Understanding the four main compass points: North, South, East, West and their positions.
Where your child meets this in real life: Reading maps, following directions, understanding weather reports
SEAGReady breaks four compass points into 2 steps, taught in order so each skill builds on the last.
Identify North, South, East, and West on a compass rose and understand their positions and relationships
Use compass points to describe the direction from one place to another on a simple map or grid
Three free sample questions from our four compass points course. Every question comes with a full explanation, and hints that guide without giving the answer away.
Sean is learning to use a compass in his geography class. Which compass point is always at the TOP of a standard compass rose?
Answer: A. North
North is always at the top of a standard compass rose. This matches how maps are drawn - North is up, South is down, East is right, West is left.
Stuck? Start here: Think about which direction is 'up' on any map you have seen.
On a map of Belfast, the City Hall is shown directly ABOVE the Botanic Gardens. What direction is the City Hall from the Botanic Gardens?
Answer: C. North
On a standard map: - Up = North - Down = South - Right = East - Left = West The City Hall is directly above (North of) the Botanic Gardens.
Stuck? Start here: On a map, 'up' corresponds to which compass direction?
Aoife is looking at a compass rose. What direction is directly opposite to North?
Answer: C. South
South is directly opposite to North. The compass has two pairs of opposites: - North is opposite South - East is opposite West
Stuck? Start here: If North is at the top, what is at the bottom?
This is the exact interactive worked example your child sees in SEAGReady. Step through it and watch the method build up.
Ciara is learning to read a compass for her orienteering club. She needs to label the four main directions.
Starting at North and going clockwise, what is the order of the four compass points?
N, ?, ?, ?
Step 1 of 5
Ciara is learning to read a compass for her orienteering club. She needs to label the four main directions.
Starting at North and going clockwise, what is the order of the four compass points?
The four compass points in clockwise order are North, East, South, West.
The key insight: Remember 'Never Eat Soggy Waffles' - the first letter of each word gives N, E, S, W clockwise!
Watch out: Putting East on the left side. East and West are often confused. Remember the sun rises in the East (right side of a map).
These are the misconceptions we see most often in four compass points, including the ones our practice questions are specifically designed to catch.
SEAGReady finds the exact step where your child gets stuck, teaches it with worked examples like the one above, and brings it back for review so it sticks.