A second-grade teacher is beginning a unit on maps and instructs students to draw a map of the classroom using pictures. Which of the following features would be most developmentally appropriate to have the students include in the construction of their maps?

Contour lines are used to represent elevation changes on topographic maps and are more suited for older students who have a grasp of geography and spatial awareness. Second graders typically do not have the cognitive development required to interpret such abstract representations, making this feature inappropriate for their maps.

While a scale line is important for understanding distances on a map, it requires a level of mathematical understanding that second graders may not possess. At this age, students are still mastering basic measurement concepts, so including a scale line would be too complex for their current developmental stage.

Grid coordinates are used to locate specific points on a map and are generally taught in later grades. Second-grade students are still developing their basic spatial skills and may not yet understand the concept of coordinates, making this feature unsuitable for their map-making activities.