In this Grade 3 Social Studies Alive! lesson, students learn foundational geography vocabulary including hemispheres, continents, oceans, the equator, and the prime meridian, and how these concepts describe the structure of Earth. Students explore how the equator and prime meridian divide Earth into the Northern, Southern, Western, and Eastern hemispheres, and identify the seven continents and five oceans. A hands-on activity has students build a balloon globe to apply these geography terms to real maps of the world and the United States.
Section 1
Geographers Divide the Earth
The Earth is a giant sphere. To make it easier to find places, people imagined lines that wrap around it. One of these lines is the equator, which runs around the middle like a belt. It divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern parts.
Another imaginary line is the prime meridian, which runs from the top of the Earth to the bottom. Where these two lines cross, they split the world into four big sections.
Section 2
Geographers Divide the Earth's Surface
The Earth’s surface is made of two main parts: land and water. When we look at a map or a globe, we can see how they fit together to make our world.
The giant pieces of land are called continents. There are seven continents, and they are where people build their homes, cities, and countries.
Section 3
People Create Countries with Borders
Long ago, people formed groups to live and work together. To keep things fair and organized, these groups needed leaders to make rules for everyone.
These groups claimed a piece of land for their community. They created a country, which is an area of land with its own special leaders and rules. These leaders are called a government. To show where their land ended and another began, people drew border lines on maps.
Section 4
People Define Borders on Land
Countries and states have edges, just like a puzzle piece. These edges show where one place ends and another begins.
Sometimes, a border is something you can see in nature. A wide river or a tall mountain range can be a natural border between two places. These are easy to spot on a map and in real life.
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Section 1
Geographers Divide the Earth
The Earth is a giant sphere. To make it easier to find places, people imagined lines that wrap around it. One of these lines is the equator, which runs around the middle like a belt. It divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern parts.
Another imaginary line is the prime meridian, which runs from the top of the Earth to the bottom. Where these two lines cross, they split the world into four big sections.
Section 2
Geographers Divide the Earth's Surface
The Earth’s surface is made of two main parts: land and water. When we look at a map or a globe, we can see how they fit together to make our world.
The giant pieces of land are called continents. There are seven continents, and they are where people build their homes, cities, and countries.
Section 3
People Create Countries with Borders
Long ago, people formed groups to live and work together. To keep things fair and organized, these groups needed leaders to make rules for everyone.
These groups claimed a piece of land for their community. They created a country, which is an area of land with its own special leaders and rules. These leaders are called a government. To show where their land ended and another began, people drew border lines on maps.
Section 4
People Define Borders on Land
Countries and states have edges, just like a puzzle piece. These edges show where one place ends and another begins.
Sometimes, a border is something you can see in nature. A wide river or a tall mountain range can be a natural border between two places. These are easy to spot on a map and in real life.
Book overview
Jump across lessons in the current chapter without opening the full course modal.
Continue this chapter