Study guide: Continents, Oceans and Places
Locate broad world regions and describe map limits.
Ideas to explain in your own words
- A common U.S. school model names seven continents: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Australia. Different traditions group continents differently. A continent is not a country. This lesson compares four of those continents; the next cards teach the others and major oceans.
- North America includes Canada, the United States and Mexico. Australia can name both a country and a continent in the stated seven-continent model. Antarctica is the southern polar continent. The Pacific is an ocean, not a continent. The five named oceans are Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Arctic.
- Weather describes conditions over a short time; climate describes long-term patterns. Land use describes what people do with land. A physical feature describes the landscape itself. These concepts can interact, but a single rainy day does not establish a place’s climate.
- A boundary marks a limit on a map or in a rule. A country boundary separates political areas; a coast separates land and sea; a watershed boundary separates drainage areas. A route is a path connecting places, not a boundary just because it is a line. Check the legend’s meaning.
Useful vocabulary
- Africa
- the continent containing Egypt and Kenya
- Asia
- the continent containing China and India
- North America
- a continent including Canada and Mexico
- Australia
- a country and continent in the stated model
- Weather
- short-term atmospheric conditions
- Climate
- long-term patterns of atmospheric conditions
- Country boundary
- the mapped political limit between countries
- Coastline
- the edge where land meets sea
Watch your reasoning
- Mixing up Africa and Asia. Re-read what each note says before choosing.
- Adding a detail that is not on the card. Point to the words that help explain your answer.
A worked review example
Worked example: Egypt is in Africa, according to the notes. Kenya is another country in Africa. Compare the note for Europe: Europe is the continent containing France and Poland. That is a different clue.
Make a practice plan
- Read or listen to the notes in the four lessons. An adult can read aloud.
- Try each lesson’s main question and three practice questions. Say, draw or write what helped you choose.
- Use the review cards, then try the changed card in any lesson you want to practice again.
- Complete the four-box task. Then try the separate subject-test cards.