Maps, atlases and globes in practice
Grid references, scale and contour lines turn a flat sheet of paper into a working model of the real world.
Part of your national curriculum
- Geographical skills and fieldwork: Build on knowledge of globes, maps and atlases and apply and develop this knowledge routinely in the classroom and in the field
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Build on knowledge of globes, maps and atlases and apply and develop this knowledge routinely in the classroom and in the field
Key learning points
- • Grid references
- • Scale and distance
- • Contours and relief
- • Globes and atlases
This lesson at a glance
- 22 minutes
- 15 parts to scroll through
- 3 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 15
Watch first
Maps, atlases and globes in practice
An English teaching video on this topic from Spatial Zone. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.
In a nutshell
Build on knowledge of globes, maps and atlases and apply and develop this knowledge routinely in the classroom and in the field
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 15
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · Grid references
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 15
Learn
Grid references
Ordnance Survey maps use four- and six-figure grid references to pinpoint locations precisely, reading eastings before northings — remember 'along the corridor, up the stairs'.
Explore the idea
Part 4 of 15
Learn
Scale and distance
A 1:50,000 map means 1cm on the map equals 50,000cm (500m) in reality, letting you measure real distances, such as the length of a footpath, using a ruler and the map's scale bar.
Quick check
Part 5 of 15
Quick check
On an Ordnance Survey grid reference, which figures are read first?
Quick check
Part 6 of 15
Quick check
On a 1:50,000 map, how many metres does 1cm represent?
Reset break
Part 7 of 15
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 2 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Learning cycle
Part 8 of 15
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Part 2 · Contours and relief
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 9 of 15
Learn
Contours and relief
Contour lines join points of equal height; closely spaced contours show steep slopes, like around Snowdon, while widely spaced contours show gentle terrain, like the Fens.
Explore the idea
Part 10 of 15
Learn
Globes and atlases
Globes show the true shape of the Earth without the distortion of flat maps, while atlases combine many map types — political, physical, climate — letting geographers compare information for the same place.
Quick check
Part 11 of 15
Quick check
What do closely spaced contour lines indicate?
Challenge round
Part 12 of 15
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Challenge round
Part 13 of 15
Game · Fill the gaps
Finish the sentences
Choose the word that belongs in each gap.
____ show the true shape of the Earth without the distortion of flat maps, while atlases combine many map types — political, physical, climate — letting geographers compare information for the same place.
Mastery quiz
Part 14 of 15
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Maps, atlases and globes in practice
3 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. On an Ordnance Survey grid reference, which figures are read first?
2. On a 1:50,000 map, how many metres does 1cm represent?
3. What do closely spaced contour lines indicate?
Lesson round-up
Part 15 of 15
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
Quiz score
Not sat
Games
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Points this lesson
0
Best run
0 in a row
Luna: 0 out of 3 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?
Ask LunaDo the work
Your written work for this lesson
This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.
Flooding on the River Calder
The town of Harbrook sits where a steep valley opens onto a flat floodplain. In December 2015, 120 mm of rain fell in 36 hours onto ground that was already saturated. The river rose 2.4 m in five hours, and 380 homes and 54 businesses flooded. Two roads and the railway closed for eleven days.
Geographers pointed to physical causes — steep slopes, impermeable rock, heavy rainfall — and human causes: moorland drained upstream, new housing built on the floodplain, and drains designed for smaller storms.
Since then the town has planted 40 hectares of woodland upstream, built leaky dams in small streams, and raised flood walls to 1.8 m. In the storm of 2020 the peak river level was 0.3 m lower and 40 homes flooded, not 380.
Written for Good Learning Co.
Reading questions
- List two physical and two human causes of the 2015 flood.
- Explain how planting woodland upstream lowers the river's peak level.
- Using the figures, judge how successful the scheme has been. Quote data in your answer.
Case study notes
WritingWrite the place, the facts and the figures from this lesson so you can revise them later.
Half a page
Explain answer
WritingAnswer in full sentences, giving causes and effects. Use one figure or place name as evidence.
8–10 sentences
Map or sketch
DiagramDraw the map, cross-section or field sketch with a key, title and labels, then photograph it.
1 map with a key
Data work
Working outPlot your figures as a graph on paper and write one sentence about the pattern.
1 graph + 1 sentence
Saved as you type.
Part 1 of 15 · Watch & discover
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Build on knowledge of globes, maps and atlases and apply and develop this knowledge routinely in the classroom and in the field