupils. This provides both the notes and tasks for learning purposes.

Key features of the lesson include:

Purpose: Students will understand the fundamental purpose of proportional symbol maps. They will learn how these maps represent the spatial distribution of data points, emphasizing density, concentration, or dispersion. Students will grasp the significance of proportional symbol maps in revealing patterns and relationships.

Analysis: Practical examples will guide students in analysing proportional symbolmaps effectively. They will learn how to interpret the patterns and clusters of symbols, identify trends, and draw meaningful conclusions about the spatial distribution of themes such as Covid-19. This skill will enable them to extract valuable insights from dot distribution maps.

Design: Students will explore the various design considerations for creating impactful proportional symbol maps. They will understand how to select appropriate symbol placement, determine their color if necessary, and consider the use of scales. Students will critically evaluate design choices to enhance the clarity and communicative power of their maps.

Evaluation: The lesson fosters critical thinking skills by teaching students to evaluate dot distribution maps rigorously. They will assess the accuracy and reliability of the data sources, consider potential biases or limitations, and evaluate the map’s effectiveness in communicating information. Students will develop a discerning eye for evaluating and improving dot distribution maps.

Practical Examples and Tasks: Students will work with real data sets, analysing and mapping populations and river changes. Engaging tasks will challenge them to create their own proportional symbol maps, interpret spatial patterns, and present their findings to their peers.

By the end of the lesson, students will have developed valuable skills in data visualisation, analysis, and interpretation that can be applied across various geographical contexts.