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Lesson 5 of 5
  • Year 6

Using digital maps to plan a trip to a different time zone

I can use a geographic information system (GIS) to investigate the differences in time and the climate between my home place and a country in a different time zone.

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Lesson 5 of 5
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  • Year 6

Using digital maps to plan a trip to a different time zone

I can use a geographic information system (GIS) to investigate the differences in time and the climate between my home place and a country in a different time zone.

Download all

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Digital maps on a GIS can be used to see different time zones around the world.
  2. Different layers, such as those showing temperature and rainfall, can be added on a GIS to help us investigate places.
  3. GIS can be used to plan trips as we can compare geographical data where we live with that of where we are going.

Keywords

  • Geographic information system - a GIS contains digital maps that allow us to see and understand geographical patterns

  • Layer - geographical information that can be added to a digital map

  • Time zone - an area of the world that uses the same time

Common misconception

Time zones change as we travel north to south across different latitudes.

Time zones change as we move east to west across different longitudes.


To help you plan your year 6 geography lesson on: Using digital maps to plan a trip to a different time zone, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Teachers may wish pupils to complete the GIS tasks alongside the video modelling, by showing the video in short sections and then asking pupils to complete each part of the instructions
Teacher tip

Equipment

Computer, tablet and internet access.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is a digital map?

Correct answer: a map you can use on a computer, tablet, or phone
a paper map printed out
a map that involves a video game

Q2.
What is a time zone?

Correct answer: an area of the world that uses the same time
the exact time it takes to fly to a country
the hours a shop or building is open

Q3.
A 'Measure' tool on a GIS enables you to measure the between two places.

Correct Answer: distance

Q4.
How can a map help you plan a trip to a different country?

Correct answer: it shows where places are that you could visit
Correct answer: it shows how far you will have to travel
it helps you understand words and phrases in a different language
it helps you calculate prices in a different currency

Q5.
What is a line of latitude?

Correct answer: a line round the Earth, showing distance north or south from the Equator
a line round the Earth, showing distance east or west from the Prime Meridian
a line that shows the route of an airplane
a line that shows where temperatures are the same

Q6.
A line of is an imaginary line that goes round the Earth from the North Pole to the South Pole.

Correct Answer: longitude

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
GIS stands for a geographic information .

Correct Answer: system

Q2.
A __________ on a GIS allows us to add data to a basemap.

1 - L
2 - A
3 - Y
4 - E
5 - R

Q3.
What does the 'T' stand for in GMT?

Correct Answer: time

Q4.
Which of these countries has only one time zone?

Correct answer: China
Greenland
Russia
USA