Begin the process with your students by having them bring in different kinds of maps from home. Discuss how they're used and what elements on the maps they can identify, for example, scale, symbols on the legend, etc. Make a list of as many different types of maps as possible and write them on the board. You may wish to have your students relate or write about a personal anecdote that is map-related. For example, something funny may have happened on a family trip, or a camping weekend, a visit overseas, an incident from a family member's past (i.e., a parent or grandparent's wartime experiences), finding a street or location in a strange city. Discuss too, what it must have been like before maps existed. How did people find their way around? Are maps important and why? The subject of being lost will likely come up. You may wish to discuss what that feels like and why it is so unsettling. You may also wish to make up a list of uses for maps other than regular travel. For instance, population, elevation and topography, climate, the environment, sea navigation and so on.