Directions

Have you ever seen this symbol before? Or heard of North, South, East and West?

There are the four main directions we deal with on maps or with compasses.

Did you know…The sun rises in the EAST and sets in

the WEST. If we know where these directions are, we can quickly find NORTH and SOUTH.

All good maps show NORTH.

If the map shows us where NORTH is, how will we remember where EAST, SOUTH and WEST are?

Here is a little phrase to help us remember…

Never Eat Soggy Weet-bix.

Do you know of any others?

What can you notice about distance between NORTH and EAST? What about EAST and SOUTH?

They are 90 degrees apart! So, if you know where NORTH is, you can turn 90 degrees in a clockwise direction and you are facing EAST, turn 90 degrees more and you are facing SOUTH etc.

Let’s practice what we’ve learned. Stand up and face the front of the room. Imagine that is NORTH.

Now that you have a good understanding of the four major compass points, draw a compass in your books. Make sure that the four points are equal distance from each other and are in the right order (remember the phrase).

*Extension:If you know more compass points, draw/write them in too.