Celebrations Map

Overview

In this 5th lesson of “Celebrations Around the World”, students use a world map to locate countries linked to celebrations. They practise simple map skills and explain that people celebrate in different ways across the world.

Learning intentions

• Students will locate countries on a world map using key features (landmasses, continents, directions).
• Students will match each country to a celebration name and mark it clearly on the map.
• Students will share ideas about how celebrations show cultural diversity.

Success criteria

• I can find and point to at least 3 countries on the map.
• I can draw or place a symbol/label for a celebration in the correct country.
• I can describe how celebrations are different in different places in the world.

Curriculum links

• Social Sciences: explore how cultures are represented in places, and recognise diversity across the world.
• The New Zealand Curriculum: learning builds understanding of people and places and how people’s lives are shaped by their environments and cultures.
• Learning focus: map literacy (simple geographical skills) and communication.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome and recall. Teacher asks: “What is one celebration we learned about last time?” and records student ideas on the board. Students respond with quick spoken answers and point to the class anchor chart.

2. 5–12 min · Mini map teach (whole class). Teacher shows a large world map and models how to locate a country by continent shape first, then add details (north/south, east/west). Students practise “find and point” with the teacher calling out 2–3 countries.

3. 12–20 min · Guided country matching (pairs). Teacher places celebration cards and a simple country list at each table. Students take turns matching one celebration card to the correct country and discussing with a partner where they think it is on the map.

4. 20–33 min · Main map activity (mark and label). Teacher explains the success criteria and demonstrates marking one location: add a coloured dot (or sticker) and write a short label for the celebration name. Students work in pairs to mark at least 3 countries with symbols/labels, using their map handouts or atlas pages.

5. 33–40 min · Quick check: map walk and accuracy. Teacher asks pairs to “map-walk” to the board and use finger/arrow to show one marked country and the celebration. Students provide one sentence: “In ___, people celebrate ___.”

6. 40–45 min · Exit ticket reflection. Teacher shows a sentence frame: “Celebrations around the world are ____ because ____.” Students complete it by choosing one idea from a word bank (different/special/shared) and read it to the teacher or to a partner.

Resources

• World map handouts (simple, large, age-appropriate) for each student
• Sets of celebration cards (3–6 celebrations for this unit)
• Country cards or a short country list matching the celebrations
• Coloured stickers/dots or colouring pencils and fine markers
• Large wall map for modelling
• Sentence frame strips and word bank (different, special, shared, many cultures)
• Student pencil case items: ruler (optional), pencils, erasers
• Teacher anchor chart: “Celebrations show… (culture, place, people)”

Assessment

• Formative checks during the mini teach: students “find and point” to called countries.
• Formative assessment during mapping: teacher circulates, checks that country placement is sensible and labels match.
• Exit ticket: one completed sentence using the frame to show understanding of cultural diversity and map-based communication.

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters (“In ___ people celebrate ___”), larger maps, and a reduced target list (e.g., mark 2 countries instead of 3).
• Support: pre-teach directions words shown on the map (north, south, east, west) using gestures.
• Extension: students add one extra country and a second celebration symbol in a different place, plus one extra sentence about how the celebrations are similar or different.
• EAL/SEN: use visual supports (colour-dot key, picture-side of cards) and allow drawing instead of writing for celebration labels (teacher can scribe briefly if needed).