45-minute lesson
Year 6 Geography: The Asia region
Lesson objective
- Locate the sub-regions and major countries of Asia.
- Identify major natural features of Asia.
- Describe the diversity of environments and populations in Asia.
Success criteria:
- I can name and locate at least three sub-regions of Asia.
- I can locate major features such as the Himalayas and the Yangtze River.
- I can explain why Asia is described as diverse.
Materials
- An atlas or printed map of Asia
- Coloured pencils
- Notebook
Introduction
5 minIntroduce today's words:
- region: An area with shared features that sets it apart from other areas.
- monsoon: A seasonal wind that brings heavy rain for part of the year, especially in South and Southeast Asia.
- population density: The number of people living in a given area, such as per square kilometre.
- mountain range: A chain of mountains.
- archipelago: A group of islands.
Ask your child what they already know about the asia region.
Explanation
9 minAsia is the world's largest continent by both area and population. About six in every ten people in the world live in Asia. India and China are the countries with the largest populations in the world.
Geographers often divide Asia into sub-regions: East Asia (for example China, Japan, the Koreas, Mongolia), Southeast Asia (for example Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines), South Asia (for example India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal), Central Asia and West Asia.
Asia has dramatic natural features. The Himalayas contain the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest, at 8,849 metres on the border of Nepal and China. Major rivers include the Yangtze (the longest in Asia), the Ganges and the Mekong. The Gobi is a large cold desert.
Southeast Asia includes large archipelagos such as Indonesia and the Philippines. Many parts of East and Southeast Asia lie on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire', with frequent earthquakes and volcanoes.
Climates range from tropical rainforests near the equator to cold deserts and high mountains. In South and Southeast Asia, the monsoon brings a wet season that is vital for farming, especially rice.
Asia is diverse in languages, religions, cultures and ways of life. Huge megacities such as Tokyo, Delhi and Shanghai contrast with remote villages.
Worked examples
7 minClassifying countries by sub-region
Place these countries in sub-regions: Vietnam, Japan, India, Indonesia.
Step 1: Vietnam and Indonesia lie south of China and north of Australia: Southeast Asia.
Step 2: Japan is east of mainland China: East Asia.
Step 3: India is in the Indian subcontinent: South Asia.
Answer: Southeast Asia: Vietnam, Indonesia. East Asia: Japan. South Asia: India.
Comparing heights
Mount Everest is 8,849 m and Mount Kosciuszko is 2,228 m. How much higher is Everest?
Step 1: Subtract: 8,849 − 2,228 = 6,621.
Answer: Everest is 6,621 m higher.
Guided practice (do together)
9 min1. Which mountain range contains Mount Everest?
(a) The Andes (b) The Alps (c) The Himalayas (d) The Rockies
2. Which is the longest river in Asia?
(a) The Yangtze (b) The Nile (c) The Murray (d) The Amazon
3. Which country is in Southeast Asia?
(a) Japan (b) India (c) Mongolia (d) Thailand
4. What is a monsoon?
(a) A type of volcano (b) A seasonal wind bringing heavy rain (c) A desert (d) A mountain
Independent practice
11 min5. Which two countries have the largest populations in the world?
(a) India and China (b) Japan and Indonesia (c) Australia and New Zealand (d) Nepal and Bhutan
6. How tall is Mount Everest, in metres?
7. A group of islands is called an ____.
8. Which is the largest continent?
Questions to check understanding
- Can you name and locate at least three sub-regions of Asia?
- Can you locate major features such as the Himalayas and the Yangtze River?
- Can you explain why Asia is described as diverse?
- What was the trickiest part today?
Answer guide
1. The Himalayas — Everest is in the Himalayas.
2. The Yangtze — The Yangtze in China is the longest river in Asia.
3. Thailand — Thailand is in Southeast Asia.
4. A seasonal wind bringing heavy rain — Monsoons bring a seasonal wet period.
5. India and China — India and China each have more than 1.4 billion people.
6. 8849 — Everest's official height is 8,849 m.
7. archipelago — Indonesia and the Philippines are archipelagos.
8. Asia — Asia is the largest continent by area and population.
Review
4 minRecap the success criteria together. Watch for these common misconceptions:
- Asia is sometimes treated as one culture. It is extraordinarily diverse in languages, religions and ways of life.
- Some think all of Asia is hot. Asia includes Siberia, high mountains and cold deserts.
Extension activities
- Create a fact file for one Asian country, including population, capital, languages and a natural feature.
- Make a labelled map of Asia's sub-regions.
- Research how the monsoon affects rice farming in one country.
Suggested follow-up
- Revisit the asia region tomorrow with two or three quick questions from memory.
- Try the online practice check for this topic and look at any questions that need another go.
Tips for parents
- If your family has Asian heritage, share stories, language and food to make learning personal.
- Use an atlas to compare the size of Asian countries with Australia.
- Cook a meal from an Asian country and locate it on a map together.