exploring the world
Year 2Geography - Map reading skills
Australian curriculum learning objectives
- ACHGK009[1] - The location of the major geographical divisions of the world in relation to Australia.
Resources required
- World Globe
- Maps – An intro for kids[2]captioned video (Duration: 4.31 minutes)
- Websites for Interactive maps:
- National Geographic Map Machine[3]
- National Geographic Map Maker[4]
- World Interactive Map[5]
- World Map, GoogleEarth and GoogleMaps
- Example of a blank world map, such as those found in Education Place[6] or Your Child Learns[7].
- Video worksheet x class set
- Interactive games - Map of the seven continents[8] andNational Geographic Map Maker[9]
Lesson outcome:Students will use geographical tools to locate and name the continents, equator, and hemispheres. They will also differentiate between land and sea.
Lesson outline
- Introduction: Teacher introduces the lesson by presenting a world globe and a coloured world map. Teacher asks the following scaffolding questions to make links to prior knowledge and to ascertain gaps in knowledge:
a)What are these?
b)What do they show?
c)What do you notice when you look at each?
d)How are they different? How are they the same?
e)Where is Australia?
f)How is Australia the same as other countries/continents? How is it different?
- Activity 1:Introduce the necessary vocabulary for the lesson. The following terms will be written on the board and definitions will be created by the students or teacher depending on prior knowledge; continent, country, northern hemisphere, southern hemisphere, equator, states, territories, capital cities, rivers, lakes. Assist students in connecting these new terms to their mind map on the board.
- Activity 2: IntroduceMaps – An intro for kids. Play video with frequent pauses to ascertain comprehension, accomplished through the asking of literal questions. Write keywords from the video on the whiteboard, using student suggestions. Play the video in its entirety to reinforce comprehension and add any additional words/terms. These terms are to be defined by the teacher and/or students where possible.
- Activity 2:A blank map of the world is put up on the board (this would be an ideal activity for an interactive whiteboard). Students take turns colouring in the oceans and seas. Students then replicate this activity on their own A4 or A3 copies of a blank world map. Choose a student to indicate where the equator is located on the board. The equator is marked down in red together with the word, EQUATOR. Students again replicate this activity on their sheets.
- Activity 3:Students take turns playing the Map of the seven continents interactive game. Students then label their blank word maps with the continent names.
- Activity 4:Provide students with the video worksheet. On this worksheet, students will use the information they have learned to complete the cloze passage.
- Activity 5:The video should then be played once more whilst the students check their answers. The teacher will stop video to replay correct answers.
- Activity 6:Introduce the interactive mapmaker created by National Geographic. Explain how to use functions to mark maps of continents, countries, etc. In pairs or small groups students take turns exploring the functions and creating a map with their own annotations and marks. These maps will be printed then placed around the room for future reference as they learn more about maps.
Opportunity for further activity
Students could show their understanding of maps by making a map of a familiar place and creating a key/legend to represent important features or landmarks.
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]