Objectives
The students will identify the differences between the globe and the World Map.
Vocabulary
World Map
Materials Needed
globe, World Map, and post-it-notes with these words -
Equator, North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, Antarctica, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean
Lesson
Show the globe. Hold the globe yourself and ask the students if they can see the "back side" of the globe. Explain that the best thing about the globe is that it shows the true shape of the continents and oceans. The disadvantage of the globe is you can only see half of it at a time. To see the whole world at one time we use a World Map. A World Map is a flat picture of the entire world.
Pull down the World Political Map. Have the students describe the similarities and differences between the World Map and the globe. The same land and water areas are shown but shapes have changed. Show Greenland on the globe and compare it to Greenland on the map. The entire continent of Antarctica is shown on the globe but not on the map. Emphasize that the globe is the true shape of the Earth. Find and label the Equator on the globe. Use the marking crayon and draw a line all the way around the globe at the Equator. Find the Equator on the World Map. Have students place the stick-up word Equator on the World Map at the appropriate location.
Pass the globe among students. Have one student find and name a continent on the globe. Then have another student find the same continent on the map. Label each continent located on the map with the correct post-it-notes. One continent, Antarctica, has very few people living there. Why? Locate and label each ocean.
Pull the map down the rest of the way to show the World Physical Map. The continents are labeled on this map. Compare the labels on the World Physical Map with the post-it-notes the students have applied. Do the same for the oceans.
Lesson .pdf file (Printable Lesson)