I've worked in primary teaching for over 10 years and specialise in creating fun and engaging educational resources, particularly for Geography and History.
I've worked in primary teaching for over 10 years and specialise in creating fun and engaging educational resources, particularly for Geography and History.
This lesson is part of Understanding Latitude and Longitude, a unit designed for students in upper KS2 and KS3. It can also be taught as a stand-alone lesson.
This lesson explains step-by-step how to find the coordinates of a point on a world map using lines of latitude and longitude.
In the activity, students are challenged to find the latitude and longitude of 12 points in all four quadrants of a world map. It is differentiated three ways:
Easier – Students find coordinates of 12 points in the NE, SE, SW and NW quadrants of the world map respectively. The compass directions are already filled in.
Medium – Students find coordinates of 12 points in the NE, SE, SW and NW quadrants of the world map respectively.
Harder – Students find coordinates of 12 points randomly distributed across the four quadrants of the world map.
Extension – Students are challenged to draw and label 4 more points on to their map.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of The Seaside, a Geography unit designed for students in KS1 and lower KS2, but can also be taught as a stand alone lesson.
The presentation first explains the difference between human and physical geographical features. It then challenges students to identify a range of seaside features (e.g. cliffs, lighthouse, river mouth) and classify them as human or physical.
In the activity, students identify a range of seaside features and classify them as human or physical.
Easier - Students classify seaside features as human or physical.
Medium - Students label seaside features (with initial letter clues) and classify them as human or physical.
Harder - Students label seaside features (no clues) and classify them as human or physical.
Extension - Students unscramble sentences about the seaside.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of Exploring Brazil, a Geography unit designed for students in KS2 (Y4-6), but can also be taught as a stand alone lesson.
The presentation introduces students to Brazil’s six main biomes including the tropical rainforest, caatinga (desert), Pantanal wetlands, cerrado (savannah) and Atlantic Forest. Students then read an information text to find out more.
In the activity, students write an information text about Brazil’s ecosystems. This can either be done as a short activity or as an extended write in Literacy. (N.B. The activity sheets need to be enlarged to A3 size to provide adequate space for writing.)
Short Activity:
Easier – Students match statements to each ecosystem and write them in each box.
Medium – Students add titles, then match statements to each ecosystem and write them in each box.
Harder – Students add titles and write their own sentences about each ecosystem in the box.
Extension – Students label the different ecosystems on the map, including drawings of animals found in each one.
Extended Writing Activity:
Easier – Students write an information text about Brazil’s ecosystems, including an introductory paragraph.
Harder – Students write an information text about Brazil’s ecosystems, including sub-headings and an introductory paragraph.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is designed for KS2 students. It can be taught as a stand alone lesson but is also available as part of two wider units, both of which are available on TES:
-Volcanoes
-Volcanoes & Earthquakes
The presentation investigates the five deadly features of a volcanic eruption including volcanic ash, lava flows, volcanic bombs, pyroclastic flows and mud flows (or ‘lahars’).
The activity challenges students to match pictures of each feature to a description. It is differentiated four ways:
Easier – Students match pictures of the five features of a volcanic eruption to the descriptions.
Medium – Students complete cloze procedure sentences. They then match pictures to each description.
Harder – Students complete cloze procedure sentences. They then match pictures to each description and add a title for each section.
Hardest – Children stick pictures of the five features of a volcanic eruption in their books and write their own description next to each one.
Extension – Which feature of a volcanic eruption do children think is the most deadly? Can they explain their answer?
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of Exploring Brazil, a Geography unit designed for students in KS2 (Y4-6), but can also be taught as a stand alone lesson.
It takes students on a tour of the geographical features of Brazil. First students investigate a satellite photo of South America. They then look at a map of Brazil itself to see what human and physical features they can spot (e.g. Brazilian cities, Amazon rainforest).
In the activity students identify human and physical features of Brazil. It is differentiated three ways:
Easier – Students label 10 physical features of Brazil.
Medium – Students draw in arrows and label 10 physical features of Brazil.
Harder – Students stick a map of Brazil into their book, draw in arrows and label 10 physical features.
Extension – Students use atlases to also identify 8 Brazilian cities.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
Tropical Rainforests is a Geography unit designed for students in KS2 (Y3-6).
The planning overview, topic title page and a knowledge organiser can be downloaded for free here. Lessons include:
L1 – Locating tropical rainforests on a world map
L2 – Identifying tropical rainforest animals
L3 – Investigating the layers of a tropical rainforest
L4 – Exploring the Amazon rainforest
L5 – Understanding the impact of deforestation on the Amazon
L6 – Investigating how deforestation affects an Amazon tribe
L7 - Thinking of ways to help save tropical rainforests
Each lesson includes a presentation and differentiated activities/worksheets. A knowledge organiser is also included. All resources are compatible with both Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This resource is part of Exploring Australia, a Geography unit designed for students in upper KS1 and lower KS2 (Y2-Y4). All resources are compatible with both Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
First the presentation introduces the concepts of human and physical before looking at some of Australia’s famous landmarks, from the Sydney Opera House to the Great Barrier Reef.
The activity challenges students to look at ten famous geographical features of Australia and identify them as human or physical:
Easier - Students look at each feature and circle human or physical.
Medium - Students draw each feature and circle human or physical.
Harder - Students identify each feature and label as human or physical.
Extension - Students complete a cloze-procedure paragraph about Australia.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
The Seaside is a Geography unit designed for students in upper KS1 and lower KS2 (Y2-Y3).
The planning overview, topic title page and vocabulary page can be downloaded for free here. Lessons include:
L1 – Identifying features of the seaside
L2 – Identifying human and physical features of the seaside
L3 – Locating seaside towns and cities of the UK
L4 – Investigating a seaside town - Lyme Regis
L5 – Identifying islands of the United Kingdom
L6 – Investigating what life is like on a small island
L7 - Packing for a seaside holiday
Each lesson includes a presentation and differentiated activities/worksheets.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of Understanding Latitude and Longitude, a unit designed for students in upper KS2 and KS3. It can also be taught as a stand-alone lesson.
This lesson gives students a chance to consolidate the skills the have learned in the unit so far. The presentation first encourages students to estimate latitude and longitude and then challenges them to work out the coordinates of several capital cities.
The activity can be used as an assessment tool for the unit or done in partners to promote discussion and sharing of ideas. There is also an extension activity.
Activity – Students identify world capital cities using latitude and longitude clues.
Extension – Students locate and label 6 more capital cities on their world map and answer further challenge questions.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of Tropical Rainforests, a Geography unit designed for students in KS2, but can also be taught as a stand alone lesson. All resources are compatible with both Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
First, the presentation introduces students to the different layers of the rainforest and some of the animals that live in each layer.
Students then complete a range of activities:
Activity 1:
In pairs, students match the layers of a tropical rainforest to descriptions.
Easier - Students have multicoloured descriptions. They match each layer to one green, blue and purple description.
Harder - Students have plain black descriptions. They match each layer to three other descriptions.
Activity 2:
Students identify and label the four layers of a tropical rainforest.
Easier - Students write one word for each layer.
Harder - Students write two words for each layer.
Extension:
Students cut out pictures of tropical rainforest animals and stick them in the layer in which they live.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is designed for KS2 children. It can be taught as a stand alone lesson but is also available as part of two wider units, both of which are available on TES:
-Earthquakes
-Volcanoes & Earthquakes
The presentation investigates the five deadly features of earthquakes including ground shaking, tsunamis, landslides, raising/lowering of land and liquefaction.
It is followed up by an activity which is differentiated four ways:
Easier – Students match pictures of the five features of an earthquake to descriptions.
Medium – Students complete cloze procedure sentences. They then match pictures to each description.
Harder – Students complete cloze procedure sentences. They then match pictures to each description and add a title for each section.
Hardest – Students stick pictures of the five features of an earthquake in their books and write their own description next to each one.
Extension – Can students unscramble the jumbled up earthquake facts?
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of Understanding Trade, a Geography unit designed for students in upper KS2 (Y5-6).
The presentation starts by recapping what imports and exports are. It goes on to look at the UK’s top ten exports – mainly manufactured products – and the human and physical factors which help UK exports in this area.
In the activity, students use Microsoft PowerPoint to create a table of the UK’s top ten exports. They then use an online chart maker to produce either a pie chart or bar graph to illustrate this data. It is differentiated three ways:
Easier – Students use step-by-step instructions with some data already filled in
Medium – Students use step-by-step instructions
Harder – Minimal instructions – IT experts only!
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This resource is part of Tropical Rainforests, a Geography unit designed for students in KS2, but can also be taught as a stand alone lesson. All resources are compatible with both Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
This lesson is a great introduction to the world’s largest rainforest, the Amazon. First, the presentation introduces students to the Amazon and its incredibly biodiverse flora and fauna. It then goes on to look at the geography of the Amazon in more detail, specifically its location within the continent of South America.
The activity challenges students to identify a range of human and physical geographical features within South America, including the nine countries in which the Amazon rainforest is located.
In follow up extension activities, students identify the capitals of those countries and then complete a cloze-procedure paragraph about the Amazon.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
Exploring the UK is a Geography unit suitable for KS1 and lower KS2 (Y2-4).
The planning overview, topic title page and vocabulary page can be downloaded for free here. Lessons include:
L1 – Identifying the countries and capitals of the UK & Ireland (FREE)
L2 – Locating UK cities using compass directions
L3 – Identifying human & physical features of the UK
L4 – Investigating satellite photos of the UK
L5 – Comparing the city and the countryside
L6– Identifying famous features and characteristics of countries of the UK
L7 – Identifying flags of the United Kingdom
L8 – Identifying the four seasons of weather in the UK
Optional lesson – Identifying the countries and capital cities of Europe
Each lesson includes a presentation and differentiated activities/worksheets.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is designed for KS2 students and is a great introduction to any volcanoes or earthquakes topic. It can be taught as a stand alone lesson but is also available as part of three wider units, all of which are available on TES:
-Volcanoes
-Earthquakes
-Volcanoes & Earthquakes
The presentation investigates the structure of the Earth and looks into the basic composition of the inner core, outer core, mantle and crust.
Students then complete an activity which is differentiated three ways:
Easier – Students label layers of the Earth and complete cloze procedure paragraph (6 gaps).
Medium – Students label layers of the Earth and complete cloze procedure paragraph (10 gaps).
Harder – Students label layers of the Earth – including drawing arrows – and complete cloze procedure paragraph (10 gaps).
Extension – Students think about what they would like to find out about volcanoes or earthquakes or both, depending on which topic you are doing.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of Tropical Rainforests, a Geography unit designed for students in KS2, but can also be taught as a stand alone lesson. All resources are compatible with both Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
First, the presentation introduces students to deforestation and then looks at the reasons the Amazon rainforest is being cut down (i.e. logging, farming and house building). Students are then encouraged to think about the positive and negative impacts of deforestation.
In the activity, students arrange these impacts of deforestation into a diamond 9, ranking them in terms of importance.
Easier - Students complete the diamond 9 and explain their reasoning for the most important statement they chose.
Harder - Students complete the diamond 9 and explain their reasoning for the most and least important statements they chose.
Extension - Students match topic words to their meanings.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
Our World is a comprehensive Geography topic about Planet Earth, suitable for KS1 and lower KS2 (Y1-3).
The planning overview, topic title page and vocabulary page can be downloaded for free here. Lessons include:
L1 – Completing a world map jigsaw
L2 – Identifying the continents and oceans of the world (FREE)
L3 – Where do we live?
L4 – Identifying human and natural features of the world
L5 – Investigating satellite photos of famous world landmarks
L6 – Introduction to compass directions
L7 – Identifying world climate zones
L8 – Identifying the countries and capitals of the UK (FREE)
Each lesson includes a presentation and differentiated activities/worksheets.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of Mountain Environments, a Geography unit designed for students in upper KS2 (Y4-6).
First the presentation recaps the structure of the Earth and how its crust is split into tectonic plates. It then investigates the different ways tectonic plates can move and how two tectonic plates colliding can form fold mountains (e.g. the Himalayas).
The differentiated activity challenges students to work out which tectonic plates formed different fold mountain ranges around the world.
Easier – Students have to find one tectonic plate.
Medium – Students have to find two tectonic plates.
Harder – Students find the name of each mountain range and two tectonic plates.
Extension – Students complete a cloze procedure paragraph about fold mountains.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of Exploring the United Kingdom, a Geography unit designed for KS1 and lower KS2 (Y2-4).
N.B. If students are new to compass directions, use Introduction to compass directions to introduce the topic prior to this lesson.
First the presentation reminds students of the four cardinal compass directions. It then encourages them to use compass directions to describe the position of towns and cities around the UK.
In the activity, students have to find UK cities using compass clues. There are two differentiated activity worksheets:
Easier – Students locate cities using compass clues and starting letter clues.
Harder – Students locate cities using compass and harder starting letter clues.
Extension – Students complete cloze procedure sentence about the location of cities in the UK.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of Exploring Brazil, a Geography unit designed for students in KS2 (Y4-6), but can also be taught as a stand alone lesson.
It is a great introduction to South America. The presentation first locates the continent on a world map and then explores its political and physical geography.
There is a choice a shorter or a longer activity. In both, students identify the countries and capitals of South America. They are differentiated three ways:
Activity 1 (shorter):
Easier – Students have letter clues for countries and capitals marked on their map.
Medium – Students have capitals marked on their map.
Harder – Students have to mark capitals on their map themselves.
Extension – Students identify the capital cities of each country.
Activity 2 (longer):
Easier – Students have boxes for each country name and capitals marked on their map.
Medium – Students have capitals marked on their map.
Harder – Students have a blank map and have to mark their capitals themselves.
Extension – Students add other features to their map (e.g. Amazon rainforest) and complete a key.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.