UNIT 1 INITIAL ACTIVITIES CONTINENTS AND OCEANS

Initial activity - Slides 1-2

Slide 1 - Presenting the lesson objectives

Slide 2 - Look at an outline map of the world or refer to websites such as Clicmap, Flash Earth, or Google Earth (be aware that you will need to download to your computer). List countries that the children will find familiar. What is a continent? Can anyone name a continent? I wonder to which continent is ........ related? Refer to countries that are familiar to them.

Main Activities - Slides 3-5

1. Name the continents of the world

Slide 3 - Refer to the first task in order to present the investigative task.

Research Activity - You may use the slides to support the investigative task as well as atlases.

Label a map of the world - With the use of available atlases or maps of the world, the pupils should be able to label the map on Worksheet 1.

Supplementary task - Collecting food labels. The children can cultivate an appreciation of the world, and their connection with the world by mapping the journey of some familiar foods from their origin to the shopping basket. Use the Fruit Salad (NGfL Wales) to garner information about different foods, country of origin and the carbon footprint globally.

Some pupils can work on locations with interactive and conventional maps, for example Clicmap or Multimap. See the Attatchments for useful links.

Slide 4 - Can you name the continents of the world? Collect some suggestions from the pupils, and verify as you reveal the answers. Suitable for pupils in Years 5 and 6. The pupils should be able to name these immediately without prompting.

Slide 5 -Can you name the continents of the world? Suitable for pupils in Years 3 and 4. The names of the continents are presented for them. The pupils should be able to locate the continents following their work with various atlases. Collect their suggestions and then verify these by consulting an interactive map such as Clicmap, or a poster of the map of the world.

Use these slides to investigate the location of the equator and its effect.

2. Naming the oceans of the world

Refer to Slide 3 and present the second Investigative Task.

Follow the same path as the above activity as a means of presenting or revisiting the work on the oceans of the world.

Use worksheet 1a.

Some pupils can work on locations with interactive and conventional maps, for example Clicmap or Multimap. See the Attatchments for useful links.

Slide 6 - Can you name the oceans of the world? Collect some suggestions from the pupils, and verify as you reveal the answers. Suitable for pupils in Years 5 and 6. The pupils should be able to name these immediately without prompting.

Slide 7 - Can you name the oceans of the world? Suitable for pupils in Years 3 and 4. The names of the oceans are presented for them. The pupils should be able to locate the oceans following their work with various atlases. Collect their suggestions and then verify these by consulting an interactive map such as Clicmap, or a poster of the map of the world.

Further Activities :

The children may plan a boat journey from one country to another or around the world, noting the continents and countries that you may visit, and on which oceans they will be sailing.

Use the weblinks to create information posters, information books for the classroom, continents and oceans and a file of facts about countries within continents.

Feedback and conclusions - Slides 8-10

Closure - Use this quiz to support the teaching, revise and recall. You may adapt this part to suit ages and abilities. It can be used for the whole class or in groups that will report back to the class.

Slide 8/9 - These slides will asess the pupils' recognition of continents and oceans of the world in addition to their understanding of compass directions. Adaptations - For the younger learners, you may list the continents and oceans in order to memorise only.

Slide 10 - Ask groups/partners to name all the countries that are part of the different continents. Think of restricting the time available so that the children memorise quickly, and work towards a target. Record their attempts in the available circles, and, as a class, verify as you progress. Refer to Clicmap in order to further verify.

Slide 11 - Self assessment

Use the slide to lead the children in assessment for learning. Use techniques such as (i) Traffic Lights (red - I cannot/don't understand, orange - I can do some things/I understand some things, green - I can do this with confidence/ I have understood (ii) Thumbs up (thumbs up, level thumb,thumbs down) - see- ‘How to develop thoughts and assessment for learning in the classroom, Appendix 2,Welsh Assembly Government)