Geography and Cardinal Directions: English Teaching Resources
The English teaching resources compiled on this page are intended for teaching basic geography concepts, especially cardinal directions, to first grade primary school students. If that sounds like something that would be useful for your and your students, please feel free to use the materials below!
While teaching English in Spain as an auxiliar de conversación, I created a couple of lesson plans to teach basic English geography vocabulary to first grade students. This article focuses on the lesson plan for cardinal directions (North, South, East, and West), but I’ve also linked a lesson plan that teaches English vocabulary related to the Earth’s natural landscapes.
I know creating lesson plans or even just searching for songs or games online can be incredibly time-consuming. So I hope that the resources on this page will help other teachers cut down on their lesson preparation time.
On this page you will find:
English Songs
English Videos
English Games and Activities
Complete English Lesson Plans
English Songs:
The Directions Song - Here’s a song to help teach your students the cardinal directions in English!
Cardinal Directions Song - Why use just one song when you could use two? Here’s another English song that’s great for teaching the cardinal directions to primary school students.
English Videos:
Earth 101 - This video might be a bit difficult for younger primary school students, but it includes a basic description of the Earth with fantastic, engaging visuals.
Kids Vocabulary - Geography - A video to teach students basic English vocabulary related to landscapes, land formations, and geography.
Landscapes (Learn Kids Learn) - Similar to the English vocabulary video linked about, this video will help students practice hearing and saying aloud English words related to natural landscapes.
English Games and Activities:
The Map Game - Display a simple map on the screen in your classroom. Then ask students questions about where things are located on the map compared to other things, using cardinal directions. (For example, you could ask: “Is Germany to the north or to the south of Italy?” or “Is the river to the east or west of the mountain?”)
Draw a Compass - Draw a compass on the board and tell your students to draw their own compasses, writing the full words for the cardinal directions, of course. Then, they can color their compasses however they like!
Complete English Lesson Plans:
To download the complete English lesson plan on geography above, click here.
To download the complete English lesson plan on natural landscapes above, click here.
Looking for more English songs, English games, or complete English lesson plans for primary school students? Click the button below!
