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4th grade · Social Studies · Unit 1 of 8

World Maps & Globes

Continents, oceans and coordinates

What your child practices

Continents and oceans, hemispheres, latitude and longitude, map scale, projections and kinds of maps.

Maine Learning Results learning standard: Geography 1 · maps and globes, latitude and longitude, the equator and the prime meridian

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. There are 7 continents and 5 oceans. The Atlantic lies between the Americas and Europe and Africa.
  2. Latitude runs from 0° at the equator to 90° at the poles. Longitude is measured from the prime meridian.
  3. Every flat map (projection) stretches some places.

Example: What latitude is the equator? Latitude counts from the middle of the Earth. The equator is the starting line. Answer: 0°

World Maps & Globes in Maine

In the Maine Learning Results, this is unit 1 of 8 in 4th grade Social Studies, before History Detective.

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: Maine 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

    Why does every flat world map distort something?

    • Mapmakers are careless
    • Oceans move every year
    • Earth is flat
    • A round Earth can't be flattened without stretching or squeezing

  2. Question 2

    How many continents are there?

    • 5
    • 9
    • 12
    • 7

  3. Question 3

    The prime meridian is at which longitude?

    • 0°
    • 180°
    • 90° W
    • 45° E

  4. Question 4

    The prime meridian divides Earth into…

    • Eastern and Western Hemispheres
    • Summer and winter
    • Northern and Southern Hemispheres
    • Oceans and continents

  5. Question 5

    The equator is at which latitude?

    • 90° N
    • 45° N
    • 180°
    • 0°

  6. Question 6

    "Next to the river, north of the mountains" is an example of…

    • Absolute location
    • Relative location
    • A projection
    • Latitude

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