You will learn
- Find our country on a map.
- Name continent and region.
- Name neighbours and ocean.
- Describe the location.
Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.
Student lesson
- Sierra Leone is in West Africa.
- Its neighbours are Guinea and Liberia.
- The Atlantic Ocean lies to the south-west.
- Freetown is the capital.
Words to know
where a place is
a country that shares a border
the line where two countries meet
the city where the government sits
1. Discover: Finding home
Aminata finds Africa on the globe. Then she moves her finger to the west coast. “This is Sierra Leone,” she says. “Guinea is to the north and east. Liberia is to the south-east. The Atlantic Ocean is to the west.” “And Freetown?” asks Ms Smith. Aminata points to the coast. “There, on the peninsula,” she says.
Think: How would you describe where your country is?
2. Understand: Location
Idea 1: Where is it?
Sierra Leone is a country on the west coast of the continent of Africa, in the part called West Africa. Its capital city is Freetown.
Idea 2: Neighbours
A neighbour country shares a border. Sierra Leone borders Guinea to the north and east and Liberia to the south-east. The Atlantic Ocean lies to the south-west.
Idea 3: Describing location
We describe a location by naming the continent, the region, the neighbours, nearby water and the capital. We can add directions, such as: Sierra Leone is on the west coast of Africa, north of the equator.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Find it
On the map.
- Find Africa.
- Go west.
- Point.
Answer: West coast.
Example 2 (We do it together): Neighbours
Who?
- Look.
- Name.
- Check.
Answer: Guinea and Liberia.
Example 3 (You try): Describe
Say it all.
Show the steps and answer
- Continent.
- Region.
- Neighbours.
Answer: West Africa, Guinea, Liberia, Atlantic.
Did you know?
Freetown has one of the largest natural harbours in the world.
Why this matters
Describing where we live helps us tell others about our home.
4. Explore: Location card
Make a card about your country: its continent, region, neighbours, ocean and capital. Draw it on a map. Swap with a partner. Learners from other countries use their own country.
- Plan.
- Write.
- Draw.
- Swap.
Think about it: what did you notice?
What did you notice? Every place has neighbours.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- Sierra Leone is in ___.
- Its neighbours are ___.
- Its capital is ___.
- The ocean is the ___.
Guided practice
Question 1. Which continent?
Africa.
Question 2. Which region?
West Africa.
Question 3. Name a neighbour.
Guinea or Liberia.
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- Which continent?
- Which region?
- Name a neighbour.
- Which ocean?
- What is the capital?
Level 2: Grow
- Why use neighbours?
- Why use directions?
- Why know our country?
Level 3: Stretch
- Find on a map.
- Make a card.
- Describe aloud.
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Social Studies in everyday life
Describe where Sierra Leone is.
Show a sample answer
West Africa, Atlantic.
Another one. Find our country on a map with an adult.
Show a sample answer
Share.
7. Common mistakes
Fix: It is in Africa.
Fix: Its neighbours are Guinea and Liberia.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can find our country on a map.
- I can name continent and region.
- I can name neighbours and ocean.
- I can describe the location.
9. Check and master
Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.
Your result appears here after you answer every question.
10. Key takeaways
- Sierra Leone is in West Africa.
- Its neighbours are Guinea and Liberia.
- The Atlantic Ocean lies to the south-west.
- Freetown is the capital.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Drawing community maps. Keep going with the next idea in this course.
Exam practice
These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.
- Describe where Sierra Leone is. [4 marks]
- Name Sierra Leone’s neighbours. [2 marks]
- Say what a border is. [2 marks]
- Say why we name neighbours. [2 marks]
Total: 10 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- Continent [1]; region [1]; neighbours [1]; ocean [1]
- Guinea [1]; Liberia [1]
- Where countries meet [2]
- Describe [1]; exact [1]
Score guide: 9 to 10 = secure. 6 to 8 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 6 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.
Printable worksheet
- Which continent?
- Which region?
- Name a neighbour.
- Which ocean?
- What is the capital?
- Why use neighbours?
- Why use directions?
- Why know our country?
- Find on a map.
- Make a card.
Homework
Make a location card for your country.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Which continent? | Africa. | 1 |
| 2. Which region? | West Africa. | 1 |
| 3. Name a neighbour. | Guinea or Liberia. | 1 |
| 4. Which ocean? | Atlantic. | 1 |
| 5. What is the capital? | Freetown. | 1 |
| 6. Why use neighbours? | Describe location. | 1 |
| 7. Why use directions? | Be exact. | 1 |
| 8. Why know our country? | Belonging. | 1 |
| 9. Find on a map. | Find. | 1 |
| 10. Make a card. | Card. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 Africa.; 2 West Africa.; 3 Guinea or Liberia.; 4 Atlantic.; 5 Freetown.. Level 2: 1 Describe location.; 2 Be exact.; 3 Belonging.. Level 3: 1 Find.; 2 Card.; 3 Say..
Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.
Mastery and remediation
| Objective | Bronze (Developing) | Silver (Proficient) | Gold (Advanced) |
|---|---|---|---|
| O1 Find our country on a map | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O2 Name continent and region | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O3 Name neighbours and ocean | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O4 Describe the location | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.
If a learner struggles
- Find the misconception: “Sierra Leone is in Europe.” It is in Africa.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Draw our country’s outline.
- Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
- Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
- Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.
For parents and guardians
In this lesson your child learns where our country is. Please look at a map together. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Find our country on maps.
- Talk about neighbours.
- Visit a nearby place.
- Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
- Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
- Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.
Teacher package
1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration
Lesson objectives. Learners will: find our country on a map; name continent and region; name neighbours and ocean; describe the location.
Prerequisite knowledge. Grade 2 ideas: maps, globes, symbols, keys and cardinal directions.
Materials. World map, paper, crayons. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.
Preparation. Prepare maps of West Africa.
Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.
6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities
Introduction (5 min). Tell the finding home story.
Explanation (10 min). Teach location.
Guided activity (10 min). Location card.
Independent activity (10 min). Discuss.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. Where is our country? Who are its neighbours?
Teacher explanation notes. Start with a picture, story, map or local example. Then talk about what was seen, then draw and write. Always ask “how do you know?” and invite more than one view. Treat every family, culture and community with respect, and never ask learners to share private information.
10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions
Support. Use pictures, maps, real objects and short sentences, and let learners work with a partner. Let learners point, show, act or draw instead of writing. Extension. Ask learners to find a new example from their own community and explain how they know.
Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.
Misconceptions. “Sierra Leone is in Europe.” It is in Africa.
13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme
Use the quiz, the 10-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.
16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection
Remediation. Draw our country’s outline. Enrichment. Find one new example near your home or school, draw or write about it and explain it to someone. Homework. See above.
Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.
Sources and standards
This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: NCSS standards and C3 Framework, Cambridge Primary Humanities and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.
Research used to shape this lesson. Courseversity Social Studies curriculum, Grade 2 Unit 4, topic 9; NCSS C3 Framework, geographic representations and spatial views; Cambridge Primary Humanities, places and maps; IB Primary Years Programme, where we are in place and time. These sources informed the lesson.