LESSON PLAN
Title: Labeling the Earth’s Five Oceans
Content Area/s: Social Studies
Grade Level: 2nd
Time Frame: 45 minutes
Date: October 25, 2010
SOLs:
2.5
The student will develop map skills by
a) locating the equator, the seven continents, and the five oceans on maps and globes
2.6
The student will demonstrate map skills by constructing simple maps, using title, map legend, and compass
rose.
Lesson Objectives:
 Given background knowledge on the seven continents,
students will label each continent on a world map.
 Given a class discussion on oceans, students will locate
and label the Earth’s five oceans on a world map.
Resources (Texts & Technology):
 Children Just Like Me by Barnabas
and Anabel Kindersley
 Oceans by Sandy Sepehri
 Blank world map template, 1 for
teacher 1 for each student (22 total)
 Small map outline of the United
States, with Williamsburg, VA
marked
 Document camera
 Pencils and Crayons for each student
Content:
 There are five world oceans that are all interconnected: The Atlantic Ocean, The Pacific Ocean, The
Indian Ocean, The Arctic Ocean, and The Southern Ocean.
 The compass rose on the map indicates the basic cardinal directions (North, South, East, West)
Instructional Procedures: Include the estimated time for each activity.
(Number steps) beginning with Initial Activity and ending with Closing Activity.)
1.) Introduction: (5 minutes) To introduce the lesson, pull down the large classroom map in the front of the
room and pose the following question to the students: “Our Earth is sometimes called ‘The Water Planet.’ Why
do you think this is so?” Tell students to look at the map and discuss this question in their groups. After two
minutes, go around to each group and have one student share the group’s thoughts. If necessary, guide the
students to see how the majority of the world map is covered in water. Explain that 75% of the Earth is covered
in water. Demonstrate what 75% is by having 15 students stand up. Tell the students that all of this water is
divided up into 5 world oceans, and today, we will learn their names, and label them on a map. (Note: pull up
the world map, and pull down the projector screen)
2.) Map Work: Labeling Continents (10 minutes) Pass out a blank map template to each student, and ask
them to take out a pencil and a green crayon. Project the map on the screen through the document camera. Ask
students what kind of map this is by referring them to the map title (A world map). Ask students to tell you
what important feature this map is missing (a compass rose). Draw a simple compass rose in the lower left
hand corner of the projected map, and tell the students to do the same thing on their own map. Tell the students
that we are going to label this map with the five oceans today, but before we do that, we are going to label the
large bodies of land on our map (Point to the continents) Ask students what these big bodies of land are called
(continents). Tell students that we will label them together, and that I will ask for their help to do this. Tell
students we will start with the continent that we live on. Ask a student volunteer to point to North America.
After the student has correctly identified the continent, place a green star on projected the map, and direct
students to do the same on their map. Follow the same procedure with the remaining six continents, asking for
student volunteers to find each continent, and placing a different green symbol on the continent. Once all the
continents are labeled, let students know that they will have the opportunity to color their maps later.
3.) Map Work: Labeling the Five Oceans (15-20 minutes) Tell the students that we will now label the five
oceans on our world maps. Explain that while we label the map, we are also going to learn about children from
around the world who live near these oceans.
 Start by telling students we are going to label the ocean that is EAST of Africa. Have students put their
fingers on this ocean, and tell students that this is the Indian Ocean. On the projected map, write Indian
Ocean (remind students to use capital letters, since this is the name of an ocean). Have students do the
same on their maps. After students have labeled their maps, show them a picture and read about Esta
who lives in Tanzania, a country that borders the Indian Ocean (Children Just Like Me, pages 42 and
43).
 Ask students to put their fingers on the ocean EAST of Asia. Tell them that this is the Pacific Ocean.
Write Pacific Ocean on the projected map, and have students do the same on their maps. Then show
students a picture and read about Daisuke who lives in Japan, a country next to the Pacific Ocean (pages
52 and 53).
 Ask students to put their fingers on the ocean that is NORTH of Asia and North America. Tell them that
this is the Arctic Ocean. Write Arctic Ocean on the map, and have students do the same. Then show
them a picture and read about Levi, an Inuit who lives on an island in the Arctic Ocean (pg. 23)
 Ask students to put their fingers on the ocean that is SOUTH of South America. Tell them that this is
the Southern Ocean. Write Southern Ocean on the map, and have the students do the same. Tell
students that you do not have pictures of any children who live near the Southern Ocean. Ask the
students why they think that is true (because it is too cold). However, show them a picture of living
things that do live near the Southern Ocean in Oceans, page 17.
 Ask students to put their fingers on the ocean that is EAST of North America. Tell them that this is the
Atlantic Ocean. Write Atlantic Ocean on the map, and have students do the same. Tell the students that
this time, you do not have to show them a picture of children who live near the Atlantic Ocean, because
those children are sitting right here in Mrs. Pritchett’s classroom! Display a map of the United States on
the document camera, and show the students where Williamsburg,VA is on the map. Show the children
how close they are to the Atlantic Ocean on the map.
4.) Review and Closure (10 minutes) Tell students to take a look at their world maps. Explain to the students
that today, they used their knowledge of a map title and the compass rose to label the seven continents on the
map, and the five world oceans: the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, the Southern Ocean,
and the Atlantic Ocean. Tell students that they may now color their maps. Tell them that they should use one
color to color the continents, and one color to color the oceans, and that they should create a legend on their
maps to show which color they will use for land and for water. Demonstrate for the students how to do this on
the document camera. Give the children the remainder of the lesson time to color their world maps.
Assessment/s:
Extension Activities/
Interdisciplinary Links:
 Use questioning during and after the lesson to
determine if students understand basic map
 Have students look for more information about
skills, and remember the seven continents and
how children live in other countries near the
five oceans.
oceans, and have them share this information
with the class.
 Pre-Test/Post-Test Assessment:
1.) How many world oceans are there?
 Have the students write a paragraph about a
a.) Two
time when they visited an ocean, river, or
b.) Five
pond. What did they do on their visit?
c.) Seven
2.) What part of the map helps us with
directions?
a.) The map title.
b.) The map legend.
c.) The compass rose.
Differentiation Strategies/Activities:
 Move Nathaniel so I can see him during the
lesson, and so he is engaged with the other
students. Make sure he is engaged in the
lesson by calling on him to answer questions.
Reflection/Recommendations for Future use: