I love teaching social studies! It’s especially fun to teach social studies topics in grades K-2. We get to be the first ones to introduce so many topics to our students. Geography is a great example of this.
My seven continents unit has always been one of my favorites to teach. So often my students didn’t know the names of all of the continents or what makes them unique. It’s so exciting to open students’ eyes to the world around them. Today, I am sharing how my Seven Continents Slides do exactly that!
Seven Continents Slides
When you introduce a topic to students for the first time, the most important thing to do is lay a foundation of knowledge. It’s difficult to dive right into a bunch of hands-on learning. If your students do not understand the basics of a topic, they will not be able to participate in other activities. I like to kick off any new social studies unit with a set of slides. I like to give an overview of all of the information that the students will be digging deeper into.
Slideshow presentations at the beginning of a unit are a great way to review complicated vocabulary that they will be seen over and over. They are also a great way to make sure that students fully comprehend the topic before you get into deeper levels of learning.
My Seven Continents Slides introduce each continent through real photographs that will engage your class. Students learn important facts about each continent, and then take a brief quiz at the end. They are the perfect introduction to a unit!
Pacing the Unit
I break the seven continents slides up so that I am introducing one constant at a time during the length of our seven continents unit. We start things off with a slideshow, and then we transition into a series of hands-on activities about that continent.
Then, rinse and repeat for each continent after until you have taught all seven. At the very end of the unit, it’s fine to come back and review everything with a final slideshow presentation.
Hands-On Activities
I recently shared all of the different hands-on, and interactive ways to teach about the seven continents. After using the slides, I transition into a series of days where the students study each continent more deeply through projects, crafts, and games. You can read more about those activities on this blog post. Or, skip straight to checking out the resource here!
A fully comprehensive unit about the seven continents is a great way to introduce primary students to the wonders of the world around them. Because you get to be one of the first teachers to do it, you might as well make it extra fun! This will spark our students curiosity and get them asking questions about the world far after they are in our classrooms. I hope you all have a lot of fun teaching lessons with this unit!
