Continents and oceans: a globe lesson

Young students often learn the continents from a flat map, where the Pacific Ocean is split in two at the edges and Antarctica is a stretched white strip along the bottom. On a globe the oceans join up, Antarctica becomes a real continent, and students can see how small Europe is next to Asia. This lesson uses the globe to find all seven continents and the five named oceans.

Suggested age: 6–10 · Time: about 30 minutes · Links: all lessons · for schools

Learning goals

By the end of the lesson students can:

1. Name and find the seven continents taught in most English-speaking schools.
2. Name and find the five named oceans, and say which one is the largest.
3. Explain that there is really one connected ocean, divided into named parts.
4. Know that some countries count the continents differently, and why.

What you need

• The globe at earthglobe.app on a projector (press Classroom mode) or one device per pair.
• A list of the seven continents and five oceans on the board.

Step-by-step globe activity

1. Start from home (3 min). Search for your town or country and press Go. Ask: "Which continent are we on? Which ocean is closest?"
2. Zoom out (2 min). Press the Whole globe button. Slowly turn the globe all the way round in Satellite mode. Ask students to count the big pieces of land they see.
3. Name the continents (8 min). Turn the globe to each continent in turn and let the class name it: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia. Ask a student to come up and turn the globe to the next one. Point out that Europe and Asia are joined on land, and that North and South America are joined by a narrow strip of land.
4. Find Antarctica properly (3 min). Turn the globe so the South Pole faces the class. On many flat maps Antarctica looks like a long band. On the globe it is a round, ice-covered continent around the South Pole.
5. Follow the water (6 min). Ask: "Can a ship sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific without crossing land?" Let a student trace a route around the bottom of South America with a finger on the screen. Then name the five oceans: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Arctic. Show that they all join up.
6. Which ocean is biggest? (3 min). Turn the globe until the Pacific fills almost the whole view. Ask: "Can you see any big piece of land?" On one side of the Earth you see mostly water.
7. Quick quiz (5 min). Use quiz mode to ask students to tap continents and oceans.

Seven continents, or six?

Continents are decided by agreement, not by a strict rule. Most English-speaking countries teach seven: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia. Many countries in Latin America, and Greece, teach six, with North and South America as one continent, America. Russia and parts of Eastern Europe often teach six, with Europe and Asia joined as Eurasia. None of these is wrong. It is a good discussion for older students: what makes a continent?

You may also hear "Oceania". Geographers often use it for a region made up of Australia and most of the island countries of the Pacific.

Sizes to compare

Land area of the seven continents (Encyclopaedia Britannica figures, rounded):

The five oceans from largest to smallest: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, Arctic. Together, the ocean covers about 71% of the Earth's surface.

Questions for students

1. How many continents do most English-speaking schools teach? Name them.
2. Which continent is the largest? Which is the smallest?
3. Name the five oceans. Which is the largest?
4. Which continent is around the South Pole?
5. Why do some countries say there are six continents?
6. Is there one ocean or five? Explain your answer.

Answer key (for the teacher)

1. Seven: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia.
2. Largest: Asia. Smallest: Australia (or Oceania, if your school uses that name).
3. Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Arctic. The Pacific is the largest.
4. Antarctica.
5. Some countries join North and South America into one continent (America). Others join Europe and Asia into Eurasia, because they are one piece of land.
6. Both answers can be right. NOAA, the US ocean agency, says there is one global ocean that is divided into named regions. Most countries, including the United States, recognise five named oceans.

Optional extension

Make a continent card set. Each pair picks a continent, turns the globe to it, taps three countries on it and writes down each country's capital and population from the country card. Pairs share one surprising fact. Older students can open the true size tool and compare a country on their continent with one somewhere else, then continue with the how big are countries really? lesson.

Frequently asked questions

What are the 7 continents and 5 oceans?

The seven continents are Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia. The five oceans are the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Arctic.

When did the Southern Ocean become the fifth ocean?

The US Board on Geographic Names has recognised it since 1999. NOAA describes it as the water from the coast of Antarctica to 60 degrees south.

Is Australia a continent or a country?

Both. Australia is a country, and the Australian mainland is the smallest of the seven continents.