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Summaries · Grade 4 Geography › Plans and symbols
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Plans and symbols

What things look like from the front, the side and above, and how we draw a plan. Read one part at a time and tap “I know this”. Then test yourself in the quiz.

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From the front, the side and above

The same thing looks different when you look from another side. We call it a view. The front view, for example, shows the windows of a house best.

FrontSideTop
From above, a mug looks like a circle.
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From above, an upright pencil looks like a tiny dot, and a table like a rectangle.

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The bird’s-eye view

A bird’s-eye view is what a bird sees when it looks straight down from above. That way you can see exactly where everything is. That is why we draw plans and maps from above.

From above you see where everything is.
From above you see where everything is.
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A plan of your classroom

A plan is a drawing from above of a small place, such as your classroom, your home or the school grounds. It shows where the door, the windows, the board and the desks are.

boardteacherdoorwindows →N
A plan shows everything from above, to scale.
  • A plan is drawn to scale, so everything stays in the right proportion.
  • We use symbols instead of pictures, because they save space.
  • An arrow shows north, so you know which way the plan faces.
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Plan, map or photo?

  • A plan shows a small place in lots of detail, such as one room.
  • A map shows a bigger area, such as a town or a country, with less detail.
  • A photo shows everything as it is, but it is not drawn to scale.
Rule

An architect draws a plan before a building is built, so mistakes are found early.

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Remember this and test yourself

Remember this: your summary
  • A view is what something looks like from one side: from the front, the side or above.
  • The bird’s-eye view is straight from above. We draw plans and maps like that.
  • A plan is a drawing from above of a small place, such as a classroom or a house.
  • A plan is drawn to scale: everything is smaller, but in the right proportion.
  • Symbols stand for things; an arrow shows where north is.

Write these points in your book. Read them again the night before the test.

Memory trick

A plan is a bird’s eye: look straight down from above, and draw only what you see from there.

Flash cards · Tap to turn over

Important words

First say what the word means, then turn the card over.

Test yourself · Part 2

True or false?

Read the question and the answer. Is the answer right? Tap True or False.

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    • Read one part together and ask your child to tell it back in their own words.
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    Follows CAPS for Grade 4 Social Sciences (Geography). Always check your teacher’s notes and textbook too.

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