Mission 3 of 5 · about 10 minutes
Make an Express Map
An Express Map is a quick, beautiful map you build right inside your StoryMap — with pins, labels, and pop-ups for the places in YOUR story.
Add a map block to your story
In your StoryMap, click the + button where you want the map to go, then choose Map → New Express Map.
Find El Yunque
In the search bar at the top of the map, type El Portal Visitor Center, El Yunque, Puerto Rico and press Enter. Click the result, then click Add to map — your first pin appears!
Add more pins for your story's places
Search and add each place your story visits. Great ones to try:
Yokahú Tower, El Yunque — the stone lookout tower with rainforest views
La Mina Falls, El Yunque — a famous waterfall and swimming hole
El Yunque Peak — the cloud-covered top of the forest
Make each pin tell a story
Click a pin to open its side panel. Give it a title, write a one-or-two sentence description, and add a photo you downloaded from Wild Files.
Pick the best basemap
Click Options and try different basemaps. Imagery (satellite) shows the real forest from space; Topographic shows mountains, rivers, and trail names. Which one tells your story better?
Frame it and save
Zoom the map so a reader can see the rainforest AND enough of Puerto Rico to know where they are. Then click Save. Done — your story now has a real interactive map!
🎉 Mission complete!
Your StoryMap has a beating heart. Next up: Mission 4 — Add Pictures & Words, where your downloaded photos and copied facts turn the map into a story.
Want more map tricks? Check the Screening Room for StoryMap School films as they're approved.