Lesson 21 — Activity 1: Sites within a Town



Getting Ready


Have you ever asked someone for directions somewhere, but when you try to follow their instructions, you end up somewhere else? Not a fun experience!


When you are asked for directions, there are two very important things to keep in mind. First, the directions you give must make sense. Second, they must be accurate.     


In this activity, you will learn how to give directions to specific sites within a town. 


Think about This:

It's very important to be able to follow directions, especially directions for travelling to a location. You may not always have access to a GPS device or another app for finding locations.

Courtesy of Getty


Look at the town map below.



Courtesy of ADLC 

Courtesy of Getty

Imagine someone is asking you directions on how to get to the grocery store from the church. You could say:

    "Go east on 1st Avenue, turn right onto 5th Street, turn left onto 2nd Avenue, then turn right onto 6th Street, then turn left onto 3rd Avenue, finally turn right onto 7th Street and go two blocks. The grocery store is right there."


These directions do get you to the grocery store. But do they make sense? Of course not! They are so hard to follow that the person asking you would thank you for the help and go find somebody else to ask.

Wouldn't it have been much easier to say:
   
"Go east on 1st Avenue until you get to 6th Street. Turn right onto 6th Street. Turn left on 4th Avenue, and the grocery store is two blocks ahead on your right."

These directions also get you to the grocery store, and they make sense. They are easy to follow, and they are accurate. If you were the one asking for directions, this type of short and precise answer is probably what you would like to hear. 




  Self-check!

Try This!

Try this activity to practice giving directions to specific sites.


Click here to download and print/save the town map to use in this activity. (Note: directions must follow the yellow lines)


Give directions on how to get to the motel from the clothing store.

  • go east on 3rd avenue
  • turn right on to 7th street
  • go 2 blocks
  • turn right on to 5th avenue
  • the motel is 2 blocks ahead on your left

Give directions on how to get from the motel to the hospital.

  • go east on 5th avenue
  • turn left on to 7th street
  • go 3 blocks
  • turn right on 2nd avenue
  • the hospital is on your right hand side

How would you get from the hotel to the high school parking lot?

  • go north on 4th street
  • turn right on to 2nd avenue
  • go 2 blocks
  • turn left on Apple Boulevard
  • the parking lot is on your right hand side

How would you get to the church from the insurance agent if you have to stop at the hospital for a minute?

  • go east on 4th avenue
  • turn left on to 7th street
  • turn right on 2nd avenue
  • the hospital will be on your right hand side
  • from there head west on 2nd ave
  • turn right on 4th street
  • the church is 2 blocks ahead on your right