I have been a primary teacher since 2007. I have taught across the primary range. I am also a qualified SENDCo and I have a MA in Education and a MSc in Developmental Psychology. My resources are aimed at children in KS1 and KS2 and can be adapted to meet the needs of a class.
I have been a primary teacher since 2007. I have taught across the primary range. I am also a qualified SENDCo and I have a MA in Education and a MSc in Developmental Psychology. My resources are aimed at children in KS1 and KS2 and can be adapted to meet the needs of a class.
The National Curriculum states that children should develop knowledge about the world, the United Kingdom and their locality. They should understand basic subject specific vocabulary relating to human and physical geography and begin to use geographical skills, including first-hand observation, to enhance their locational awareness.
In this lesson children define the difference between a route and a journey. Children participate in a quiz about routes and journeys. Children discuss their everyday journeys and research and record them. Children use a tally chart to record transport methods used to take everyday journeys. Children describe where they went on holiday and how they got there. Children research facts about migrating birds such as the osprey or swallow stating their migration routes.
The National Curriculum states that children should be taught to use basic geographical vocabulary to refer to key human features, including: city, town, village, factory, farm, house, office, port, harbour and shop. Children should be taught to use aerial photographs and plan perspectives to recognize landmarks and basic human and physical features; devise a simple map; and use and construct symbols in a key.
In this lesson children learn about villages, towns and cities including what they are and the differences between them. Children complete a quiz based on these differences. Children learn about the human features and natural features of a local village. Using Google Earth children identify the human and natural features of the village. Children learn about the different kinds of facilities available to people in towns. Children use Google Earth to identify the facilities in a town. Children carry out research into major city landmarks including Buckingham Palace, Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty.
The National Curriculum states that children should be taught to name and locate counties and cities of the United Kingdom, geographical regions and their identifying human and physical characteristics, key topographical features (including hills, mountains, coasts and rivers, and land-use patterns); and understand how some of these aspects have changed over time. Children should also be taught how to use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied.
In this lesson children learn about the cities of the United Kingdom. Prior learning from key stage 1 is revised including the capital cities of the four nations. Children participate in a cities of the UK quiz which can either be presented in paper form or used for the basis of a ‘Corners Game’. Children use google maps or an atlas to find cities in the UK and plot their location on a blank map of the UK. Children identify landmarks of cities in the United Kingdom and then children create fact files on landmarks in the UK and/or a city in the UK of their own choice.
The National Curriculum states that children should be taught to use basic geographical to refer to key physical features, including beach, cliff, coast, forest, hill, mountain, sea, ocean, river, soil, valley, vegetation, season and weather. Also children should be taught to use world maps, atlases and globes to identify the United Kingdom and its countries, as well as the countries, continents and oceans studied at this key stage.
In this lesson children learn about the physical geographical vocabulary associated with coasts using photographs of the coasts. Children participate in a quiz about the coasts. Using Google Earth children investigate which countries have coasts and which countries are landlocked. Children research which animals live near the coast in the United Kingdom.
What is included?
Complete lesson plan.
PowerPoint for the lesson.
Photographs of coastlines in the United Kingdom.
Coastlines activity sheet for mixed-ability children.
Coasts Quiz!
Coastlines of the world activity (differentiated on three levels).
What animals live on the coast? Children complete fact files for an animal of their own choice (class version and extension for higher-achieving children).
Files included:
Coasts Meet the Sea: Single Lesson for Year 1/2 Lesson Plan PDF File.
Coasts Meet the Sea: Single Lesson for Year 1/2 Lesson PowerPoint.
The National Curriculum states that children should be taught to identify seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom and the location of hot and cold areas of the world in relation to the equator and the North and South Poles.
In this lesson children learn about different extreme weather events and how they can affect people’s daily lives. Children watch YouTube clips of extreme weather events around the world and locate them on a world map.
What is included?
PowerPoint for the lesson.
Extreme weather vocabulary labels.
Extreme weather photographs depicting a heatwave, hurricane, tornado, gales, flooding and a blizzard.
‘How does extreme weather affect people’s daily lives?’ Spider diagram.
Links to appropriate YouTube videos depicting extreme weather events for the above.
Map of the world for children to label location of extreme weather events (differentiated on three levels).
Extreme weather picture sheet for children to complete.
Files included:
Extreme Weather: Single Lesson for Year 1/2 PDF file.
Extreme Weather: Single Lesson for Year 1/2 Lesson PowerPoint.
The National Curriculum states that Children should be taught to identify seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom and the location of hot and cold areas of the world in relation to the equator and the North and South Poles.
Children should also be taught to use world maps, atlases and globes to identify the United Kingdom and its countries, as well as the countries, continents and oceans studied at this key stage.
In this lesson children will learn about desert regions across the world. Children will use a world map to locate fifteen deserts across the world’s continents. Children will participate in a desert regions quiz all about the location of the deserts and their climate. Children will visualise and draw what they think a desert looks like. Children will then look at photographs of the Gobi Desert, Sahara Desert and the Sonoran Desert and discuss their similarities and differences. Children will record facts about meercats and the saguaro cactus which are animals and plants found in desert climates.
What is included?
Complete lesson plan.
PowerPoint for the lesson.
World map with desert locations labelled.
Location of deserts activity sheet.
Desert regions quiz!
Photographs of the Sahara Desert, Gobi Desert and Sonoran Desert.
Draw a desert activity sheet.
Links to YouTube videos about meercats.
Meercats facts sheets (class version and extension version for higher-achieving children).
Links to YouTube videos about the saguaro cactus.
Saguaro cactus facts sheets (class version and extension version for higher-ability children).
Files included:
Desert Regions: Single Lesson for Year 1/2 Lesson Plan in a PDF file.
Desert Regions: Single Lesson for Year 1/2 Lesson PowerPoint.
The National Curriculum states that children should be taught to identify seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom and the location of hot and cold areas of the world in relation to the equator and the North and South Poles.
Children should also be taught to use world maps, atlases and globes to identify the United Kingdom and its countries, as well as the countries, continents and oceans studied at this key stage.
In this lesson children locate the polar regions of the Earth and learn about the weather and climate. Children take part in a polar regions quiz to test and consolidate this knowledge. Resources are also provided so that children can learn about polar bears in the Arctic and emperor penguins in Antarctica.
What is included?
Full lesson plan.
PowerPoint for the lesson.
Polar regions activity describing the location and climate of the polar regions (differentiated on three levels).
Polar regions quiz.
Links to YouTube videos for polar bears and emperor penguins.
Polar bear fact sheets (class version and higher-ability extension).
Emperor penguin fact sheets (class version and higher-ability extension).
Files Included:
Polar Regions: Single Lesson for Year 1/2 PDF file.
Polar Regions: Single Lesson for Year 1/2 Lesson PowerPoint.
he National Curriculum states that Children should be taught to use basic geographical to refer to key physical features, including beach, cliff, coast, forest, hill, mountain, sea, ocean, river, soil, valley, vegetation, season and weather. Also children should be taught to use world maps, atlases and globes to identify the United Kingdom and its countries, as well as the countries, continents and oceans studied at this key stage. Children should be taught to use simple compass directions (North, South, East or West) and locational and directional language for example: near and far; left and right, to describe the location and features and routes on a map.
In this lesson children will learn about rivers in the United Kingdom. Firstly, children learn about the course of a river and label a simple diagram. Children will then participate in a quiz about rivers which tests children’s knowledge about the features of the course of a river. Children will then name and locate some of the rivers in the United Kingdom before learning about some of the animals that live in or around a river.
What is included?
*** Complete lesson plan.**
PowerPoint for the lesson.
Labelled course of a river diagram (differentiated on three levels)
Course of a river extension questions for higher-achieving children.
Rivers quiz!
Photographs of rivers in the United Kingdom and fact cards.
Animals that live in rivers: links to YouTube videos.
Animals that live in rivers: fact sheet for class and extension for higher-achieving children.**
Files included:
Rivers of the United Kingdom: Single Lesson for Year 1/2 Lesson Plan in a PDF File.
Rivers of the United Kingdom: Single Lesson for Year 1/2 Lesson PowerPoint.
The National Curriculum states that children should be taught to use basic geographical to refer to key physical features, including beach, cliff, coast, forest, hill, mountain, sea, ocean, river, soil, valley, vegetation, season and weather. Also children should be taught to use world maps, atlases and globes to identify the United Kingdom and its countries, as well as the countries, continents and oceans studied at this key stage.
In this lesson children will learn about mountains. Firstly, children will label a mountain landscape and discuss the geographical terms. Children will then participate in a quiz about mountains. Children will learn about the highest mountains in each of the four nations. Children will label the locations of the highest mountains if each of the four home nations on a map of the United Kingdom. There are extension activities for the higher-achieving children.
What is included?
Full lesson plan.
PowerPoint for the lesson.
Labelled mountain landscape (differentiated on three levels)
Mountain landscape extension questions for higher-achieving children.
Mountains quiz!
Photographs of mountains in the United Kingdom and fact cards.
Map of the United Kingdom with labelled locations of its mountains (differentiated on three levels).
Map of the United Kingdom with mountains labelled extension questions for higher-achieving children.
Files included:
Mountains of the United Kingdom: Single Lesson for Year 1/2 Lesson Plan in PDF file.
Mountains of the United Kingdom: Single Lesson for Year 1/2 Lesson PowerPoint.
he National Curriculum states that children should be taught to identify seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom and the location of hot and cold areas of the world in relation to the equator and the North and South Poles. Children should be taught to use world maps, atlases and globes to identify the United Kingdom and its countries, as well as the countries, continents and oceans studied at this key stage.
In this lesson children learn about the equatorial climate of the world’s tropical rainforests and their location across the world. Children label the location of the world’s tropical rainforests on a map of the world and also consolidate their previous learning about the continents of the world. Children complete a tropical rainforests quiz which consolidates their learning about the climate and location of the tropical rainforests. Children visualise and draw what they imagine a tropical rainforest looks like. Children conduct research into a tropical rainforest animal of their own choice.
What is included?
Complete lesson plan.
PowerPoint for the lesson.
World map with rainforest locations labelled.
World map: tropical rainforest location questions activity.
Tropical rainforests quiz!
What do you think a tropical rainforest looks like? Activity sheet.
Photograph of a tropical rainforest.
Link to YouTube video describing the layers of a tropical rainforest.
Links to YouTube videos about tropical rainforest animals.
Tropical rainforest animals activity sheet for the class and extension activity sheet for higher-achieving children.*
Files included:
Tropical Rainforests: Single Lesson for Year 1/2 Lesson Plan in a PDF file.
Tropical Rainforests: Single Lesson for Year 1/2 Lesson PowerPoint
The National Curriculum states that children should be taught to identify seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom and the location of hot and cold areas of the world in relation to the equator and the North and South Poles.
In this lesson children will identify the four different seasons of the United Kingdom. Children will order these seasons, identify the weather patterns during the seasons and also think of seasonal activities that distinguish each season. Children will take part in a learning walk around the school grounds where they will identify seasonal clues and record them using recording devices and work sheets.
What is included?
Full lesson plan.
PowerPoint for the lesson.
Seasons diagram.
Four seasons activity sheet for lower-achieving children.
Four seasons activity sheets for average-achieving children. One for autumn, winter, spring and summer.
Four seasons activity sheet for higher-achieving children.
Which season are we in now? Exploration of school grounds to find seasonal clues.
Which season are we in now? Sheet for showing photographs for children’s books.
Files Included:
The Four Seasons: Single Lesson for Year 1/2 PDF file.
The Four Seasons: Single Lesson for Year 1/2 Lesson PowerPoint.
The National Curriculum states that Children should be taught to identify seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom and the location of hot and cold areas of the world in relation to the equator and the North and South Poles.
In this lesson children learn about the difference between the weather and climate. Children create their own weather symbols and use them to record their observations of the weather over the course of a week. Children also record the temperature, wind direction, cloud type and rainfall. Children present their findings in a short video. Children use information to forecast the weather in their locality and in another part of the United Kingdom.
What is included?
PowerPoint for the lesson.
Difference between weather and climate activity.
Weather symbols sheet
Weather symbols design sheet for higher-achieving children and middle-achieving children.
Weather symbols design sheet for lower-achieving children.
Daily weather pattern recording activity.
Daily weather pattern recording activity extension for higher-achieving children.
Cloud chart
Cloud identifying activity.
Weather forecast activity notes sheets.
NOT INCLUDED but could be used in this lesson: Thermometer, hand-held weathervane, measuring jugs and an iPad/recording device.
Files included:
Recording and Forecasting the weather: Single Lesson for Year 1/2 PDF File
Recording and Forecasting the Weather Lesson PowerPoint.
Children should be taught to name, locate and identify characteristics of the four countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom and its surrounding seas. Children should be taught to use world maps, atlases and globes to identify the continents and oceans studied at this key stage.
This lesson allows children to identify the location of the United Kingdom and describe the location in relation to the wider world. Children complete a quiz about the United Kingdom. Children describe the location of the United Kingdom using a globe, maps and their quiz answers.
What is included?
PowerPoint for the lesson.
Inflatable globe (NOT included).
UK and the Wider World Quiz.
Location description of the United Kingdom activity (differentiated on three levels).
Map of the world outline.
Map of the United Kingdom with countries, capitals, seas and oceans.
Map of Europe with countries labelled.
Files Included:
United Kingdom and the Wider World: Single Lesson for Year 1/2 PDF File.
United Kingdom and the Wider World Lesson PowerPoint.
The National Curriculum states that children should be taught to name, locate and identify characteristics of the four countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom and its surrounding seas. Children should also be taught to use basic geographic vocabulary to refer to key physical features including: beach, cliff, coast, forest, hill, mountain, sea, ocean, river, soil, valley, vegetation, season and weather.
This lesson enhances children’s knowledge of geographical vocabulary referring to the seaside. A picture of a coastline is used as a stimulus to build children’s knowledge of such vocabulary. Children consolidate their knowledge of the countries of the United Kingdom and learn to identify the names of the seas and oceans that surround the United Kingdom. Children label the locations of the seas and oceans on a map of the United Kingdom.
What is included?
PowerPoint for the lesson.
Coast picture to discuss geographical vocabulary.
Coast picture activity for children to complete based on discussed geographical vocabulary (differentiated on three levels).
Map of the United Kingdom with labelled countries, cities, seas and oceans.
Outline of map of United Kingdom for children to label countries, seas and oceans (differentiated on three levels).
Files Included:
The United Kingdom Coasts, Seas and Oceans: Single Lesson for Year 1/2 PDF File.
The United Kingdom Coasts, Seas and Oceans Lesson PowerPoint.
The National Curriculum states that children should be taught to name, locate and identify characteristics of the four countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom and its surrounding areas.
In this lesson children identify the countries of the United Kingdom and label them on a map. Children also find and label the capital cities of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Children research and complete a fact-file for the UK country of their choice. This knowledge is then consolidated during a game of corners!
What is included?
PowerPoint for the lesson.
Detailed map of the UK
Blank map of the UK
Country fact-file for children to complete (differentiated on three levels).
Country flags for corners game.
Files Included:
The United Kingdom 2: Single Lesson for Year 1/2 PDF file.
The United Kingdom 2 Lesson PowerPoint.
The National Curriculum expectations in Geography in Key Stage 1 state that children need to be able to identify the world’s oceans and continents as well as being able to use maps and globes.
This single lesson allows children to identify the world’s oceans and continents and label them on a globe and on a world map fulfilling the National Curriculum requirements.
What is included?
Full lesson plan outlining curriculum and lesson objectives.
Full lesson PowerPoint.
Labels for the seven continents.
Labels for the five oceans.
Toss the globe activity sheet for children’s books.
Oceans and continents quiz which can be included in children’s books.
Shapes of the continents reference guide.
World map activity for children to complete by labelling the oceans and continents (differentiated on three levels).
The National Curriculum states that children should be taught to name, locate and identify characteristics of the four countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom and its surrounding areas.
What are the differences between the United Kingdom, Great Britain and the British Isles? This single lesson for Year 1/2 contains activities to educate children about these differences. Children will use maps of the United Kingdom, Great Britain and the British Isles to improve their location knowledge and map skills.
What is included?
PowerPoint for the lesson.
Differences between UK, British Isles and Great Britain map activity (differentiated).
The United Kingdom quiz.
Corners game answer cards.
United Kingdom map outline.
The British Isles map outline.
Great Britain map outline.
Files included:
The United Kingdom: Single Lesson for Year 1/2 PDF file.
The United Kingdom lesson PowerPoint.
In this informative bundle children will learn about coasts, rivers and mountains.
In lesson 1 children learn all about coasts . They will learn and understand geographical vocabulary used to describe coasts. Children will also use a map of the world to identify countries with a coastline and countries that are landlocked. Children will also research animals that live by the coast…
In lesson 2 children will learn about the rivers of the United Kingdom. The will take part in an informative quiz learning facts abouts rivers. Children will identify the locations of rivers and they will identify animals that live in and around rivers.
In lesson 3 children will learn about mountains. Children will learn the geographical vocabulary associated with rivers. Children will also locate the mountains of the United Kingdom using a map of the United Kingdom.
About this unit:
This is a ten-lesson unit of English work based on the reading and writing of a non-chronological report. It is intended for Upper Key Stage 2. This Unit follows the 2014 National Curriculum objectives which are outlined below. The English objectives covered by this unit are highlighted in yellow.
The ten lessons in this unit allow children to explore, discuss and understand a non-chronological report. During the first week, children will explore a non-chronological report based on rainforests in Australia. Through guided and shared activities children will write their own version of this text ensuring they have included the correct language and organisational features. In the second week, children will carry out their own research into another rainforest in the world. Children will then apply what they have learned in the first week and plan, write and edit a non-chronological report based on the rainforest location of their choice and then they will write a non-chronological report independently.
What is included?
• A sheet with the National Curriculum English objectives for Y5/6 which are highlighted to help track and assess the progress of the class; to track coverage of the English curriculum and to show what objectives the unit covers.
• NEW Printable child-friendly learning objectives for children’s books.
• Non-chronological report planning for 10 days including possible geography cross-curricular links.
• NEW Now includes a PowerPoint containing the lesson structure and learning activities for all 10 lessons of the unit which can be presented to the children. The PowerPoint design and content can be adjusted to suit the needs of a class.
• A non-chronological report about rainforests in Australia which includes details of the general location of rainforests of the world in relation to the equator, Tropic of Cancer and the Tropical Capricorn; the location of Australia’s rainforests; information about what makes a rainforest unique and information about the plants and animals found in Australia’s rainforests.
• A non-chronological report about rainforests in Australia that has been simplified for lower-achieving children.
• A glossary for the non-chronological report about rainforests in Australia.
• Boxing-up plan for the non-chronological report about rainforests in Australia (differentiated on two levels).
• Success Criteria for non-chronological reports (differentiated on three levels but a writing frame is included for lower-achieving children).
• Non-chronological report about rainforests in Australia writing frame for lower-achieving children.
• Boxing-up plan for research into the child’s own independently researched rainforest location (differentiated on three levels).
About this unit:
This is a ten-lesson unit of English work based on the reading and writing of a non-chronological report. It is intended for Lower Key Stage 2. This unit follows the 2014 National Curriculum objectives which are outlined below. The English objectives covered by this unit are highlighted in yellow.
The ten lessons in this unit allow children to explore, discuss and understand a non-chronological report. During the first week, children will explore a non-chronological report based on rainforests in Australia. Through guided and shared activities children will write their own version of this text ensuring they have included the correct language and organisational features. In the second week, children will carry out their own research into another rainforest in the world. Children will then apply what they have learned in the first week and plan, write and edit a non-chronological report based on the rainforest location of their choice and then they will write a non-chronological report independently.
What is included?
• A sheet with the National Curriculum English objectives for Y3/4 which are highlighted to help track and assess the progress of the class; to track coverage of the English curriculum and to show what objectives the unit covers.
• NEW Printable child-friendly learning objectives for children’s books.
• Non-chronological report planning for 10 days including possible geography cross-curricular links.
• NEW Now includes a PowerPoint containing the lesson structure and learning activities for all 10 lessons of the unit which can be presented to the children. The PowerPoint design and content can be adjusted to suit the needs of a class.
• A non-chronological report about rainforests in Australia which includes details of the general location of rainforests of the world in relation to the equator, Tropic of Cancer and the Tropical Capricorn; the location of Australia’s rainforests; information about what makes a rainforest unique and information about the plants and animals found in Australia’s rainforests.
• A non-chronological report about rainforests in Australia that has been simplified for lower-achieving children.
• A glossary for the non-chronological report about rainforests in Australia.
• Boxing-up plan for the non-chronological report about rainforests in Australia (differentiated on two levels).
• Success Criteria for non-chronological reports (differentiated on three levels but a writing frame is included for lower-achieving children).
• Non-chronological report about rainforests in Australia writing frame for lower-achieving children.
• Boxing-up plan for research into the child’s own independently researched rainforest location (differentiated on three levels).
Please Note: Rainforests in Australia: Non-Chronological Report Planning for Year 5/6 is also available on TES.