Mapping the world: locating the continents
I can understand that a map is a 2D model of the world and I know what continents and oceans are.
Mapping the world: locating the continents
I can understand that a map is a 2D model of the world and I know what continents and oceans are.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- It is hard to make a 2D map of a 3D world and so maps of the world can look quite different from each other.
- We call large blocks of land continents and there are seven of these on Earth.
- There are seven continents: Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Asia, Oceania and Antarctica.
- Some continents, such as North and South America, are connected and some, such as Oceania, include lots of islands.
Keywords
2D - A two-dimensional (2D) object is flat - its dimensions are height (top to bottom) and width (side to side).
3D - A three-dimensional (3D) object is solid - its dimensions are height (top to bottom), width (side to side) and depth (front to back).
Continent - A continent is a large land mass on Earth and there are seven: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Oceania.
Ocean - An ocean is a very big area of salt water between the continents.
Common misconception
Africa is country.
The continent of Africa contains 54 countries.
To help you plan your year 1 geography lesson on: Mapping the world: locating the continents, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 1 geography lesson on: Mapping the world: locating the continents, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 1 geography lessons from the Continents and oceans: what can we find out about the world? unit, dive into the full secondary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Atlases, maps and globes.
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
A three-dimensional map shows us what our round world looks like.
a map that shows a flat representation of our world
a large land mass on Earth: there are seven of them