Contributed by: Cindy Wang, MA

I didn’t realize it would be so hard to try to teach a second grader the three qualities that make something a landmark. How do I make it fun? How do I not bore him? Is there a way to do this without just lecturing? Will he even remember if I just tell him?

I took inspiration from one of those videos you see on Facebook where someone is drawing out the lesson as they lecture. Except my pictures are really simple. And I drew them out beforehand, so I didn’t have to draw and teach at the same time.

The three qualities that make an object or sound a landmark: unique, distinct, and permanent. First I had to translate these into words a second grader would understand. Special, easy to find, and always there.

To help my student conceptually understand, I drew pictures so my student can visualize what each quality means, in case the words go right over his head.

Before being able to choose landmarks, he has to know what makes something a good landmark.