Geography in Year 3

Date: 10th Sep 2025 @ 7:59am

What are the 8 points of a compass?

We have kicked off this half term by learning about the 8 points of a compass.

A compass is a device that indicates direction. It is one of the most important instruments in Geography.

We know the Cardinal points are North, East, South and West.

The Intercardinal points are North-West, South-West, North-East and South-East.

We are going to study an Ordinance Survey map of the UK, located Manchester and mapped out cities which were located along the 8 main points of the compass.

Vocabulary Alert: Cardinal means important or main.

We are also going to use an Atlas (a book of maps), Google Earth, Digi-maps and a Globe to locate the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK).

We will look at France and its bordering countries during out Modern Foreign Languages lesson.

The children recalled:

“The cardinal points are North, East, South and West.”

“We looked at physical and human features around our school.”

“I used a compass with my partner to find the Cardinal Points.”

"We live in the North West of England."

“When we are in the classroom we face North.”

“Physical features are natural such as woodland, lakes, rivers and mountains.”

“Human features are built and made by people such as houses, schools, airports, cities and factories.”

Next, we will be learning about physical and human features of a location and discovering what these might look like on different kinds of maps.