Lessons

Little SOCIAL STUDIES thinkers
UNIT 5: our world

Printable books
Lesson Title page
1 Follow That Critter 2
2 On a Map 27
3 Mapping Places 38
4 Map Symbols 49
5 Let’s Go! 60
6 Me in the World 76
7 What is a Continent? 89
8 What is an Ocean? 101
9 Free Choice (Your country)
10 My Place in the World (USA/Canada/Aus) 115
11 Assessment – Optional Free Choice
12 Culminating Activity
Follow
that
critter!
A Book About Positional Words
©KarenJones By Karen Jones Unit 5: Our World

Some words tell us where something is
located. These are called positional words.
1
©KarenJones Unit 5: Our World
Is it near or far? Is it on top or below?
Let’s follow these little creatures and practice
using our positional words. 2
Over or under?
Is the ladybug over the flower or

under the flower? 3
The ladybug is under the flower.
4
Is the newt jumping over the log or under the log?
5
The newt is jumping over the log.
6
Near or far?
Is the ladybug
near or far?
7
The ladybug is
near.
8
Is the moth near or far?
9
The moth is far away.
10
Behind or in front?
Is the dragonfly in front of the stick or

©KarenJones
behind the stick? 11
Unit 5: Our World
The dragonfly is behind the stick.
12
Is the bird in front of the flowers or
©KarenJones
behind the flowers? 13
Unit 5: Our World
The bird is in front of the flowers.
14
On top or below?
Is the beetle on top of his hand or

©KarenJones
below his hand? 15
Unit 5: Our World
The beetle is on top of his hand.
16
Is the chrysalis on top of the leaf or
below the leaf? 17
The chrysalis is below the leaf.
18
Left or right?
left right
Put your hands in front of you.

Find your left hand. Find your right hand. 19
Is the caterpillar on the left or
on the right? 20
left
The caterpillar is on the left.

21
Is the butterfly on the left or
on the right? 22
right
The butterfly is on the right.

23
These are just some of the words that you
can use to tell where something is.
©KarenJones
Positional words are important! 24
Unit 5: Our World
On a
map
By Karen Jones
Maps show us where to find things.
1
A map is a drawing or picture of a place.
2
A map can be on a piece of paper or
on a screen like a tablet or phone.
3
When you look at a map, it is showing you what the place
looks like from above. What do you see in this map?
4
You can use a map to
help you get
somewhere.
You find the place that
you are in and the
place where you want
to go.
5
You follow roads, highways, or paths to get
to that place.
6
Maps can show us where land, roads, and water are located.
Can you tell what part of this map is land and what
©KarenJones
part is water? Can you find a road? 7
Unit 5: Our World
Maps can tell us where mountains and rivers are.
Can you tell where the mountains are?

How about the river? 8
Maps can tell us where hospitals, airports and other
important spots are.
Can you tell where the airport is?

How about the hospital? 9
Maps are important.
They show us where to find places and things.
10
mapping
places
By Karen Jones
A map is a picture of a place.
Maps show us where to find places or things.
1
Maps can show outdoor places like streets,
mountains, and oceans. 2
They can also show the inside of places like
hospitals, malls, or even houses!
3
©KarenJones
Most buildings have
maps made to show
people where to find places inside or how to escape in
case of an emergency.
4
We can make a map of just about any place!
You can make a map of your house or even just your
bedroom.
5
You can make a map of an entire school or even just
your classroom.
6
You can make a map of a playground or park.
7
KEY
building
grass
tree
water
parking lot
store
field
Many maps tell what certain pictures on the map stand for.
This is called a map key. The key shows what certain pictures
©KarenJones
on the map mean. Can you find all of these places? 8
Unit 5: Our World
Can you find everything on this map key?
KEY
house
garage
store
office
tree
field
9
Maps are fun and helpful. What would you like to make a map of?
KEY
gas station hospital restaurant parking shopping 10

Map
symbols By Karen Jones

When you look at a map, you may notice
different pictures and symbols.
1
=
A symbol is a picture that
stands for something else.
2
KEY
crosswalk
garden
house
road
forest
water
grass
On some maps you will see a map key.

The map key tells you what the different pictures
and symbols mean. 3
A map key gives you information so that the map makes
sense to you. If you didn’t have a map key, you may not
understand what everything on the map is.
4
map symbols
pond
mall
bakery
road
post office
grocery store
A map key uses colors and pictures to

represent different places and things.
5
One symbol that you may find on a map is a
compass. A compass tells you what direction is
north, south, east, and west on the map.
6
land mountain
water road
You may find symbols for land and water.

You may find symbols for mountains and roads.
Can you find these symbols on the map? 7
school
hospital
bank
airport
police
station
You may find symbols for important places like

hospitals and police stations.
What important places can you find on this map? 8
What do you think these symbols represent?
9
A map key helps you unlock the important parts of
a map. Be sure to look for the map key the next
time you look at a map! 10
Let’s
Go!
Places in a Town
By Karen Jones
We all live in a town or city.
Not all towns and cities are the same, though!
1
There are many different places and things to do where you live.
Some of these places may be in your town or city and some may not.
As you read this story, make a list of all the places that are in our town.
2
We all live in a home.
There are lots of different types of homes in a town or community.
Can you name some?
3
Another important part of a town or community is roads.
Roads help us travel from place to place.
Do we have roads in our town?
4
Many towns and cities have schools.
You are probably at a school right now!
5
Many of us need stores to buy things like food and clothing.
Many towns and cities have stores like shopping malls and grocery stores.
Do you have stores in your town?
6
The food that we eat comes from farms all around the world.
Some of us have farms in our town that make some of the food that we eat.
Do you have farms in your town?
7
Police officers keep the people in our town safe.
Most towns or cities have police stations where the police officers work.
Do you have a police station in your town?
8
If there were a fire, who would you call for help?
That’s right, you’d call the fire department. Many towns and cities have firefighters
that will help put out fires in homes and buildings.
Do you have a fire department in your town?
9
Where do people go when they are sick?
They may go to a doctor’s office or hospital to get help and feel better.
Do you have a hospital in your town?
10
Sometimes you just want to take a walk or a bike ride.
Lots of towns have parks where people can ride bikes, walk, or play on
playgrounds. Do you have a park in your town?
11
On special occasions, you may go out to eat at a restaurant.
A restaurant is where a chef cooks food for you to eat.
Do you have restaurants in your town?
12
It’s fun to play in the sand and waves at the beach. It’s fun to swim in
a pond or river. Not all towns have lakes, beaches or rivers, though.
Do you have a lake, beach, or river in your town?
13
If you need to get somewhere and you don’t have a car or bike,
what do you do? You can go to a bus or train station and get a ride.
Do you have a bus or train station in your city?
14
These are just some of the places that may be in your town or city.
Can you think of any other places that we can add to the list?
15
Me
in the
world
By Karen Jones
This is planet Earth.
It is the planet that we live on. 1
Earth
Earth is our world.

Earth is one of many planets in our solar
system.
2
All people, plants and animals live on
our planet, Earth. 3
Earth is made up of land, water, and air.
4
Earth is round, like a ball.
This is a model of the Earth.

A model of the Earth is
called a globe.
5
Have you ever heard of the word model?
This is a model car and this is a real car. A model means
it’s a smaller size, pretend version of a real thing.
6
A globe is a small model of the planet that we live on.
We use the globe the same way we use maps,
to find places. 7
A globe is round and three dimensional. It’s shaped
like a sphere. It is not flat like a map.
8
We can find land and water on a globe.
Can you tell where land is? Can you tell where water is?
9
A globe has a special invisible line around the center.
This line is called the equator.
The equator divides the Earth into two parts, the north and south.
The places around the equator are the hottest places on Earth.
equator
10
continent ocean
A globe shows us the biggest parts of our world.

It shows us oceans, continents and countries. A map can show
us any place in the world, not just the biggest parts! 11
Globes and maps are both tools to help us discover places
in our world.
12
What is a
By Karen Jones
Our planet Earth is covered in land and water.
The biggest areas of land found on our Earth
are called continents. 1
There are seven continents found on Earth.
They are the North America, South America, Europe, Africa,
Asia, Australia and Antarctica!
Do you know which continent you live on?
Europe Asia
North
America
Africa
south
America
Australia
Antarctica 12
You live here!
(Teacher point to and name continent)
Europe Asia
North
America
Africa
south
America
Australia
Antarctica
Let’s learn a little bit about all the continents of the world.
3
This is Africa.
Africa is home to the biggest desert in the world, the Sahara Desert. Africa is the hottest
continent on Earth. Animals like giraffes, elephants, zebras, lions, cheetahs, and hippos all live in
the wild in Africa. Have you ever heard of the ancient pyramids of Egypt?
Those were built in Africa thousands of years ago.
Sphinx
Sahara desert 1
4
This is Europe.
Europe is home to many famous places like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Leaning Tower of
Pisa, and Buckingham Palace. Europe is home to many volcanoes. In fact, some volcanoes, like
Mount Etna, still erupt today! Animals that are native to Europe and live in the wild include the
lemming, reindeer, and Arctic fox.
Eiffel Tower
Pisa
reindeer
Mt. Etna 1
5
©KarenJones
This is North America.
Native people lived in North America for thousands of years before people from Europe
explored and moved there. North America is special because it has so many different land
forms and climates. There are high mountain ranges, waterfalls, dry deserts, frozen tundras,
forests, grassy plains, and even tropical rainforests. Some animals that live in the wild North
American lands include bald eagles, ocelot, moose, beavers, and mountain lions.
Mexican beach
ocelot
Alaskan moose
Niagara Falls
6
This is South America.
There are many hot, humid rainforests in South America like the Amazon rainforest. South
America is home to many endangered animals like the giant Galapagos tortoise, the sloth,
jaguar, and the Amazonian manatee. South America also has the longest mountain chain in the
world, the Andes Mountains. People speak mostly Spanish and Portuguese in South America.
Andes Mountains Galapagos tortoise
toucan
Amazon jungle
7
This is Asia.
Asia is the biggest continent and has the most people. Over 4 billion people live there!
There are so many different types of climates in Asia. Parts of Asia are cold, frozen tundras, but there’s
also forests, grasslands and hot deserts! Asia’s enormous size allows for so many different types of people,
animals, and plants. Asia is also home to the highest mountain on Earth, Mount Everest. Some of the animals
that live in Asia include the giant panda, the tiger, camel, Komodo dragon, and the king cobra.
king cobra
giant panda
Mt. Everest
Komodo dragon
Tokyo
8
This is Australia.
Australia is home to rainforests, deserts (called “the Outback”), and mountains, but
there are also big cities. You’ve probably heard of many animals that live in the wild
of Australia, including koalas, kangaroos,
koala crocodile, kookaburra and the platypus!
kangaroo
Sydney harbor 9
This is Antarctica.
Antarctica’s land is completely covered in thick ice. It is very cold and dry all year long in
Antarctica, even in the summer! Only certain animals that have adapted to the harsh, frigid
temperatures can live on Antarctica. Penguins, seals, whales and some birds are the main
creatures that live around Antarctica. In fact, there aren’t any people that actually live on
Antarctica year-round. Scientists do visit to study the weather and animals, though.
humpback whale
research station
Emperor penguins iceberg
10
The biggest landmasses found on our Earth
are called continents.
Learning about and respecting the different continents and people of our
world will help us become better global citizens.
11
What is an
By Karen Jones
Our planet Earth is covered in land and water.
The biggest bodies of water found on our Earth
are called oceans. 1
There are five oceans found on Earth.
They are the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic and Southern Oceans. These
oceans cover most of the Earth! Let’s learn a little about each of them.
Southern
ocean
2
The Arctic Ocean is at the very top of the planet, near the
North Pole. It is very cold and during the winter months
it’s covered with ice.
3
polar bear
beluga whale harp seal
Some of the animals that live in and around the

Arctic ocean include polar bears, walruses, seals and whales.
4
This is the
Atlantic Ocean.
It’s made up of the

waters
between North and
South America,
Europe, and Africa.
5
hermit crab
bottlenose dolphin
sea turtle
There are millions of plants, mammals, and fish that live in the
Atlantic Ocean. Manatees, whales, turtles, sharks, dolphins,
crab and fish are just a small number of the many creatures
that call this ocean home.
6
This is the Indian
Ocean.
It flows between
Africa and Australia.
It’s the
warmest ocean and
that sometimes
causes
tropical storms.
7
There are many different kinds of sharks, dolphins, whales,
jellyfish, sea turtles, stingrays, and of course fish
that live in the Indian Ocean!
box jellyfish
whale shark
bluespotted stingray 8
The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in the world. It flows from
North and South America across to the coasts of Asia and Australia.
pacific
ocean
Southern
ocean
9
The Pacific Ocean is home to millions of fish and plant life
like sharks, stingrays, coral reefs, whales, turtles, crustaceans,
octopus and lots and lots of fish!
giant Pacific octopus
grey whale
clown fish in a coral reef

10
The Southern Ocean is at the very southern part of the Earth.
Like the Arctic, lots of the water in this ocean freezes in the winter.
Southern
ocean
11
In the Southern Ocean area you’ll see penguins, whales, squid,
seals and sea lions. There aren’t as many types of fish that live
here because the water is so cold.
Weddell seal
killer whale
chinstrap penguin 12
The biggest bodies of
water found on our Earth
are called oceans.
It’s very important that
we help to take care of
them.
Protecting the Earth’s

water and the homes of
millions of plants and
animals will help to make
sure that we can enjoy our
oceans for years to come.
13
My Place
in the
World America
By Karen Jones
You are one of the billions of people that live on planet Earth.
Each person has a special place in the world.
Where we live and the families that we live with help to shape who we are.
1
©KarenJones
Let’s take a look at where we live. Unit 5: Our World
Each of us have a place that we live in, a home.
Not all homes are the same! There are houses, apartments, and many other
kinds of homes that people can live in.
home 2
Your home is in a town or city.
Do you know the name of the city that you live in?
home city
3
Your city or town is in a state.
Do you know what state you live in?
home city state

4
Your state is a part of a country.
Do you know what country you live in?
home city state country

5
Your country is part of a continent.
Do you know what continent you live on?
home city state country continent

6
Your continent is part of the world!
home city state country continent world

7
Each of us have a special and unique place in the world.
8
My Place
in the
World Canada
By Karen Jones
1
©KarenJones
home 2
home city
3
Your city or town is in a province.
Do you know what province you live in?
home city province 4

Your province is a
part of a country.
Do you know what

country you live in?
home city province country

5
Your country is part of a continent.
home city province country continent

6
home city province country continent world

7
My Place
in the
World Australia
By Karen Jones
1
©KarenJones
home 2
home city
3
Your city or town is in a state.
Do you know what state you live in?
home city state

4
Your state is part of a continent.
home city state continent

6
home city state continent

world
7
Each of us have a special and unique place in the world.
8

Lessons

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lessons

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Little SOCIAL STUDIES thinkers

UNIT 5: our world

©KarenJones By Karen Jones Unit 5: Our World

Is the ladybug over the flower or

Is the dragonfly in front of the stick or

Is the beetle on top of his hand or

Put your hands in front of you.

The caterpillar is on the left.

The butterfly is on the right.

Can you tell where the mountains are?

Can you tell where the airport is?

gas station hospital restaurant parking shopping 10

©KarenJones Unit 5: Our World

On some maps you will see a map key.

A map key uses colors and pictures to

You may find symbols for land and water.

You may find symbols for important places like

Earth is our world.

This is a model of the Earth.

A globe shows us the biggest parts of our world.

Emperor penguins iceberg

beluga whale harp seal

Some of the animals that live in and around the

It’s made up of the

giant Pacific octopus

clown fish in a coral reef

Protecting the Earth’s

home city state

home city state country

home city state country continent

home city state country continent world

home city province 4

Do you know what

home city province country

home city province country continent

home city province country continent world

home city state

home city state continent

home city state continent

You might also like