France — cycle 3 and cycle 4 geography
Map projections in French 6e geography: Equal Earth, Mercator
How well this site fits
This is one of the two strongest matches. The new cycle 3 programme opens 6e geography with a short theme on locating yourself on the Earth. It asks pupils to compare projections and to explain that representing the Earth involves distortion, and it lists four projections as reference points: Mercator, Peters, Lambert and Equal Earth. The labs here let a pupil compare at least three projections and see the distortion. Two gaps: the site does not offer Lambert, and it has no exercise on naming the tropics or the Greenwich meridian.
Objectives and how the site meets them
Strong fit: a pupil can meet the objective on this site alone. Partial fit: the site covers part of it. Context: related background only.
| Where in the curriculum | What it says | What pupils do here |
|---|---|---|
Cycle 3 (nouveau programme, BO n° 22 du 28 mai 2026), Sixième, Thème introductif : Je me repère à la surface de la Terre, Objectifs d'apprentissage, annexe 4, p. 13 Fit: Strong fit | What it saysComparer différentes projections en mettant en évidence les déformations liées aux projections à partir d'au moins trois exemples.Unofficial translation and summary Pupils compare several projections, bringing out the distortions each one causes, using at least three examples. This is the heart of the introductory theme of 6e. | What pupils do here Pupils: Morphs the world between Mercator, Equal Earth and a third projection, reads the distortion heatmap, and drags countries to compare their true sizes. Use on this site |
Cycle 3 (nouveau programme, BO n° 22 du 28 mai 2026), Sixième, Thème introductif : Je me repère à la surface de la Terre, Attendus, annexe 4, p. 13 Fit: Strong fit | What it saysExpliquer que la représentation de la Terre implique une déformation.Unofficial translation and summary One of the expected outcomes is that pupils can explain why representing the Earth on a map always involves some distortion. | What pupils do here Pupils: Cuts the globe into strips, lays them flat and sees the gaps, then folds a paper globe from the printables and says in their own words why a flat map must distort. Use on this site |
Cycle 3 (nouveau programme, BO n° 22 du 28 mai 2026), Sixième, Thème introductif : Je me repère à la surface de la Terre, Repères, annexe 4, p. 13 Fit: Partial fit | What it saysQuatre projections : - Mercator. - Peters. - Lambert. - Equal Earth.Unofficial translation and summary The programme lists four projections as reference points: Mercator, Peters, Lambert and Equal Earth, together with the Equator, the tropics, the polar circles and the Greenwich meridian. The site covers Mercator and Equal Earth directly. The programme’s “Peters” is the projection this site calls Gall-Peters (the Gall–Peters and Peters projection are one projection), and the site offers it. It does not offer Lambert and has no exercise on naming the tropics, polar circles or Greenwich meridian. | What pupils do here Pupils: Reads the guides to Mercator, Equal Earth and Gall-Peters, and compares them side by side. The Peters of the programme is the Gall-Peters of the site. Use on this site |
Cycle 4 (programme de 2020, BOEN n° 31 du 30 juillet 2020, annexe 3), Géographie, compétence « Se repérer dans l'espace : construire des repères géographiques », p. 80 Fit: Partial fit | What it saysUtiliser des représentations analogiques et numériques des espaces à différentes échelles ainsi que différents modes de projection.Unofficial translation and summary A cycle 4 competency (5e, 4e, 3e) asks pupils to use analogue and digital representations of space at different scales, and different projection modes. It is the only line of the 2020 cycle 4 programme that mentions projections. The site covers the projection part, not scales. | What pupils do here Pupils: Switches between projections in the lab, compares globe-style and centred maps with flat ones in the guides, and sees the everyday web map set against a globe. Use on this site |
Cycle 3 (programme précédent, en vigueur à la rentrée 2023), compétences travaillées : Se repérer dans l'espace, p. 67 Fit: Context | What it saysSe repérer dans l'espace : construire des repères géographiques - Nommer et localiser les grands repères géographiques.Unofficial translation and summary The previous cycle 3 programme, still the text for some classes while the new one is introduced, asks pupils to build geographical reference points: to name and locate. It never mentions projections or the globe. Cited as context only. | What pupils do here Pupils: Locates a country from real distance and direction, and drags countries on a world map to see how their apparent size changes. Use on this site |
A lesson sequence
1. Hook (5 min)
Pupils drag Greenland, or any country, toward the Equator and watch it shrink. The question “why does a country change size?” opens the theme.
2. Explain the distortion (10 min)
Pupils cut the globe into strips and flatten them, then fold the printable paper globe, and state that representing the Earth involves distortion.
3. Compare at least three projections (10 min)
Morph between Mercator, Equal Earth and a third projection (Robinson or Winkel Tripel). On the worksheet, record what happens to sizes and shapes.
4. Locate on a world map (10 min)
Use the distortion heatmap to see where distortion is worst, then locate the Equator, tropics, polar circles and Greenwich meridian on whichever projection is on screen. The site shows the grid; the naming is done by the class.
5. Assess (5 min)
Run the quiz, or use the worksheet, ending with: which map would you choose to compare the sizes of countries? Answer: an equal-area map such as Equal Earth.
What this site does not cover
- Lambert is named in the programme but is not a projection this site offers.
- Naming and locating the tropics, polar circles and Greenwich meridian: the site shows the Equator and a grid but has no exercise on them.
- Naming and locating continents and oceans: the site’s place game covers countries only.
- Scale as a ratio, plans and large-scale maps are not covered.
- Cycle 4 digital cartography and GIS are not covered.
Status notes
- The new cycle 3 programme (BO n° 22 du 28 mai 2026) applies progressively. Check the schedule for your class on education.gouv.fr before planning.
- We read the programme PDF published as annexe 4 on education.gouv.fr. We could not open the BO page itself, so please confirm the text against the BO.
- For cycle 4, the 2020 programme is the text we found in force; a Conseil supérieur des programmes draft exists but is not the programme and is not cited here.
Sources and attribution
Official document: Programmes d'enseignement de l'école élémentaire et du collège : histoire-géographie, cycles 3 et 4 (Ministère de l'Éducation nationale)
- Ministère de l’Éducation nationale, programme d’histoire-géographie du cycle 3, BO n° 22 du 28 mai 2026, annexe 4, p. 13. https://www.education.gouv.fr/bo/2026/Hebdo22/MENE2608631A
- Programme du cycle 4, BOEN n° 31 du 30 juillet 2020, annexe 3, p. 80. Programme du cycle 3 précédent, version en vigueur à la rentrée 2023. https://eduscol.education.gouv.fr
- Short quotations only, in French, with the source above. The summaries and glosses are ours and are unofficial translations, not texts of the Ministry.
Checked on October 9, 2026