Year 6 - Geography
Travel and time
Time zones: can we time travel on planet Earth?
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit explores the relationship between the Earth's rotation, day and night, and time zones. Pupils learn how longitude affects time, investigate the International Date Line, and consider what happens when we travel across the globe.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to understand that time zones can have an effect on travel.
Key Notes
- Many flights cross time zones, leading to discrepancies between the time in the air and that of destination airports.
- Some flights cross the International Date Line moving between the western and eastern hemispheres of the globe.
- Some countries, including the UK, adjust their time in certain seasons to maximise the hours of daylight.
- Interactive flight maps can be used to investigate the complex pattern of international flights.
Vocabulary To Learn
- Eastern Hemisphere: The Eastern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that lies east between the Prime Meridian and the International Date Line.
- Western Hemisphere: The Western Hemisphere is the half of Earth that lies west between the Prime Meridian and the International Date Line.
- Daylight Saving Time: Daylight Saving Time is the practice of turning the time forward by one hour in Spring to make use of longer daylight hours and back to standard time in Autumn when there are fewer hours of daylight.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- All journeys start in GMT.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this geography topic using two clear key points.
Many flights cross time zones, leading to discrepancies between the time in the air and that of destination airports. Some flights cross the International Date Line moving between the western and eastern hemispheres of the globe.
2. Define this geography term and use it in an example. 'Eastern Hemisphere'
The Eastern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that lies east between the Prime Meridian and the International Date Line.
3. Correct this common geography misunderstanding.
Mistake: All journeys start in GMT. Correction: This lesson only uses journeys that begin in GMT. This is to avoid any that start in the western hemisphere, cross the Prime Meridian and end in the eastern hemisphere, which are more complicated for KS2 pupils to understand using time zone maps.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 6 Geography guide library.