Geography in KS1 and KS2
Year 1:
Locating where they live on an aerial photograph and recognising features within a local context. Creating maps using classroom objects before drawing simple maps of the school grounds. Following simple routes around the school grounds and carrying out an enquiry as to how their playground can be improved.
What is the weather like in the UK?
Looking at the countries and cities that make up the UK, keeping a daily weather record and finding out more about hot and cold places in the UK. This unit has been visually refreshed and now features new videos to enhance the learning experience. The core content of the unit remains unchanged.
Using a world map to start recognising continents, oceans and countries outside the UK with a focus on China. Children identify physical features of Shanghai using aerial photographs and maps before identifying human features, through exploring land-use. They compare the human and physical features of Shanghai to features in the local area and make a simple map using data collected through fieldwork.
Year 2:
Introducing children to the basic concept of climate zones and mapping out hot and cold places globally. Looking at features in the North and South Poles and Kenya. Comparing weather and features in the local area. Learning the four compass points. Learning the names and locating the continents of our world.
Learning about the world’s wonders, the names and locations of the world’s oceans and considering what is unique about the local area.
Naming and locating continents and oceans of the world while revisiting countries and cities of the UK and surrounding seas. Children learn about the physical features of the Jurassic Coast and how humans have interacted with this, including land use and tourism.
Year 3:
Why do people live near volcanoes?
Children learn that the Earth is constructed in layers, and the crust is divided into tectonic plates. They study the formation and distribution of mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes and use Mount Etna to identify how human interaction shapes a volcanic landscape.
Learning about how latitude and longitude link to climate and the physical and human features of polar regions with links to the explorer, Shackleton.
Exploring different types of settlements, land use, and the difference between urban and rural. Children describe the different human and physical features in their local area and make land use comparisons with New Delhi.
Year 4:
Looking at the distribution of the world’s biomes and mapping food imports from around the world; learning about trading fairly, focusing on Côte d’Ivoire and cocoa beans; exploring where the food for the children’s school dinners comes from and the argument of ‘local versus global’.
Developing an understanding of biomes, ecosystems and tropics; mapping features of the Amazon rainforest and learning about its layers; investigating how communities in Manaus use the Amazon’s resources; discussing the global human impact on the Amazon; and carrying out fieldwork to compare and contrast two types of forest.
Learning about rivers; their place in the water cycle, the name and location of major rivers and how they are used.
Year 5:
Considering the climate of mountain ranges and why people choose to visit the Alps; focusing on Innsbruck and looking at the human and physical features that attract tourists; investigating tourism in the local area and mapping recreational land use; presenting findings to compare the Alps to the children’s own locality.
Exploring the importance of our oceans and how they have changed over time with a focus on the Great Barrier Reef, specifically addressing climate change and pollution.
Exploring hot desert biomes and learning about the physical features of a desert and how humans interact with this environment.
Year 6:
Investigating why certain parts of the world are more populated than others; exploring birth and death rates; discussing social, economic and environmental push and pull factors; learning about the population in Britain and its impacts.
Learning about renewable and non-renewable energy sources, where they come from and their impact on society, the economy and the environment.
Observing, measuring, recording and presenting their own fieldwork study of the local area.