Included full lesson plan
Starter
Atlas use
Maps to label
Mind maps about countries - using stats
Challenges included
Quiz-Quiz-Trade game
Note down some facts from the game
Starter images - good and bad things about living there
Learning objectives
Key terms - word bank and challenge
Image explanations to help lower ability
I do, we do, you do short activity and challenge question
Images for AFL checking push pull factors before main activity
Engaging activity - card sort real example
Paragraph writing reasons - sentence starters, challenge included
A few more examples of different scenarios - students think of factors and intervening obstacles
Plenary - push pull factors for themselves
Engaging lesson about the one child policy
Depending on your class you can adapt the PPT.
The lower and higher ability materials are already available (it’s set on level 3 and 4)
Includes opinion line at start and end of lesson. Can be done in classroom on in their books.
See how it changes as they learn about the topic.
Print out of the colour coded answers for lower ability/ SEND students to assist.
The history of China to now
Can easily be 2 lessons worth
Students are extremely engaged, lots of discussion points. I answered a few and had to tell them to write it down or address it next lesson.
Several tasks to do
Main task
Video with worksheet
You may need to pause depending on your students, or call out each number as you reach it.
Drawing a Then and Now image of China
Fun dingbats game. Example together first.
Learning objectives
Key terms (challenge included)
Explanation - sparse/dense
AFL thumbs
Lots of images - address misconceptions
Information on Asia (China) - Whats the differences discussion
Mind map - example together on board first. (challenge included)
Choropleth map introduction
Create your own (challenge included) - use Atlas
After a while - have countries on board to assist lower ability/ SEND and get them on pace
Answers on board - self check
Describe the distribution - copy example. Students write their own (help lower ability if needed). Challenge included. Having the example already in books allows them to have something available to refer to.
Plenary.
Starter: List as many countries in Asia as you can (prior knowledge)
Peer assess, add 5 to list allows them to learn more within cognitive load
Learning intentions (referred to throughout lesson)
Colour coded map and compass. Think/ Pair/ Share
Students act as the teachers and point out the regions.
Gapfill
Handout for SEN
What do you need to pack on holiday travelling in Asia?
Video
Image prompts to allow time (EAL, lower ability, SEND). Challenge included for others.
Similarities and differences between China and India (handouts)
Highlight information
Add own facts
2 paragraphs writing (sentence starters)
Answers on board
Bingo key words plenary but teacher uses definitions so students need to think
Assessment
Challenges included
Peer assessing
Show progress before and after.
4 marker question (to assist with end of unit assessment)
When finished, students to keep their books nice and presented etc.
Video
List 10 facts
Plenary discussion
Later:
Teacher mark and award marks, checks through books (every few weeks) - rewards for consistent effort, presentation etc, recognition of students within books, and in class next lesson.
e.g. postcards home for good work and special stamps, okay work stickers, improvements needed nothing (all is based on student’s progress on their ability)
Engaging and exploring lesson through reading.
If you don’t have the book, you can print out the pages (included)
1.To describe why Africa is both cursed and blessed by geography.
2. To identify key challenges that Africa faces.
3. To develop a creative piece of work about Africa.
• Starter: 5 facts – 2 minutes
• Date and title
• Learning intentions
• Read the book 5 minutes and 2 min discussion task
• Comprehension questions (10minutes) – challenges included.
• Peer assessment
• Raise of hands to check their knowledge
• Design a poster
• Plenary: share your work
Support: Examples, Colour coded, Answers on board, Word bank, Images, Gapfill for lower ability/ SEND
Animals in the Savanna - Lion King Remake of animals - Students well engaged and excited
Learning objectives - command words - meanings
Map of Savanna (students to add to their maps from previous lesson - Physical Geography of Africa). If you don’t have this, the maps (6 to a page) are also included if you wish to make this into an activity to shade in the biome and label the latitudes.
Video about the Savanna - Notes about the biome
Animal adaptation - I do (Lion), We do (Elephant), You do (Giraffe and Warthog). Challenges included.
All students are able to complete giraffe, lower ability may struggle with warthog so I had them think more about the giraffe. Remind them of Pumba from Lion King.
Answers on board - Students to add 3 more to their animals. Handouts available for students who can’t read, lower ability/ SEND to assist them. My students did not stick them in, they used it as help.
YOU ARE A GEOGRAPHER (Science advanced and you create your own animal!)
Choose 3 characteristics (timer them). Explain why those three and how they adapt to the Savanna.
Criteria and levels (on the board I have 5 and 6). On paper (handouts or printouts or you can adapt depending on your class/ student) I have level 3-7 success criteria.
Key words on the board, connectives on the board, challenges on the board, examples (sentences and images) on the board.
Sentence builders (shared between students) allows every student able to complete the task. Higher abilities will not use it but have it as a reference.
Students will be working at different paces due to ability. My higher ability asked to do more characteristics but only because they completed it. My lower ability/ SEND I expected at least 3 sentences (this is because this is in their assessment so they need to have this). Students who finished are able to sketch their animal. Higher rewards given as motivation.
Peer assessing. Students peer assess the presenter (visualiser if you have). We used fingers due to time, but if you have longer lessons or extend another class they can use the peer assessment handouts where students assess themselves, and then peer assess. They can then improve upon feedback.
Many students loved the task, wanted to share and spend their 15 minutes break continuing.
Engaged, fun task. You may need to finish earlier as students tend to not want to finish/ rush and continue/ willing to work into their breaks (but I don’t want them with me at break).
Rivers, Mountains, Deserts, Plains etc.
Prior knowledge check
Video - add to knowledge
Map creation - colour coded and Atlas use
2 versions - 1. blank (students had to really look and discover/ engage with the Atlas), they will ask for help or you can give prompts for harder ones. 2. Marked map (labelled)
Note: I only gave easier maps to students who go to special centres but my low ability and SEND students still did the blank map (they don’t complete it but they learn how to search and use the Atlas well). I did this because it is not in their assessment to know every part and map skills is more valuable for them.
Answers on board for marking
Reading information
Plenary
Extra version of map with key provided for lower ability/ SEND if you wish to use.
Spelling test
Introduction (maps)
Adjectives about it
Video
Adjectives now
Discussion about perception - address all the misconceptions
Describe location (gapfill) and challenges
Images and guessing if it’s in the area or not - discussion and address misconceptions again after
Video
Development indicators
Atlas use - engaging and exploring for students (assist if needed e.g. page number after a while)
Fill in the table (challenges included)
Time limit and show answers - address misconceptions
Compare it to UK. Example on board (gapfill). Lower ability can use board example with gapfill. Higher ability can make their own.
Plenary, which statement is a lie. AFL fingers.
Learning outcomes:
Define the term NEE and give examples.
Rank and justify the improvements you would make to an LIC.
Investigate an African NEE country.
Each time you do one, you refer back to it via AFL with students
Strong focus on command words as these will be in exam questions (for young or older students to be aware of the meaning of these)
Scenario based thinking on own.
Pair work on same scenario but having to agree on one decision together.
Feedback to class
Learning Social/ Economic/ Environmental/ Political. Questions/ prompts per section to help students answer or categorise properly. Do an example together. Model it (especially if they are younger or have needs, otherwise it is already displayed on board)
Students read information and put them into the correct categories (10 minutes). AFL and check whole room progress. I added additional 3 minutes with their goal to have one thing per box as 2-3 boxes were mainly done. Challenge included if needed.
Random sharing. Depending on your student you can allow them to share any box, or you choose a box (but lower ability/ SEND may not have the box you want).
Plenary for students to recheck the intentions and discuss if they met them. This shows their progress and understanding.
Handouts available. SEEP in colour or black and white. Information sheet in colour, and shared handouts to have them exposed to graphs, tables and maps, and to help their partner as the task may be difficult for some.
An impact of climate change - focus on biodiversity
Starter - definition of words. challenge included
Green pen - add to answers
Point left/ right for correct answers (AFL)
Students read intentions
Students read the maps (write a sentence) - sentence starter on whiteboard
Students read endangered line (understading - why?)
Mind map reasons - do a few examples and add on board first
Green pen add 3 more ideas
Key term conservation
Break down the word - bio / diversity = diverse stem (on white board)
Breakdown sustainable
Students to write down if they don’t know the words
Differentiated reading (3 versions to make it easier for teacher to split them)
Highlighting, writing ideas, challenges
Create a poster or fact file (depending on time)
success criterion - emphasise there is no marks for pretty work - to do it after the writing
challenge
e.g. my year 8s wrote half a page of information (mixed ability) for fact files
e.g. my year 9s wanted to do more drawings (mixed ability) so their work varied but they were really into it and would need more time.
Feedback to class (table or notes - they were much faster with just making notes) - chose 1 per animal - visualiser for recognition and rewards
Plenary - which one to save? Hands up voting.
starter
definitions of words (break down into 4 sections) - i do, we do, you do model with worksheets
green pen answers
lots of challenge questions -prior knowledge and current news. prompt them if needed during questioning.
pair discussions of images
questioning
print out of the images for annotations option
gap fill task (print out for lower ability with word bank available for all/ some)
back to annotations for those who finished early
glue into books/ keep tidy
answers via questioning/ reading
green pen
exam question modelling
marking
plenary quiz
Starter - holiday and prior knowledge/ item analysis (BLACK SAND as GUNPOWDER act)
Counting barrels from image - engaging students and thinking why 36?
Video - task
Follow up questions - why etc. and barrels.
Story telling
Task - comic strip
Challenge - poetry
Recognition and sharing plenary
Rewarding
Video recreation of parliment blowng up in 30 seconds! Exciting.
Students tend to ask - why would he blow himself up? so you need to also explain how gunpowder works.
Students LOVE this lesson so much that we introduced it to several schools in the trust.
I decided to throw in the full lesson plan so you can have the questions to ask (if you don’t know much about the history, plot etc.) so that you can teach it well.
Spelling test starter
Homework showcase
Peer assessment
Recognition
What went well (more)
How to improve (one)
Confidence builder
Peer assessment worksheet
BLIND voting
Rewards
Kahoot
Students love it, and are very excitable throughout the whole hour.
Adaptable to control energy/ behaviour