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2nd grade · Social Studies · Unit 2 of 10

Globes & World Maps

Continents, oceans and hemispheres

What your child practices

Continents and oceans, the equator, prime meridian and hemispheres, map tools such as the title, key, compass rose, grid and scale, and finding world communities on a map or globe.

Arizona Academic Standards learning standard: 2.G1.2; 2.G1.1 · using maps and globes to find and compare places around the world

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. The equator splits Earth into Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
  2. Places near the equator are usually warm all year.
  3. Lines of latitude are also called parallels.

Example: Is Rio de Janeiro in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere? Rio is in Brazil, in South America. Rio is south of the equator. Answer: the Southern Hemisphere

Globes & World Maps in Arizona

In the Arizona Academic Standards, this is unit 2 of 10 in 2nd grade Social Studies, after Needs & Wants and before Communities Around the World.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Arizona Department of Education

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    On which continent is Peru?

    • Antarctica
    • Australia
    • South America
    • Europe

  2. Question 2

    Is Beijing in the Eastern Hemisphere or the Western Hemisphere?

    • the Eastern Hemisphere
    • the Western Hemisphere

  3. Question 3

    On which continent is Vietnam?

    • Asia
    • Europe
    • Antarctica
    • Africa

  4. Question 4

    Which ocean is between North America and Europe?

    • the Indian Ocean
    • the Pacific Ocean
    • the Southern Ocean
    • the Atlantic Ocean

  5. Question 5

    On which continent is the Philippines?

    • North America
    • Antarctica
    • Africa
    • Asia

  6. Question 6

    Why do flat world maps stretch some places?

    • countries change size
    • the oceans move
    • Earth is round and the map is flat
    • mapmakers make mistakes on purpose

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