3rd Grade Directions Lesson Plan Example

Topic: Directions

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to understand and give the directions north, east, west, and south.

Materials

• Pictures or objects representing the four directions (such as a picture of a north polar bear for north, a picture of an east-facing sunrise for east, a picture of a western cowboy for west, and a picture of a southern elephant for south)
• Pencils and paper for each student

Warm-up

• Ask the students if they have ever been in a car with their parents or caregivers and got lost while driving.
• Ask the students what they did to find their way again.
• Discuss with the students that knowing the directions can help us find our way when we are lost.

Direct Instruction

• Show the students a map and point to the four directions: north, east, west and south.
• Ask the students to repeat the directions after you.
• Explain to the students that knowing the directions is important when we are traveling by car or by foot.

Guided Practice

• Ask the students to work in pairs and help each other remember the directions by writing them on a piece of paper.
• Then, have the students use the map to find the directions for different places (ex. a park, a store, a school).

Independent Practice

• Have the students draw a map and label the directions on their own.
• Encourage them to use different colors to mark the different directions.

Closure

• Review the different directions and their symbols.
• Ask the students to share their maps with the class.

Assessment

• Observe the students during the independent practice activity and provide feedback on their ability to use the correct directions and their symbols on their maps.