Map Skills: Map features, Continents and Oceans

Build students’ global awareness and map skills with this engaging geography lesson focused on continents, oceans, and key world locations. Through interactive activities including map labelling, digital exploration (Google Earth), students develop essential location knowledge while making meaningful personal connections to the world. Ideal for KS2–KS3, this lesson combines knowledge recall, spatial thinking, and cultural understanding in a highly engaging format.

Learning Outcomes
Students will know
The names and locations of the seven continents and five oceans
Key countries in Europe, North America, South America, and Asia
That maps and digital tools can be used to explore and understand global locations

Students will understand:
The Earth is divided into continents and oceans to help organise geography
Individuals have global connections through heritage, travel, family, and culture

Students will be able to (Success Criteria):
Accurately label continents and oceans on a world map
Identify and name countries across Europe, North/South America, and Asia
Use digital tools to explore and identify global locations
Create a personalised world map including:
Continents and oceans
Key countries
Personal/global connections
An annotated information box