Maps and Locations 5 Maths Chapter 14 CBSE Notes 2025-26

Understanding directions, locations, and interpreting maps is an important skill explored in CBSE Class 5 Maths Chapter 14 – “Maps and Locations”. This chapter takes students on a journey through different activities such as finding directions, reading street and metro maps, and learning about the importance of symbols and their keys for practical life understanding.

Cardinal Directions and Facing the Sun

The concept of four main directions—East, West, North, and South—is introduced by asking learners to face the rising Sun (East). When facing east, the left hand points to the North, the right to the South, and West is behind. This basic exercise helps children visualize and apply directions effectively, whether standing outdoors or looking at a map.

Directions are also used by migratory birds like the Siberian crane, as highlighted in a real-life example from the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. While people use the Sun or simple tools like a compass to find directions, birds might rely on natural signs for navigation. Teachers are advised to encourage students to discover multiple ways of finding direction and to discuss migration.

Some activities include reading clues to locate tents in a bird-watching camp. Students are asked to color tents based on their positional clues, such as "the tent to the west of the road is blue" or "the tent closest to the lake is green." This task develops spatial awareness and the relationship between objects in different directions.

Students are challenged to describe the positions of items (like windows, beds, cupboards, and bedside tables) in relation to a girl at the center of a room. They use the four main directions—East (E), North (N), South (S), and West (W)—to record their placements. This is followed by a creative activity where children draw their own room and label the directions and items placed in those areas.

• East: ____________________________
• West: ____________________________
• North: ____________________________
• South: ____________________________

A practical scenario involves children taking a bus trip, reading a street map with dotted lines to trace the route from stops and different houses to landmarks like Qutb Minar and the zoo. The activity asks students to notice turns (right or left), the direction after each turn, and details such as which stop is closer to a particular house. This not only helps in understanding directions but also measures approximate distances on maps.

1. Identify houses east of Jaideep's house.
2. Trace the route from Ravi's house to the children's park.
3. Determine which stop is closer to Lali's house.
4. Find a route for Golu to reach the bus stop quickly.
5. In which direction should Prem move to reach Stop 2?

These map-based questions make navigation interactive and fun, relating real-life scenarios to map reading.

The chapter introduces the Delhi Metro map. Students are required to read the map’s colored lines (which represent different metro routes), locate specific stations, and trace their journey from Qutb Minar to Supreme Court station to reach the zoo. Learners work together to understand map symbols, color keys, and to find ways to change lines for the quickest route.

1. Trace possible metro routes from Qutb Minar to Supreme Court station.
2. Figure out station(s) where a line change is needed, especially if following specific suggestions (for example, changing from Yellow to Magenta Line at Hauz Khas).
3. Identify the route involving the least number of stations.
4. Discuss the best way to reach the zoo using available metro lines.

Additionally, students are encouraged to make their own school maps, create unique keys for different symbols, and mark hidden objects, developing observation and creativity.

A unique activity involves helping an ant reach different foods in an anthill by following grid lines marked with arrows for valid movements. The ant can only move along the indicated directions and distances, and learners fill blanks for journeys such as “2 cm towards the east” for laddoos, or tracing multi-step paths for bread and apples. It allows children to visualize movement within limits and reinforces direction and distance together.

1. To get to the laddoos, move 2 cm east.
2. To get to the sugar, fill in the right distance and direction.
3. To get to the bread, record each step with accurate measurements and directions.
4. To reach the apple, mark each segment in order as per the arrows.

Students are also challenged to find alternative and shorter routes, encouraging logical thinking.

In the “Zoo” section, students learn to read and use coordinates. By starting from (0,0), a student can move horizontally and vertically to reach any animal’s enclosure. For example, moving one column right (east) and one row up (north) locates the panda at (1,1). Questions then guide students to find tortoises, lions, elephants, deer, crocodiles, or position colored dots at given coordinates, helping reinforce the concept of rows, columns, and coordinates as used in actual map reading.

• Locate animals at (11,11), (2,6), (6,4), (3,10), (11,3), (10,9).
• Write coordinates for the lion, elephant, tortoise, deer, panda, and crocodile.
• Place coloured dots at (8,3), (2,9), (7,3), (3,8), (8,6), and (6,6).

This technique forms the base for future lessons in mathematics, such as plotting points on graphs and developing spatial intelligence.

Through engaging stories, practical activities, and relatable tasks, Chapter 14 guides students to:

• Identify and use the four cardinal directions: East, West, North, South
• Read and analyze clues to find objects or locations on a map
• Use street and metro maps to determine routes, directions, and distances
• Draw simple maps and develop appropriate map keys
• Understand coordinates, grid systems, and their application in map reading
• Practice logical thinking and observation through everyday scenarios

The chapter lays a strong foundation for concepts in geography and mathematics, making real-world navigation and problem-solving easier for students.

Class 5 Maths Chapter 14 Notes – Maps and Locations: Key Points for Quick Revision

These notes for Class 5 Maths Chapter 14 – Maps and Locations present all major concepts from the NCERT book in easy language. Learn how to read maps, understand directions, use symbols, and apply grid coordinates for practical tasks with clear examples.

Quickly revise cardinal directions, map keys, and grid systems for CBSE exams. These revision notes help you visualize journey routes, identify locations with coordinates, and develop your spatial understanding for better results in Maths.