Primary General Studies: Maps and Directions — Tutor Lesson Plan (scale, compass, legend)

2026-10-28

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Primary General Studies

Pupils hunt for names on a map. Read three things first: the compass, the scale and the legend.

Objectives — the student can describe positions using eight compass points, convert map distance with a scale, and describe a route with direction, distance and landmarks.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Directions	Where is south-east?	Between east and south
Multiplication	Work out 4 times 500	2000
Units	How many metres in a kilometre?	1000

02 Lesson flow (45 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-8 min	Read three things	Compass, scale, legend	Point them out
8-18 min	Eight points	Describe relative positions	Three places
18-28 min	Scale	1 cm to 500 m	Three distances
28-38 min	Routes	Start, direction, distance, landmark	Write one route
38-42 min	Correction	Reversed direction, wrong unit	Fix two sentences
42-45 min	Exit check	Three questions marked	Finish alone

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Read the frame before the names

The compass shows north, the scale says what a centimetre means, the legend explains colours and symbols.
Until those three are read, the map is just colours.

Student points to each of the three.

Scene 2: Direction depends on where you stand

The school is south-east of the park, and the park is north-west of the school.
Decide the viewpoint before giving a direction.

Student describes three relative positions.

Scene 3: Scale multiplies, never estimates

At 1 cm to 500 m, 4 cm on the map is 4 times 500, which is 2000 m or 2 km.
Measure, multiply, then convert units.

Note: check the order of magnitude; two schools are never 200 km apart.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Direction	where is the school?	Viewed from the park	South-east
Scale	4 cm at 1 cm to 500 m	4 times 500	2000 m, 2 km
Legend	what does blue show?	Check the legend	Water
Route	from A to B	Direction, distance, landmark	Four sentences

Sanity check (teach this): After converting a scale, check the size: a playground is not 200 kilometres across.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
6 cm at 1 cm to 500 m	3000 m, 3 km	Multiply then convert
A is north-west of B, so B is…	South-east of A	Opposite direction
First step in reading a map	Compass, scale, legend	Frame first

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Reversed direction	says B is east of A when A is east of B	Reverse it.
Scale not applied	writes 4	Multiply by 500.
Unit error	writes 2000 km	It is metres.
Legend ignored	calls blue grass	Read the legend.

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Primary General Studies chapter index — Use the three tasks on this page

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
6 cm at 1 cm to 500 m	3 km	All right: move to media
Opposite of north-west	South-east	One wrong: re-teach
Three things to read first	Compass, scale, legend	Two wrong: repeat scene 1

09 Tutor FAQ

Memorise eight points?

Yes, and practise the viewpoint.

Are phone maps allowed?

Yes, once paper concepts are clear.

Two scale formats?

Words and fractions; primary uses words.

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A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.