This is a picture of our world or Earth upon which we live.

It is a great ball. The part you see is the outside or surface and is either land or water.

The parts of this picture which appear smooth and dark blue represent the water. The rough and light tan and green parts are the land. You may know that on the Earth's surface, there is more water than land.

Look at the picture and imagine ships sailing across the water. Those great bodies of water are called oceans, and ships can sail on almost any part of it and in any direction. The tiny light spots you see in the ocean are portions of land, called islands, because there is water all around them.

If you look at the land on this picture, you will notice jagged, rough places in it. These are the highest part of the land and are called Mountains. The low places between the mountains are called valleys.

Within the land, you will see blue places. These represent lakes, which are bodies of water surrounded by the land. You may also spot light tan lines snaking through the green called rivers, which are streams of water flowing through the land.

The land is higher than the rivers, and the rivers are higher than the ocean. Therefore, the rain that falls on the land runs into the rivers, and the rivers flow toward the ocean.

Notebook Work: Sketch your own planet that resembles the Earth. Draw and color the land and the water. Add some mountains, valleys, lakes, and rivers on the land. Think up a name for your planet and label your planet with the name.