Lesson Guide
Explanation
A grid reference always gives the letter first and then the number. For C three, put one finger on the letter C at the top and slide across to that column, then put another finger on the three at the side and slide along to that row. Where your two fingers meet is the square you want, and here that is the circle. Say it out loud as you point — C, three — with one finger on each. That is the habit that stops you swapping them round.
Your Turn
In the grid above, what is at A1? Check: the star.
Watch Out
C3 is not the same square as 3C. Letter first, always.
Explanation
Going the other way works the same. To say where the triangle is, trace straight up from it to the letters and read off B, then trace straight across to the numbers and read off four. So the triangle is at B four. Letter first, then number — the same order every time, whether you are finding a square or naming one.
Your Turn
Where is the square in that grid? Check: D2.
Watch Out
Trace straight out to the edge. Guessing the column by eye goes wrong on a big grid.
Explanation
This is the one that catches people out. Left and right depend on which way you are facing, not on which side of the page something is. Walking along this street in the direction of the arrow, the green buildings are on your right, so the first building you pass on the right is the shop. The trick is to turn the page, or turn yourself, so that you are facing the way the arrow points. Then your own left and right are the right ones.
Your Turn
Walking → along that street, what is the first building on your LEFT? Check: the library.
Watch Out
Do not use the left of the page. Face the direction of travel first.
Explanation
Here is the same street with the arrow the other way. Nothing on the map has moved, but left and right have swapped, because you are facing the other way. Now the first building you pass on the right is the park and the first on the left is the café. This is why the question always tells you where you start and which way you go — those words are doing the real work, and they are the ones to read twice.
Your Turn
Walking ← along that street, what is the second building on your right? Check: the school.
Watch Out
Read the starting point and the direction before you look at the buildings.
Explanation
On a map, north is up, south is down, east is right and west is left. A quarter turn is a right angle, and clockwise is the way clock hands go, so a quarter turn clockwise from north takes you to east, then south, then west, then back to north. Four quarter turns bring you all the way round to where you began. That is the whole lesson: grid references letter first, left and right taken from the direction of travel, and turns. Quiz and exercises now.
Your Turn
You face south and turn a quarter turn clockwise. Which way now? Check: west.
Watch Out
Anticlockwise goes the other way: N → W → S → E. Check which one the question says.
📌 Key Points — this lesson in a nutshell
- A grid reference is letter first, then number: C3 means column C, row 3.
- Go across to the letter, then along to the number. Across before down.
- Left and right depend on which way you are facing, not on which side of the page it is.
- A quarter turn is a right angle. Clockwise is the way clock hands go.
Step 1: Introduction
Step 1 of 5
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