Geography lessons with a 3D globe
These lessons are written for real classrooms: one screen at the front, or students in pairs on Chromebooks or tablets. Each one takes 30 to 45 minutes and uses the free earthglobe.app globe instead of a flat map, so students see the Earth the way it really is: round, tilted and half in darkness at any moment.
Every lesson has the same parts, so you can pick one up and teach it today:
- Learning goals you can write on the board
- Suggested age range and time needed
- What you need (usually just the globe and a screen)
- A step-by-step globe activity
- Questions for students, with an answer key for you
- An optional extension for fast finishers or a second lesson
New to the globe? Start with the For schools & teachers page. It explains Classroom mode and how to send students a link that opens on the right country or view.
The lessons
Time zones explained
Why it is morning in one country and night in another, why the world's clocks run from 12 hours behind to 14 hours ahead of UTC, and why some countries use half-hours. Ages 9–13 · 40 minutes.
Day and night & the seasons
Watch the real line between day and night, then use the tilt of the Earth to explain summer and winter. Ages 7–11 (day and night), 10–14 (seasons) · 40 minutes.
Continents and oceans
Find the seven continents and five named oceans, and talk about why some countries count the continents differently. Ages 6–10 · 30 minutes.
Equator, tropics and poles
Trace the five big circles of latitude across real countries and connect them to sunlight. Ages 9–13 · 40 minutes.
How big are countries really?
Why Greenland looks as big as Africa on many maps, and how a globe shows the truth. Ages 10–14 · 40 minutes.
Night lights: where people live
Use NASA's map of the Earth at night to find cities, rivers and empty places. Ages 10–14 · 35 minutes.
How to run a globe lesson
- Open the globe before class and press Classroom mode so it fills the screen.
- Ask before you show. Each lesson starts with a question students answer from what they already think. The globe then tests their guess.
- Hand over the controls. Let a student turn the globe while the class tells them where to go. It keeps everyone watching.
- Use links for devices. If students work on their own screens, share a link such as
earthglobe.app/#country=EGso everyone starts in the same place.
Questions
Are the lessons free to print and share?
Yes. Use them in your class and share the link with colleagues.
Which ages are they for?
Most work for ages 7 to 14. Each lesson gives a suggested range and ideas to make it easier or harder.
Do students need their own devices?
No. Every lesson works with one screen at the front. Pairs on devices is a bonus.
More classroom tools
- Online Timer Countdown timer with presets, a gentle alarm and a full-screen classroom mode.
- Quiz Games Make a category-board or survey quiz and play it in teams on the big screen.
- Globle Game Daily geography game: guess the mystery country on a globe.
- Online Piano Play piano in the browser with mouse, touch or keyboard, with easy songs and recording.
- Online Guitar Tuner Tune a guitar with the microphone: standard, Drop D and other tunings.
- Online Bass Tuner Tune a 4-, 5- or 6-string bass with the microphone.
- Ukulele Tuner Tune a ukulele with the microphone: standard GCEA, low G, baritone and D tuning.
- Violin Tuner Tune a violin (G D A E) with the microphone, plus viola and cello.
- Headphone Test Check headphones and speakers: left/right, bass and frequency tests.
- Cryptograms Daily quote cryptogram, free play and printable cryptograms with answers.
- Killer Sudoku Daily killer sudoku plus classic, mini and other sudoku types, with a classroom mode.
- Minesweeper Classic Minesweeper logic game with a daily board and a classroom mode.