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Continents & Oceans

Third graders explore the big picture of our planet — the seven continents and five oceans — learning to name and find them on a map or globe, and discovering which continent is home.

Grade 3World Geography40 minutes1 class periodC3 InquiryExplicit teaching4 StandardsC3
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Name the seven continents.
  • ✓Name the five oceans.
  • ✓Locate their own continent.
  • ✓Read a globe.
Essential Question

If you looked at Earth from space, you’d see huge areas of land and even bigger areas of water. What are the seven continents and five oceans that make up our whole world?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Investigate · Interactive

The Continents & Oceans Explorer

Project this and tap each idea. Have students learn the seven continents and five oceans of our world.

🌍 Explore continents & oceans — tap eachTry it

The Lesson · C3 Inquiry Arc (Question · Investigate · Evaluate Evidence · Communicate · Take Action)

40 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Question — Earth from Space

5 min

From space, Earth shows huge lands and even bigger waters — what are they all called?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show Earth from space.
  • Ask what makes it up.
  • Set the inquiry.

🎒 Student Actions

  • See Earth.
  • Wonder the parts.
  • Get ready.
2

Investigate — Explore the World

10 min

Students investigate.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send children to the Continents & Oceans Explorer.
  • Note the continents.
  • Note the oceans.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tap each.
  • Note continents.
  • Note oceans.
3

Evaluate Evidence — Land & Water

10 min

Students explain.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name the seven continents.
  • Name the five oceans.
  • Find their own continent.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name continents.
  • Name oceans.
  • Find home.
4

Communicate — On the Globe

10 min

Students share.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Find continents on a globe.
  • Find oceans.
  • Explain land vs. water.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Find land.
  • Find water.
  • Explain it.
5

Take Action — Take Action

5 min

Students conclude.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a continent and an ocean.
  • Find their home.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name them.
  • Find home.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards (Grade 3 / Communities).

C3
D2.Geo.1.3-5

Use maps and globes to locate continents and oceans.

C3
D2.Geo.2.3-5

Use geographic tools to describe places.

C3
D2.Geo.3.3-5

Use geographic sources to find information.

C3
D4.6.3-5

Use reasoning to take informed action.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Continent/ocean map labels.
  • Sentence frame: “___ is a continent/ocean.”
  • Point on a globe.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with their own continent.
  • Use a labeled globe.
  • Focus on 2–3 continents.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Label a blank world map.
  • Compare continent sizes.
  • Find a country on each continent.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🌐A globe
  • 💻The Continents & Oceans Explorer
  • 🗺️World maps
  • 🖍️Crayons
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

continentone of Earth’s seven big landmassesoceanone of Earth’s five huge bodies of waterglobea round model of Earthmapa flat drawing of EarthNorth Americathe continent where the U.S. isAsiathe largest continentPacificthe largest oceanAntarcticathe frozen southern continent
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
How many continents are there?
Seven.
QUESTION 2
How many oceans are there?
Five.
QUESTION 3
On which continent do we live in the United States?
North America.

Take action: label the world.

Have students label a blank world map with all seven continents and five oceans, then color the land and water. A printable continents-and-oceans sheet is in the Social Studies library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Continents & OceansFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Continents & OceansQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Continents & OceansPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: Antarctica, Asia, continent, globe, map, North America, ocean, Pacific
  1. one of Earth’s five huge bodies of water
  2. the largest continent
  3. a flat drawing of Earth
  4. the frozen southern continent
  5. one of Earth’s seven big landmasses
  6. the largest ocean
  7. the continent where the U.S. is
  8. a round model of Earth

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. How many continents are there?
  2. How many oceans are there?
  3. On which continent do we live in the United States?
Answer key — Part A: 1) ocean · 2) Asia · 3) map · 4) Antarctica · 5) continent · 6) Pacific · 7) North America · 8) globe
Part B: 1) Seven. 2) Five. 3) North America.