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Bird's Eye View Comparison

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About This MicroSim

This interactive simulation helps students understand the fundamental concept of how maps show places from a bird's eye view (looking down from above). The side-by-side comparison connects familiar 3D objects with their 2D map representations.

Learning Objectives

After using this simulation, students will be able to:

  • Explain how a map shows places from above (bird's eye view)
  • Compare 3D objects to their corresponding map symbols
  • Identify common map symbols for houses, trees, roads, and water features

How to Use

  1. Click the colored buttons (House, Tree, Road, Pond) to highlight that element in both views
  2. Click directly on objects in either the 3D view or the map view to highlight them
  3. Toggle labels on/off using the Labels button to see or hide element names
  4. Observe how the same object looks different from the side (3D) versus from above (map)

Key Concepts

3D Object Map Symbol Why It Looks Different
House with roof Rectangle You see the roof from above, not the walls
Tree with trunk Circle You see the round treetop from above
Road Long rectangle Roads look like strips from above
Pond Circle/oval Water appears as a flat shape

Discussion Questions

  1. Why do houses look like rectangles on a map instead of houses?
  2. If you were a bird flying overhead, what would your school look like?
  3. How does the map legend (key) help you understand what the symbols mean?

Lesson Plan

Grade Level

3-6

Duration

15-20 minutes

Materials Needed

  • Computer or tablet with web browser
  • Projector for whole-class instruction (optional)

Warm-Up (3 minutes)

Ask students: "If you were a bird flying high above our school, what would the playground look like? What about the parking lot?"

Main Activity (10 minutes)

  1. Introduce the simulation (2 min)
  2. Show students both views side by side

  3. Explain that the left shows how we normally see things, and the right shows how they look from above

  4. Guided exploration (5 min)

  5. Click each button together as a class
  6. Ask students to predict what each element will look like before revealing

  7. Discuss why shapes change when viewed from above

  8. Independent practice (3 min)

  9. Students explore on their own devices
  10. Challenge: Can you highlight all four elements?

Wrap-Up (5 minutes)

  • Turn off labels and quiz students: "What does this symbol represent?"
  • Have students draw a bird's eye view of their bedroom

Assessment

  • Can students correctly match 3D objects to map symbols?
  • Can students explain WHY objects look different from above?

References

Technical Details

Library: p5.js 1.9.0

Canvas Size: Responsive width × 460px height

Features: - Click-to-highlight interaction pattern - Synchronized highlighting across both views - Toggle labels on/off - Map legend display - Direct object clicking in both views

Source Code

Embedding

To embed this MicroSim in another page:

<iframe
    src="main.html"
    width="100%"
    height="462"
    scrolling="no"
    style="border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 8px;">
</iframe>