Lesson Plan: Key Stage One Exploring China

Lesson Plan: Key Stage One Exploring China

Subject: Geography / Date: / Length of Session: 50 mins
Prior Learning
Children do not need any prior learning
Learning Objectives:
-To understand where china is in the world and some of its features as a country / Refs to NC, QCA etc.
1.a, 1.c, 3.a, 3.d, 6.b
Resources:
Barnaby Bear
Important facts about China and influences that it has had on the world
Barefoot Books World Atlas
Blank postcards / Vocabulary:
Organisation:
15 min introduction
25 min main activity
10 min plenary / Support Staff Activities:
Cross curriculum links:
Citizenship – understanding other cultures
Literacy – speaking and listening, writing
Time: / Teacher’s Activity / Children’s Activities:
Starter:
Introduce our class Bear and explain his love for traveling. Is there anywhere that the children in the class would like to go, anything that they would like to see?
Explain that today our Bear is going to China. Show the children page 24 of Barefoot Books World Atlas.
Using a PowerPoint (or equiv) take the children on a journey with our
Bear. Showing the children where he went, what he saw, ate, and travelled in, the countries he travelled through, past or over etc.
Encourage pupils to use the points of the compass - North, South, East and West to describe direction
What did you think of China? Do you think it looks like a nice place? An interesting place? Would you like to go there?
Main Activity :
The children are given a piece of card the size of a postcard and asked to write a postcard home as if they were our class Bear. The postcard should explain what they have seen and done and anything else interesting that they have found out on their trip. Then allow then to draw a picture on the front of the postcard of an element of their trip such as an image of something they visited.
Postcard should include opinions about china and their feelings towards the country. / Children relating to our class bear and his desire to travel. In partners discuss their wishes to see places.
What thing does the map tell them about China – what can they see (use visualizer if available)
Children have an understanding of what China is like as a country and start to form their own opinions.
Children are posed with these questions and encouraged to discuss with a partner their opinions of China.
Children are writing a postcard about their trip to holiday.
The Children are developing their geographical enquiry skills as they are asking questions about what China is like as a country.
Plenary:
Bring the class back together and look at some of the similarities and differences between where they live and the country of China.
This approach can also be replicated for other parts of the world.
Differentiation:
Lower ability – create sentences for the children to finish and write onto the post card.
HA extension –China exports a vast amount of products to the rest of the world. What sort of goods (such as clothing and electronic good) and foods do they export?
Assessment Opportunities:
The postcards will provide the opportunity to assess the children’s understanding. Also the discussions that happen on the carpet will give an indication.
Note: more resources for using a travelling bear to other parts of the world are provided by the Geographical Association through their Barnaby Bear activities see: http://www.geography.org.uk/eyprimary/barnabybear/