Orienteering maps use five standard colors. Click on the map image to see samples.
Blue - water features like lakes, ponds and streams.
Black - man-made objects or rock features like roads, trails, buildings, cliffs, boulders.
White - open woods you could run through
Green - thick vegetation (light green) or fight (dark green) that you might want to avoid
Yellow - open land, semi-open land, where you can look up and see the sky like fields or power lines.
Brown - land features like earth banks or contours   

Scale refers to the relationship between the size of the map and the actual size of area that is mapped, or relative distance. On a 1:10,000 scale, one of any unit on the ground equals 10,000 of the same unit on the ground. Orienteering typically uses "meters" to measure distance. 
When you first start Orienteering, one way to simplify scale is to use your thumb to measure the distance between two easy to find points, like the start and end of a parking lot. Then walk that distance and count how many times your left foot hits the ground -- 1 thumb's width equal 80 paces. This gives you an easy way to "eyeball" the relative distance on your map. 
The scale is marked on the map along with a ruler that measures 100 meter increments. The smaller the number, generally the more detailed the map, for example a 1: 5,000 will cover a smaller area with the same size map page.

 

Orienteering maps use the International Orienteering Federation's standard mapping symbols to describe the details on the map. This information can be found in the map's legend, as in the sample to the right.

Contour lines and the brown squiggly lines you see on the map. They represent elevation in the landscape. As a beginner, you only need to know that the closer the lines are together the steeper the landscape. 

 

The best way to keep track of where you've been and where you're going is with your thumb. Just fold your map so most of it is out of the way, except for the control your at and the control your going to. Hold your map so your thumb is on top, at your current location. Then move your thumb to your current location as your travel your route to your next control. 
In other words...Say you were going from Control 4 to Control 5 in the map above. Since your a beginner, you'll use large land forms to keep track of where you're at. You'll walk along the shore line till you come to an indistinct trail. Move your thumb there on the map.  Next you'll go to a stream, a distinct trail and another stream. As you arrive at each of these points, you'll move your thumb to the points on the map.

The compass is used primarily to orient your map to North.  Remember you want to keep North on your map pointed the same way the red (or orange) compass needle is facing. Otherwise, put your compass away and navigate using the map.