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.
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 lesson is part of Exploring Spain, a Geography unit designed for upper KS2 students (Y4-6), but can also be taught as a stand alone lesson.
The presentation first shows students how to work out a 4-figure grid reference.
The activity then challenges students to describe the position of different cities in Spain using 4-figure grid references. It is differentiated two ways:
Easier – Students locate Spanish cities using 4-figure grid references (with clues).
Harder – Students locate Spanish cities using 4-figure grid references.
Extension – Students identify Spanish cities using compass direction and grid reference clues.
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 Spain, a Geography unit designed for upper KS2 students (Y4-6), but can also be taught as a stand alone lesson.
In the presentation students embark on a tour of Madrid, learning interesting facts about Spain’s capital city along the way. They visit sites including the famous Royal Palace, the Sun Gate and the Santiago Bernabeú Stadium, home of Real Madrid.
The lesson has two activities:
Quiz activity:
Students use an online encyclopedia to answer questions about Madrid.
Guided tour writing activity:
Students give their very own guided tour of Madrid.
Easier – Students write a guided tour of Madrid using a writing frame.
Harder – Students write a guided tour of Madrid by sticking images into their exercise books.
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 comprehension activity is based on the BBC’s My World Amazon Special. It is a great way for students to learn more about the effect of deforestation on a native Amazon tribe, the Arara.
It also introduces students to other key groups with an interest in the Amazon including a ranching family, student protestors and a conservationist.
In the activity, students answer questions about the documentary:
Easier - Students answer comprehension questions with time hints to help them find answers in the video.
Harder - Students answer comprehension questions with no time hints.
A transcript of the documentary is also included in case computers are in short supply.
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).
The presentation first introduces students to satellite photos before going on to challenge them to match satellite photos to famous UK landmarks (e.g. Wembley Stadium, Edinburgh Castle).
In the activity, students use their geography detective skills to describe satellite photos and infer which famous UK landmark or feature each one is. It is differentiated two ways:
Easier – Students write description of each satellite photo on a writing template sheet.
Harder – Students stick satellite photos into their exercise book and write descriptions next to them.
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).
First the presentation asks students to consider how everyday products arrive in our supermarkets. It then introduces and explains the concept of supply chains, looking specifically at the chocolate supply chain. There are two activities:
Group Activity:
The group activity challenges students to order the chocolate supply chain.
Writing Activity:
An accompanying writing activity is based on ‘The Story of Our Chocolate Journey’ (available on YouTube). It challenges students to sequence and explain the processes involved in the chocolate supply chain. It is differentiated three ways:
Easier – Students use a writing frame.
Harder – Students write in an exercise book using a vocabulary prompt.
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 a wider unit called Exploring St Lucia and is designed to teach KS2 students about a contrasting non-European country.
It first introduces students to the tropical climate zone and its associated weather (i.e. high temperatures, high rainfall, dry and wet seasons) and compares this with temperate climates such as that of the UK.
Students are then encouraged to interpret data from a climate graph for St Lucia. Finally, other aspects of a tropical climate are covered including tropical storms and hurricanes.
The accompanying true or false activity helps children to recap what they have learned about the climates of St Lucia and the UK. It is differentiated two ways:
Easier – Students have 6 true or false statements.
Harder – Students have 10 true or false statements.
Extension – Students complete a cloze procedure text about St Lucia’s weather and climate.
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 introduces students to the Isles of Scilly, which lie off the south-west coast of the UK. Students then get to find out what it’s like to live on an island with Zoe and Isaac, two children who live on Bryher.
The activity then challenges students to think about the differences between life on the Isles of Scilly and life on the mainland.
Easier - Students sort 8 statements describing life on the Isles of Scilly and life on the mainland.
Harder - Students sort 14 statements describing life on the Isles of Scilly and life on the mainland.
Extension - Can students think of their own statements to write in each column?
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 introduces students to islands, including these basic points:
Islands can be found in rivers, lakes or seas/oceans.
Islands can be found in hot and cold parts of the world.
Islands can vary in size from very small to very large (e.g. the British Isles).
The activity then challenges students to use their map skills to locate islands of the United Kingdom. This can be done using an atlas or the prompt maps included.
Easier - Students use the map prompt to identify 12 islands of the UK (using labels).
Medium - Students use the map prompt to identify islands of the UK (writing in the names).
Harder - Students use an atlas to identify 12 islands of the UK (writing in the names).
Extension - Students complete a cloze-procedure paragraph about islands.
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).
First the presentation introduces children to the flags of the United Kingdom and their names.
Students then complete one of two differentiated activity worksheets:
Easier – Students complete cloze procedure sentences about UK flags (with clues)
Harder – Students complete cloze procedure sentences about UK flags (no clues)
Extension – Students colour in the three UK national flags which together make up the Union Jack.
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 introduces the concept of highest value exports. It then draws a link between a country’s highest value export and its human and physical resources (e.g. transport links, oil reserves). Four example countries and their highest value export are then looked at in more detail.
In the activity, students are challenged to identify the highest value exports and GDP/capita of countries around the world using Google Maps/atlases and an online map. The activity is differentiated three ways:
Easier – Students identify highest value exports of 25 countries
Medium – Students identify highest value exports and GDP/capita of 25 countries
Harder – Students identify highest value exports and GDP/capita of 30 countries
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
First the presentation locates the Caribbean island of Montserrat. It then looks in detail at the eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano from 1995-99 and the devastating impact on the island.
There are two activities which accompany this lesson, plus extension activities:
Quiz Activity:
Video quiz activity which can be done in pairs/groups.
Writing Activity:
Students write a volcano fact file about the Soufriere Hills volcanic eruptions. This is differentiated three ways:
Easier – Students have statements to stick or copy into their fact file.
Medium – Students have a sequenced vocabulary prompt to scaffold their writing.
Harder – Students have an unsequenced vocabulary prompt to support their writing.
Extension – Students complete a cloze procedure text about the eruptions of Soufriere Hills.
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.
London Zoo is a cross-curricula unit suitable for KS1 and lower KS2 (Y2-4).
It is a fun way to learn about one of the world’s most famous zoos.
The planning overview and topic title page can be downloaded for free here. Lessons include:
L1 – Writing a fact file about London Zoo
L2 – Taking a tour of London Zoo
L3 – Using compass directions at London Zoo
L4 – Using grid references at London Zoo
L5 – Matching animals to their habitat
L6 – The history of London Zoo
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 Exploring Brazil, a Geography unit designed for students in KS2 (Y4-6), but can also be taught as a stand alone lesson.
It gives students a chance to find out all about Brazil. The presentation introduces key vocabulary (e.g. population, currency) and then asks students what they know about Brazil and how they could find out more.
There are two activities:
Research Activity:
Students research Brazil using information sources (e.g. information books or suggested websites).
Easier – Students research famous landmarks, people, wildlife and Brazilian food.
Harder – Students choose their own topics to research.
Extension: – Students draw pictures for each topic or find appropriate images online.
Writing Activity:
Students write a fact file using the information they have found.
Easier – Students write about famous landmarks, people, wildlife and Brazilian food.
Harder – Students write about their own topics.
Extension – Students draw pictures or stick photos into the boxes for each topic.
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 a wider Geography unit called Great Missenden – A Village Settlement which is designed for students in upper KS2 (Y4-6).
In this lesson, students are introduced a high street survey, a great way of looking at land use in settlements. The presentation first outlines the RICEPOTS system for categorising land use and includes many photos of real world examples to aid understanding.
The activity challenges students to use Google Street View to work out the types of land use on Great Missenden High Street. It is differentiated three ways:
Easier – Students find the business name/land use of 10 places on Great Missenden High Street (with clues).
Medium – Students find the business name/land use of 14 places on Great Missenden High Street (with clues).
Harder – Students find the business name/land use of 14 places on Great Missenden High Street (no clues).
Extension – Students use Google Street View to survey a section of Great Missenden High Street by themselves.
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 first asks students how they would go about finding information about earthquakes. It then introduces them to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia.
The activity then challenges students to research the world’s 12 biggest earthquakes:
Easier – Students use Wikipedia to find one piece of information per earthquake.
Harder – Students use Wikipedia to find two pieces of information per earthquake.
Extension – Students answer questions about the world’s famous earthquakes using Wikipedia.
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.
This lesson is a great introduction to any Austalia topic. First the presentation looks at Australia’s location in the Southern Hemisphere before exploring the country’s vast size and the countries surrounding it.
In the activity, students are challenged to locate Australia on a world map and label other significant features:
Easier - Students label a world map (with hints).
Harder - Students label a world map (no hints)
Extension - Students use a map to identify countries surrounding 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.
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 some of the animals which live in tropical rainforests around the world. Many of these are endangered species so the concepts of extinction and conservation are also covered.
Group Activity:
The group activity then challenges students to match photos of rainforest animals to their names and fact files.
Finally, students learn about a conservation success story - the mountain gorillas of the Congo River Rainforest.
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.
Great Missenden – A Village Settlement is a Geography unit suitable for upper KS2 (Y4-6).
Located in the Chilterns in Buckinghamshire, the village of Great Missenden was once home to famous children’s author Roald Dahl. It is a great case study for helping students understand the similarities and differences between urban and rural settlements.
The planning overview and topic title page can be downloaded for free here. Lessons include:
L1 – Locating Great Missenden in the UK
L2 – Investigating satellite photos of Great Missenden
L3 – Locating features of Great Missenden using grid references
L4 – Identifying the features of settlements
L5 – Surveying Great Missenden High Street using Google Street View
L6 – Interpreting a high street survey of Great Missenden
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 is specifically devised to help students read latitude and longitude with greater accuracy. Initially it scaffolds the learning of this skill with the use of guidelines, then encourages students to have a go without any aids.
The activity is differentiated two ways and includes an extension:
Easier – Students find the latitude and longitude of 12 points on a world map with guidelines.
Harder – Students find the latitude and longitude of 18 points on a world map with guidelines.
Extension – Students have a go at finding the coordinates of 12 points without guidelines.
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.