A highway map has the potential to teach skills with many practical   applications.  Route numbers,  quality of roads, mileage between locations, exit numbers, rest stops are all useful to the travelers.   Most highway maps also provide items of special interest such as locations and information on state parks,  historical sites, colleges and universities, and airports. 

Have students research the art of mapmaking.  Compare and contrast modern mapmaking with the methods used in earlier times.  What types of skills does a cartographer need?

Using current highway maps for your state, initiate activities that will provide practice in various skills such as using the key, using the scale to determine distances, and to introduce students to the variety of information available from highway maps.

Locate two historic sites on the map.  Find the shortest route   between the two sites.  Calculate the distance between them in miles and them in kilometers.  What type of road connects these two places?  What is the condition of the road?  If they are in   different communities, is it possible to travel from one site to the other by airplane?

Locate several towns on the map with interesting names.  Have students speculate on the origins of these names in a creative writing assignment. In county or state histories, research the real origins of the name.