UKS2 Topic Overview: Comparing People & Places
Travel around the world in this exciting topic, as you compare disparate peoples and places in the UK, Europe, North America and South America. Look at your own area and discover the similarities and differences between where you live and these other intriguing locations. Develop a range of skills and increase your expertise in a number of curriculum areas, including key human and physical geography goals.
Block / Key NC Objectives / Main creative outcomesBlock A
Local Area- why it is one of the Best in Britain
[8 sessions, 4 x rural schools + 4 x urban schools] / Geography, Computing, English and Maths
· Locate the world’s countries, using maps to focus on Europe (including the location of Russia) and North and South America, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, countries and major cities.
· Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography in a region of the United Kingdom, a region in a European country and a region within North or South America.
· Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography including climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes.
· Describe and understand human geography including types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water.
· Select, use and combine a variety of software on a range of digital devices to design and create a range of programs, systems and content that accomplish given goals.
· Retrieve, record and present information from non-fiction.
· Extend pupils’ confidence, enjoyment and mastery of language through public speaking, performance and debate.
· Complete, read and interpret information in tables. Connect their work on coordinates and scales to their interpretation of graphs. / Carry out a structured study of your local area. Choose from either a rural or urban study, depending on your locality. Develop geographical skills by exploring the local environment in a variety of ways and compare and research key features of your area. Identify the key attractions of your area!
Block B
The Grand Canyon
North America
[4 sessions] / Geography and Art
· Locate the world’s countries, using maps to focus on North America, concentrating on its environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, countries and major cities.
· Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography in the Grand Canyon region of North America.
· Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography including climate zones, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes.
· Describe and understand human geography including types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water.
· Create sketchbooks to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas.
· Improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials.
· Learn about great artists in history. / Be amazed by the impressive geography of the Grand Canyon in Arizona in the United States. Explore how the Colorado River, along with debris flows and weather, continues to shape the landscape. Learn about the people who live there and see the region through the photography of Ansel Adams. Capture some of the wonder of this place through your own art and set up a visitor’s centre for another class to explore the Grand Canyon region in comparison to your local area.
Block C
Mexico
[4 sessions] / Geography, D&T, Music and Art
· Locate Mexico within North America, concentrating on its environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics and major cities.
· Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography in Mexico.
· Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography including biomes and vegetation belts and mountains.
· Describe and understand human geography including types of settlement and land use, and the distribution of natural resources including food and water.
· Create sketchbooks to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas.
· Improve their mastery of drawing and painting.
· Appreciate and understand music drawn from Mexican traditions.
· Perform Mexican inspired dances using a range of movement patterns.
· Use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups.
· Select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks accurately.
· Select from and use a range of textiles according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities.
· Prepare and cook a variety of predominantly savoury Mexican dishes using a range of cooking techniques.
· Understand seasonality, and know where and when a variety of ingredients are grown. / Discover Mexico with its extreme and varied landscapes & coasts. Discover a rich heritage of music, art, food and dance, and create your own class fiesta showing off your knowledge of this fascinating country.
Block D
Amazon Basin
[3 sessions] / Geography, Maths and Computing
· Locate the Amazon Basin within South America, concentrating on its environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, and major cities.
· Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography in the Amazon Basin.
· Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography including climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes.
· Describe and understand human geography including types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water.
· Solve comparison, sum and difference problems.
· Complete, construct, read and interpret information in tables, pie charts and line graphs and use these to solve problems.
· Estimate the area of irregular shapes.
· Use all four operations to solve problems involving measure using decimal notation, including scaling.
· Use, read, write and convert between standard units, converting measurements of length from a smaller unit of measure to a larger unit, and vice versa, using decimal notation to up to three decimal places.
· Select, use and combine a variety of software on a digital device to design and create content that collects, analyses, evaluates and presents data and information. / Study the Amazon Basin in South America. Become environmental scientists as you explore this resource-rich environment, investigating the impact of human activity on the natural resources and communities of the region. Use mathematical measures and analysis to create a report on land use, cultural vulnerabilities, environmental impact and economic trade, for presentation at your own Earth summit.
Block E
Peruvian Andes
[4 Sessions] / Geography, Computing and English
· Locate the Peruvian Andes within South America, using maps, concentrating on its environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics and major cities.
· Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of Peruvian Andes.
· Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography including climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes.
· Describe and understand human geography including types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water.
· Use search technologies effectively, appreciate how results are selected and ranked, and be discerning in evaluating digital content.
· Select, use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to design and create a range of programs, systems and content that accomplish given goals, including collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data and information.
· Identify the audience for and purpose of writing, selecting the appropriate form and using other similar writing as models for their own.
· Use further organisational and presentational devices to structure text and to guide the reader. / Journey through the Peruvian Andes and learn about the culture and natural resources of the region. Explore the impact of tourism, and design and launch your own tourism App that links images to online information about the area.
Block F
Alps
[4 sessions] / Geography and D&T
· Locate the world’s countries, using maps to focus on Europe (including the location of Russia) and North and South America, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, countries and major cities.
· Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography in a region of the United Kingdom, a region in a European country. And a region within North or South America.
· Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography including climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes.
· Describe and understand human geography including types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water.
· Select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks accurately.
· Select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities.
· Evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work.
Understand and use mechanical systems in their products (for example, gears, pulleys, cams, levers and linkages). / Learn fascinating facts about the awesome Alps. Make models and use maps to help investigate the key features of the Alps. Learn about the countries that lay around these mountains and study their fascinating cultures. Invite visitors into the classroom to share your learning.
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