Intermediate
60 mins
Teacher/Student led
+85 XP
Teacher-led from the board. Pupils do not need a device, but can follow on one.

Maps of the Same Place, Centuries Apart

Students compare a 1685 map of Belfast with a modern map of the same ground. They identify changes in streets, buildings and water, and mark where the old town stood on today's streets.

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    Then and now

    1 - Look and Wonder ~5 mins

    Look at this old map on the board. Do not worry yet about who drew it or when.

    What do you notice first, and what do you wonder?

    Our question for today: what can two maps of the same ground, centuries apart, tell us about change, and what can they not tell us?

    2 - Read and Learn ~8 mins

    Let's find out who drew an old map of Belfast, and what a map can tell us.

    3 - Compare the Two Maps ~15 mins

    Here are the two maps side by side: Phillips's plan from 1685, and the same ground today.

    For each thing on the list: has it changed, stayed the same, or both?

    1. Look at the roads and streets on both maps.
    2. Look at the buildings.
    3. Look at the water.
    4. Look at the fields and open ground.
    5. Look at the names written on each map.

    After each one: what did each mapmaker think was worth putting on the map?

    Belfast, 1685 and today

    4 - Write It in Your Copy ~3 mins

    COPYBOOK MOMENT

    In your copy, draw one thing that changed between the two maps and one thing that stayed the same. Then finish these two sentences in your own words.

    One thing that changed between the two maps is … because …

    One thing that stayed the same is … because …

    Two empty boxes side by side labelled Changed and Stayed the same, and 2 lines to finish underneath (a copybook page)

    Pupil practice · Activity Sheet
    Module 2 · Our Place Across the Centuries
    Lesson 8 · Maps of the Same Place, Centuries Apart
    Download Activity Sheet (PDF)
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    This lesson is copyright of Coding Ireland 2017 - 2026. Unauthorised use, copying or distribution is not allowed.
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