Cardinal Directions- its basics concepts and uses

Contributed by:
Steve
This booklet shares knowledge about cardinal directions. It introduces students to the cardinal directions and enhances their learning.
1. Cardinal Directions
Teacher Guidelines ▶ pages 1 – 2
Instructional Pages ▶ pages 3 – 5
Activity Page ▶ pages 6
Practice Page ▶ page 7
Grade Level: 1 – 2 Homework Page
Answer Key


page 8
page 9
2. Classroom Procedure: Approximate Grade Level: 1 – 2
1. Determine the cardinal directions of the classroom. Objectives:
Separate the class into four groups, place one group north, The students will be able to identify the four
one group east, etc. Ask students: What is the difference cardinal directions and apply the information
in the location of each group? using a map or a sunrise and sunset.
2. Allow for responses and discussion. Choose a few students Common Core State Standards:
individually and ask them to move to a new spot. Once
moved, ask the same students to explain how they moved CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.1
from one place to another. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.6
3. Allow for responses. Each student will likely use a different CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.1
explanation for the move. Ask the class if they know words
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.7
that are used to explain directions.
4. Allow for responses and discussion. Introduce Cardinal Class Sessions (45 minutes):
Directions to the class. 1 to 2 class sessions.
5. Distribute Cardinal Directions content pages. Read and
Teaching Materials/Worksheets:
review the information with the students. Save the final
question for the lesson closing. Use the additional resources Cardinal Directions content pages (2), Activ-
to enhance understanding. ity page, Practice page, Homework page
6. Distribute Activity page. Read and review the instructions. Student Supplies:
Pair students. Allow sufficient time for students to make
Construction paper, colored pencils, scis-
5 sentences. Use dictionaries if necessary. Question 2: sors, handouts
The students may work together on the designs, but with
question 3, each student will choose a compass rose to Prepare Ahead of Time:
redraw on the paper provided, color and cut it out. Determine cardinal directions in the class-
7. Once completed, the student pairs will share their sentences room, pair students and supplies for the ac-
and compass roses with the class. Display the compass tivity. Copy handouts.
roses in a prominent area of the classroom. Options for Lesson:
8. Distribute Practice page. Check and review the students’ Students may work alone or in groups for the
responses. activity. Take students outdoors and identify the
9. Distribute the Homework page. The next day, check and cardinal directions. Students are assigned one
of the directions, given a local map, and name
review the students’ responses.
the different places found away from that area of
10. In closing, ask students: If you left your home and could the school. Students use a local or state map,
travel in only one direction, which cardinal direction would travel the different directions to places, labeling
you choose? Why did you choose that direction? their movement using the cardinal directions.
An extra-large compass rose is created to cover
11. Allow for responses and directions. Tell students they could the wall in the classroom. Introduce the use of a
walk over or through obstacles as they walk. Students must compass to the students.
remain moving in one direction.
1
3. Teacher Notes
The short lesson introduces students to the cardinal directions. Most students know the four different words
for the directions, but often get confused when applying the information on maps or when outdoors. It is
important for students to know where the sun rises and sets. There are many resources teachers may use
from the Internet to enhance the lesson as well. The lesson may be used with other topics related to maps
or sunsets and sunrises.
Additional Resources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2I81_BFb-s (2 min-song)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXGN2qKrWFE (4 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te0Td0QVoj0 (2 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeeLivQH7Ok (3 min-song)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIuVN5GcB60 (6 min)
2
4. Cardinal Directions
You and your family travel to different places. You walk
or ride a bus to school, go shopping with your mom, take
vacations to a special place, or simply walk around the
block. Each time you go somewhere, you travel or move
in a direction, which is the course or path you move.
You might walk down the street and then turn right or left,
later turn around and return home. You are moving in
different directions throughout the day. In the same way, cars, airplanes, buses, trains, and other vehicles
move in different directions too. However, instead of turning to the right or left, or traveling up or down the
street, there are special words used to name the directions a vehicle or person can travel.
There are four main directions or points called cardinal directions (sometimes cardinal points). The four points
include north (N), east (E), south (S), and west (W). The direction words are found on maps, compasses,
street signs, and in many other places. The cardinal directions help people travel from place to place.
There are place names in the United States and the world that use the cardinal direction words such as North
and South Dakota, North and South Carolina, South Korea, West Virginia, East Texas, Middle East, and
many others. Using the cardinal directions help people know the location of a place or how to find a place.
Each cardinal direction has a special location. The NORTH always points to the north pole of the Earth,
sometimes called “the top of the world”. The SOUTH points to the “bottom” of the Earth or the south pole.
The EAST always points to the place where the sun rises in the morning, and the WEST always points to
the place the sun sets in the evening.
The cardinal directions can be displayed using a COMPASS ROSE.
The compass rose uses the letters for each direction, N, E, S, W.
Notice the places each direction points. This will help you when
you are trying to remember the cardinal directions. There are
many different designs of compass roses, but all point to the
north, east, south, and west.
3
5. NORTH POLE
SUNSETS SUNRISES
Using Cardinal SOUTH POLE
Now that you know the four cardinal directions, you
can use them when traveling from place to place,
with a map, or when you need to give directions to
another person. You may also hear the cardinal
directions used when a GPS system in a car or on
a phone narrates directions to a place.
The voice may say things like,
“Turn west onto Water Street; in one-quarter mile,
merge south onto route 10; and then drive east
towards Marble Avenue.”
4
6. The cardinal directions can be found and used on all types of maps too. They are used on maps showing
the entire world, a single country, a state, city, or one part of a small town. Review the map below and using
a compass rose, answer each of the questions.
1. Which direction would you travel from the school to the park? __________________
2. Which direction would you travel from Joe’s Market to Longwood Forest? __________________
3. Which direction would you travel from the Corner Deli to Beth’s Salon? __________________
4. Which direction would you travel from Yellow Alley to the Jagged River? __________________
Yellow Alley
Grand Central
Street
Red
Joe’s Market Go-Go Gas Park
Green Street
Beth’s Salon Corner Deli Longwood Forest
Red Street
Orange Alley ABC Elementary
Jagged River School
Did you answer correctly?
1. North, 2. East, 3. West, 4. South
In the map above, Go-Go Gas is east of Joe’s Market. ABC Elementary
School is south of Longwood Forest. Yellow Alley is north of Orange
Alley. Beth’s Salon is west of the Corner Deli. In addition, Red Street
runs north to south or south to north, and Green Street runs east to
west or west to east.
One way to remember the cardinal directions is by using the first letter
of each word to form short sentences. Examples: Never Eat Sugar Water;
Nice, Easy, Slow, Water. Can you think of a new one?
Remember, when you are outside, locate the sunrise, it is in the east. If you are facing
the sunrise, north will be to your left, south will be to your right, and west is behind you.
Practice using the cardinal directions while riding in a car or on the bus. Also, notice
the street signs using the four cardinal directions- north, east, south, and west.
If you left your home and could travel in only one direction, which
cardinal direction would you choose? Why did you choose that direction?
5
7. Activity Name __________________________ Date _________
Work with your partner for each of the following instructions.
1. Use the first letters of the cardinal directions and make short sentences to help remember them.
N___________________ E___________________ S___________________ W____________________
N___________________ E___________________ S___________________ W____________________
N___________________ E___________________ S___________________ W____________________
N___________________ E___________________ S___________________ W____________________
N___________________ E___________________ S___________________ W____________________
2. Use the spaces below to make 4 designs for a compass rose:
3. Using the paper your teacher provides, you and your partner will copy one of the compass roses, color
it, and then cut it out.
6
8. Practice Name __________________________ Date _________
Find the state and tell which states are found north, east, south, or west of its borders.
STATE North of… East of… South of… West of…
1 Kansas
2 Oregon
3 North Dakota
4 Colorado
5 Louisiana
6 New Mexico
7 Missouri
8 Texas
9 Minnesota
10 North Carolina
Find your state, and tell what states are to the north, east, south, and west:
7
9. Homework Name __________________________ Date _________
Follow the instructions using the boxes.
X
Start at the X, move two boxes east, place a 1
Answer each question.
move two boxes south, place a 2
1. Which direction is the sunset?
move three boxes east, place a 3
2. Which direction is the sunrise?
move two boxes south, place a 4
3. Which direction points to the “top” of the
move two boxes east, place a 5 Earth?
move four boxes north, place a 6 4. Which direction points to the “bottom” of the
Earth?
move three boxes west, place a 7
5. What is used to display the cardinal direc-
move five boxes south, place an 8 tions?
move three boxes west, place a 9 6. What is the course or path you move in
move two boxes south, place a 10 called?
move five boxes east, place an 11 7. What are the four abbreviations for the cardinal
directions?
move three boxes east, place a 12
8. True or False: A person always moves south when
move one box south, place a 13 they walk straight ahead.
move six boxes west, place a 14 9. True or False: The opposite of north is south.
move one box south, place a 15 10 True or False: The opposite of east is west.
8
10. Homework Answer Key
Name __________________________ Date _________
Follow the instructions using the boxes.
X 1 7 6
2 3
4 5
9 8
10 11 12
14 13
15
Start at the X, move two boxes east, place a 1
Answer each question.
move two boxes south, place a 2
1. Which direction is the sunset? West
move three boxes east, place a 3
2. Which direction is the sunrise? East
move two boxes south, place a 4
3. Which direction points to the “top” of the Earth? North
move two boxes east, place a 5
4. Which direction points to the “bottom” of the Earth?
move four boxes north, place a 6 South
move three boxes west, place a 7 5. What is used to display the cardinal directions? Com-
move five boxes south, place an 8 pass rose
move three boxes west, place a 9 6. What is the course or path you move in called? Di-
rection
move two boxes south, place a 10
7. What are the four abbreviations for the cardinal di-
move five boxes east, place an 11 rections? N, E, S, W
move three boxes east, place a 12 8. True or False: A person always moves south when
move one box south, place a 13 they walk straight ahead.
move six boxes west, place a 14 9. True or False: The opposite of north is south.
move one box south, place a 15 10 True or False: The opposite of east is west.
9