Atlas of the World for primary students

For primary education, using the Living Atlas of the World (Esri) can be both engaging and meaningful if the focus is on exploration, observation, storytelling, and simple data interpretation. While the full capabilities of the Living Atlas may be advanced for young learners, you can curate maps or embed simplified views in classroom tools to make them age-appropriate.

Here are practical and developmentally suitable ideas for using Living Atlas in primary education:

🗺️ 1. Exploring the World: “Where in the World…?”

Learning goals: Spatial awareness, continents, oceans, countries, map skills
Activity:

• Use colorful, interactive maps to explore continents and oceans.

• Ask questions like: “Where is it hot/cold? Where do animals live? Where is the rainforest?”

• Let students “zoom in” on places they’ve heard about in stories or seen in the news.

👉 Use Living Atlas base maps like “World Imagery” and physical geography layers.

🐘 2. Animals and Habitats

Learning goals: Biodiversity, biomes, geography
Activity:

• Explore layers showing biomes (e.g., desert, tundra, rainforest) and discuss what kinds of animals live in each.

• Compare different parts of the world—What’s it like in the Arctic vs. the Amazon?

👉 Use “Land Cover,” “Ecoregions,” or “Global Biodiversity” layers.

🚶 3. Our Neighborhood and the World

Learning goals: Local-global connections, map reading, sense of place
Activity:

• Map the school’s surroundings (trees, roads, buildings) using a simple Living Atlas basemap.

• Then compare it to a very different place (e.g., a mountain village, a desert town).

• Discuss: “How is our neighborhood different? What would it be like to live there?”

👉 Use “Streets,” “Imagery with Labels,” or “Human Footprint” basemaps.

🚰 4. Where Does Our Water Come From?

Learning goals: Water cycle, geography, sustainability
Activity:

• Show river networks or watershed maps to trace where local water might come from.

• Let children follow rivers from mountain to sea and identify where people live along them.

👉 Use “Watershed,” “Rivers,” or “Water Stress” layers.

🛒 5. How Far Does Our Food Travel?

Learning goals: Food origins, global connections, critical thinking
Activity:

• Choose a food item (like bananas or chocolate) and map the country it comes from.

• Trace the route it takes to the classroom. Compare with a local product.

• Discuss: “Why do we import food? What’s good/bad about that?”

👉 Use trade, agriculture, and transportation layers, or customize a simplified map.

🌳 6. Mapping Green Spaces

Learning goals: Environmental awareness, citizenship, spatial skills
Activity:

• Walk around the school to spot trees, gardens, or parks. Mark these on a base map.

• Then explore the Living Atlas to compare green areas in different cities.

• Ask: “Why are green spaces important? Do we have enough?”

👉 Use “Tree Canopy,” “Urban Green,” or “Urban Heat Island” data (simplified).

🌀 7. Weather Around the World

Learning goals: Weather patterns, observation, comparison
Activity:

• Use real-time weather layers to see where it’s raining, hot, or stormy.

• Match weather to regions and seasons. Ask: “Where is it sunny right now? Why is it winter there?”

👉 Use “Current Weather,” “Climate Zones,” or “Global Temperature” layers.

🧭 Tips for Teachers in Primary Schools

• Use map-based stories: Esri’s StoryMaps can tell visual stories suitable for young learners—many include embedded Living Atlas maps.

• Simplify the view: Use screenshots or embed selected views instead of the full GIS interface.

• Ask open-ended questions: Encourage observation and simple reasoning: “What do you notice? What is different? Why do you think that is?”

• Connect to local fieldwork: Start with the local area, then “zoom out” to global examples using Living Atlas.

Website: https://doc.arcgis.com/en/arcgis-storymaps/gallery/