Journey Around the World (Virtual)Activities & Teaching Strategies
Active learning helps Year 1 students grasp abstract concepts like Earth’s spherical shape and the vastness of continents. Handling globes and comparing them to maps turns passive observation into tangible understanding. Movement and discussion make abstract ideas concrete for young learners.
Learning Objectives
- 1Identify the seven continents on a globe and a digital map.
- 2Compare the visual representation of continents on a physical globe versus a flat digital map, noting distortions.
- 3Explain how a globe's spherical shape accurately represents the Earth.
- 4Predict potential travel experiences to a continent different from their own, considering distance and environment.
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Stations Rotation: Globe and Map Hunt
Set up stations with globes, atlases, and tablets showing digital maps. Students locate the UK and three continents at each station, noting differences in shape. Rotate groups every 7 minutes and have them sketch one finding.
Prepare & details
Explain how a globe helps us understand the Earth's shape.
Facilitation Tip: During Station Rotation: Globe and Map Hunt, set a timer for each station so groups move efficiently and stay focused on comparing globe and map features.
Setup: Tables/desks arranged in 4-6 distinct stations around room
Materials: Station instruction cards, Different materials per station, Rotation timer
Whole Class: Virtual Journey Storytelling
Project a digital globe. Teacher narrates a flight from the UK to Australia; students predict sights and time changes using globe props. Pause for pairs to share ideas before continuing.
Prepare & details
Compare what we see on a digital map versus a physical globe.
Facilitation Tip: For the Virtual Journey Storytelling, invite students to use gestures and sounds to bring their journey to life during whole-class sharing.
Setup: Flexible space for group stations
Materials: Role cards with goals/resources, Game currency or tokens, Round tracker
Pairs: Globe vs Map Comparison
Give pairs a globe and printed map. They circle continents on both, discuss distortions like Greenland's size, and label one difference. Share with class via sticky notes.
Prepare & details
Predict what it would be like to travel to a continent far away.
Facilitation Tip: During Globe vs Map Comparison, provide rulers and colored pencils so pairs can measure and mark differences between map and globe sizes directly.
Setup: Flexible space for group stations
Materials: Role cards with goals/resources, Game currency or tokens, Round tracker
Individual: My Continent Passport
Students draw a passport page for one continent visited virtually. Include a flag, animal, and travel prediction based on globe/map observations. Display for class gallery walk.
Prepare & details
Explain how a globe helps us understand the Earth's shape.
Setup: Flexible space for group stations
Materials: Role cards with goals/resources, Game currency or tokens, Round tracker
Teaching This Topic
Use a three-step approach: first, let students explore globes with their hands to feel Earth’s roundness. Next, contrast globes with digital maps to reveal distortions. Finally, connect learning to lived experience by asking them to imagine travel to distant lands. Avoid rushed explanations; give time for observation and talk. Research shows that sensory engagement and peer discussion build lasting understanding for this age group.
What to Expect
Successful learning looks like students confidently spinning a globe, locating continents, and explaining why a globe shows Earth more accurately than a flat map. They participate in discussions, compare tools, and create clear passport entries that show continent names and features.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring Station Rotation: Globe and Map Hunt, watch for students who insist the Earth looks flat like a map.
What to Teach Instead
During Station Rotation: Globe and Map Hunt, have students spin the globe slowly and trace the curved surface with their fingertips while naming continents they see. Then ask them to compare how Africa looks on the globe versus the map, pointing out stretched edges on the flat version.
Common MisconceptionDuring Globe vs Map Comparison, watch for students who think all digital maps show Earth exactly as it looks from space.
What to Teach Instead
During Globe vs Map Comparison, guide pairs to measure the length of Africa on the globe with string and then measure it again on the digital map. Ask them to describe which version looks more accurate and why the map might look different.
Common MisconceptionDuring Virtual Journey Storytelling, watch for students who describe continents as small countries near the UK.
What to Teach Instead
During Virtual Journey Storytelling, after each pair shares, ask the class to point to the continent on the globe and estimate how many times they could fit the UK inside it. Use the globe’s scale to show vast distances.
Assessment Ideas
After Station Rotation: Globe and Map Hunt, hold up a globe and a digital map side by side. Ask students to point to Africa on both. Then ask: 'What is one difference you notice between how Africa looks on the globe and how it looks on the map? Listen for responses that mention size, shape, or position.'
After Individual: My Continent Passport, collect passports and review the drawings and sentences. Check that each student correctly names their continent and includes a feature that matches its geography or culture.
After Whole Class: Virtual Journey Storytelling, gather students and ask: 'Imagine you are going to spin the globe. What does spinning help us see about the Earth? How is that different from looking at a flat map on a screen?' Listen for answers that mention Earth’s roundness, movement, or the way flat maps distort shapes.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge: Ask early finishers to find the smallest and largest continents on the globe, then measure their relative sizes using a piece of string.
- Scaffolding: Provide a word bank on the passport page with continent names and simple icons (palm tree, mountain) for students to trace or copy.
- Deeper exploration: Introduce the concept of latitude and longitude lines on the globe and ask students to predict which continents might be near the top or bottom of the globe.
Key Vocabulary
| Continent | One of the Earth's seven large landmasses. Continents are very large areas of land. |
| Globe | A spherical model of the Earth. It shows the continents and oceans in their correct shapes and positions. |
| Digital Map | A map displayed on a screen, like a tablet or computer. These maps are often flat and can be zoomed in or out. |
| Equator | An imaginary line that circles the Earth exactly halfway between the North Pole and the South Pole. It divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. |
Suggested Methodologies
Planning templates for Geography
More in The Seven Continents
Identifying the Seven Continents
Learning the names and locations of the seven continents.
2 methodologies
Exploring the Five Oceans
Identifying the major bodies of water that separate the continents.
2 methodologies
Continent Physical Features
Generalizing the physical features found on different continents like deserts or rainforests.
2 methodologies
Continent Animal Habitats
Matching specific animals to their native continents and understanding their habitats.
2 methodologies
Continent Cultures and People
A brief look at the diverse cultures and ways of life across the continents.
2 methodologies
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