This set of resources has been designed and developed by @ebol and NGfL Cymru to support and enhance the work already available in the @ebol resource pack ‘Contrasting Localities – Tell me about…’

You can find out more about these resources on the @ebol Website.

Contrasting Localities is written specifically to support the teaching and learning of geographical skills at KS2.
Contrasting Localities aims to:
• develop children’s awareness and sense of place
• develop geographical skills relevant to the study of contrasting localities
• promote enquiry and thinking skills
• promote an awareness of sustainability and global citizenship
• support independent learning and be suitable for the full ability range
Contrasting Localities includes the following localities:
• Botswana
• Iceland
• Paris
• Patagonia

These online resources also include a Welsh element for comparison work.

Teacher Notes

The activities included here mostly cover the first half of each of the pupil books with a few selected activities focusing on later investigations.

Unit 1 - Where in the world?

The main screen presents a set of images to the class which can be used in a variety of ways. The four areas from the @ebol resource and Wales are included.

-Each photo can be labelled by country before checking answers with the ‘tick’ button.

-A larger photo set can be shown by using the ‘orange box’ button.

-Photos can be clicked on and sent to the right hand side for simple comparison.

Pupils should be challenged to explain their choices of locality – you can find some supporting questions by selecting the ‘Q’ button.

The unit also comes with two Map Work activities. The first allows pupils to annotate a world map with labels and pen tools to find out the location of the area(s) to be studied. The second activity is a simple quiz where facts about each location are revealed step by step until the location of an area or country is identified on a map.

Unit 2 – What kind of place is…?

Following on from the ‘Where in the world?’ unit, this activity offers a wider range of photo evidence and keywords to encourage pupils to share what they think they already know about the chosen locality whilst encouraging them to find out more.

The template (available with and without supportive headings) gives groups the chance to examine the photo bank and record their thoughts at the start of a unit of work.

If using the box headings, are some boxes easier than others to fill in?

The initial pages of the @ebol pupil books and the accompanying class activities can be carried out before groups revisit their original thoughts to identify what was close to fact, what was opinion and what might have been a stereotypical view.

Unit 3 – What is the weather like in…?

The activities in this unit allow pupils to look at and compare rainfall and / or temperature averages for their chosen country / area and Wales / Cardiff.

Using the pen tools / drag and drop bars or boxes, pupils can create their own graphs using the data from the @ebol pupil books and suggest patterns for weather before looking at final graphs using the available drag bars.

Jump between rainfall and temperature graphs (if available) by using the ‘raindrops’ and thermometer’ buttons.

The ‘Wales’ button (where available) reveals two smaller graphs allowing comparison with Wales figures. Which colour represents Wales? Are the weather patterns similar?

The activities for Patagonia are slightly different. Part one of the resource gives pupils the opportunity to label the rainfall axis with places from Patagonia and Wales. Parts two and three extend this activity by letting pupils label these areas on a relief map.

Unit 4 – A day in the life

The timelines for Botswana and Paris give a colour coded picture of ‘typical’ days spent by the children found in the @ebol pupil books. Can pupils work out what the colours represent before you reveal the key?

The ‘magnifying glass’ button gives pupils the chance to explore parts of the lines in more detail by clicking on the time they want to look at.

A third line can be added, using the ‘Wales’ button, and coloured blocks can be added by dragging the relevant colours from the key onto the line.

Once completed, you will have three different timelines to compare and contrast.

A simple Venn diagram activity is also available to compare and contrast typical days for a child in Wales and a child in the chosen locality.

Unit 5 – Fact finder

This activity covers Paris, Iceland and / or Botswana.

In each activity, the pupils are given information to sort. In each case, you can ask them what they think the number / items are before revealing the topic using the ‘?’ button.

Labels can be dragged onto either map or onto the mixed flags if pupils think they are common to both areas. If correct, the label will appear in the box underneath.

A table showing correctly placed information can be found after all of the questions. It is also possible to jump between all three countries at any time (using the ‘country map’ buttons at the bottom of the screen) if desired.

A more complete fact file for each country can be found in the @ebol pupil books.

Unit 6 – Modern or traditional

This activity supports the work found in the ‘Paris’ @ebol pupil book.

The twenty thumbnail images found in this activity show examples of both modern and traditional buildings found in Paris and Cardiff.

These can be simply labelled OR you can use the final two labels to group them any way you want e.g. recycled materials, metal.

A quick comparison of two buildings can be made by clicking on each. They will then be shown on the right hand side of the screen. For a more detailed comparison, click on the ‘T’ button that appears.

At any time, supporting questions can be accessed by clicking on the ‘Q’ button and photos can be presented a different way by selecting the ‘orange square’ button.

Unit 7 – Tourist guide

This activity allows a large group, pair or individual pupil to design a basic website front page to promote a particular area to tourists.

From the work already completed with the @ebol Pupil books, children should have an idea of the features of each location and must now decide on their top three as that area’s tourist board.

Photos from below can be dragged onto the small boxes to the left and text typed into the larger boxes to the right.

Additionally, the look of the page can be changed by moving the mouse over each box to reveal two icons. To move a box around, hold down the left mouse button on the ‘hand’ icon to drag. To view other possible sizes for each picture or text box, click on the ‘window’ icon.

The simple spider diagram activities give the teacher or pupil the opportunity to look at different points of view.

Choose a photo from those available at the bottom of the screen and use the pen tool to add comments. There are buttons to change the subheading in each case so that focus can be given to the tourist AND local point of view.

Do the pupils think there will be differences in opinion?

Unit 8 – Comparing maps

This activity gives pupils the opportunity to compare the maps of locations outlined in the @ebol resource with each other and also with Wales.

Maps can be looked at in turn or put side by side with another for comparison at the whiteboard.

Simple layers for National Parks, main towns and rivers can be turned on and off as appropriate and a drag and drop grid can be used to compare distances (size of country, length of river, distance between two points, etc.)

Unit 9 – Pros and cons

Each activity here (based on questions raised in the @ebol pupil books) takes the form of a simple thinking skill exercise.

Pupils can use the books and other research they have carried out to consider and compare different points of view on the issues outlined on each activity.

As well as deciding who might be for or against, pupils can also consider how strong or weak those arguments are.

Many of these activities come with a couple of comments to get the debate started!

The final activity in this unit is a blank template with a title bar that can be edited to suit any area / development you might be studying locally.

Unit 10 – Most likely to…

For each location in Activity 1, ask the pupils to read the statements carefully and decide which place is ‘most likely to…’ have experienced each one.

Drag each statement left or right, under the place you think it is referring to. If pupils think that a statement could refer to both places on the screen, leave it in the middle.

Can pupils / groups explain their choices to their partner / class? These comments are left open and could be explored more by using the @ebol pupil books and further research online.

Activity 2 (accessed by using the button) is more challenging and is suited to more able learners. By clicking on the ‘hand’ icons that appear, can pupils decide which of the statements are ISSUES, EFFECTS (of those issues) or a RESPONSE (to that issue)?

This work can be extended to look at local issues, their effects on areas around the school and community and any proposed responses.