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 an ideal introduction to compass directions for younger children.
It is part of Our World, a Geography unit designed for students in KS1 and lower KS2 (Y1-3), but can also be taught as a stand alone lesson.
The presentation introduces the four cardinal points of the compass (North, East, South and West). It then challenges students to describe the position of objects using these compass directions.
The activity worksheets are differentiated two ways:
Easier – Students describe the position of objects using compass directions (simple questions).
Harder – Students describe the position of objects using compass directions (mixed questions).
Extension – Students fill in the blanks on a compass using different vocabulary.
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 seaside topic and then challenges them to identify features of the seaside (e.g. sandcastle, lifeguard) from partial picture clues.
In the activity, students identify and label seaside features:
Easier – Students label photos of seaside features (with initial letter clues).
Harder – Students label photos of seaside features (no clues)
Extension:
Easier – Students label seaside features in photos of Brighton Beach and a beach on the Isle of Harris.
Harder - Students write sentences about seaside features in photos of Brighton Beach and a beach on the Isle of Harris.
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 Our World, a Geography unit designed for students in KS1 and lower KS2 (Y1-3), but can also be taught as a stand alone lesson.
This Geography lesson is a fun introduction to satellite photos. The presentation first helps students understand what satellite photos are. It then challenges them to investigate satellite photos of a variety of world famous human and natural landmarks (e.g. Eiffel Tower, Victoria Falls).
It is accompanied by two activities:
Speaking and Listening Activity
In mixed pairs or trios, students match the photos of 16 world famous landmarks to their satellite photos, explaining their reasoning as they do so.
Writing Activity
Students investigate satellite photos and write sentences explaining which landmark they think each one is. E.g. “I think this photo is Stonehenge because I can see a circle of huge stones surrounded by grass.”
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 Our World, a Geography unit designed for students in KS1 and lower KS2 (Y1-3), but can also be taught as a stand alone lesson.
It aims to help younger students understand where they live. It looks at where Earth is in the solar system and then which continent, country and place they call home.
In the activity students write sentences about where they live. There are two differentiated worksheets:
Easier – Students fill in cloze procedure sentences to describe where they live.
Harder – Students write full sentences to describe where they live.
Extension – Students sort the names of countries, continents and planets into the correct categories.
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 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 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 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 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 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 a wider cross-curricula unit called London Zoo which is designed for KS1 and lower KS2 students (Y2-4).
The presentation first locates London Zoo within the UK and London itself. Students then find out a variety of interesting facts about the zoo.
The activity challenges students to write a fact file about London Zoo. It is differentiated four ways:
Easier – Students write cloze procedure sentences (one word per sentence)
Medium – Students write cloze procedure sentences (students write whole sentences)
Harder – Students write their own London Zoo fact file (using a sentence starter and vocabulary prompt)
Hardest – Students write their own London Zoo fact file (using just 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 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.
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 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 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 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 a wider unit called Exploring St Lucia and is designed to teach KS2 students about a contrasting non-European country.
This lesson looks at similarities and differences between St Lucia and the UK including:
– location in the world
– population
– languages
– currency
– heads of state
– physical geography
– types of employment
In the partner activity students sort statements about the countries into two groups – those describing St Lucia and those describing the UK. It is differentiated two ways:
Easier – Students sort statements about St Lucia and the UK (using stickers and a worksheet).
Harder – Students sort statements about St Lucia and the UK (completed in an exercise book).
Extension – Students think of similarities & differences between St Lucia and 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 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.