Primary Schemes of Work: Geography Unit 3 An island home
Unit 3 The farm / GeographyYear 2
ABOUT THE UNIT
This is a ‘short’ unit. It shows how a farm can be used to develop children’s understanding of geographical features.
This unit could also be used as a ‘continuous’ unit over a longer period of time.
Prior to the unit, book a visit to a countryside-based farm. See website www.face-online.org.uk for suggested farms to visit.
If possible arrange a tour of a nearby village as part of the visit, to allow the children to see some of the surrounding area.
Geographical enquiry and skills / Knowledge and understanding of places
ask geographical questions
express own views
communicate in different ways
use geographical vocabulary
use globes, maps and plans
use secondary sources
make maps and plans / describe what places are like
compare places
Knowledge and understanding of patterns and processes / Knowledge and understanding of environmental change and sustainable development
observe features / recognise environmental change
VOCABULARY / RESOURCES
In this unit, children are likely to use:
· farm, field, tractor, weather, barn, farmyard, hedgerow, boundary, farmer / · fiction books about farms
· atlas
· pictures and photographs of farms
· materials for making a collage
ã QCA 1998 / Browse, save, edit or print Schemes of Work from the Standards Site at www.standards.dfee.gov.uk / Ref: QCA/98/253W
Browse, save, edit or print Schemes of Work from the Standards Site at www.standards.dfee.gov.uk / Primary Schemes of Work: Geography Unit 3 An island home.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES / POSSIBLE TEACHING ACTIVITIES / LEARNING OUTCOMES / POINTS TO NOTE
CHILDREN SHOULD LEARN / CHILDREN
Where is the farm, what type of farm is it and what is it like?
· to identify the physical and human features of a place
· how the countryside is different from the town / · Read the children a variety of fiction and non-fiction books about farms. Ask the children what the farms all have in common.
· Using pictures and photographs of farms, ask the children to think of different words to describe the farm and surroundings. Write the words on post it notes and sort into a physical landscape group and a human landscape.
· Show a map of the area around the farm they will be visiting. Ask them to find a town and an area of open land or countryside. Show them where the farm is.
· Using the pictures and photographs of farms as a guide, draw a basic map of an imagined farm with the children. Discuss where the buildings, farmyard, farmhouse and fields might go. Ask the children to produce their own maps. / · locate Scotland and the Western Isles on a map
· are aware of the nature and character of an environment different from their own
· identify main features and places of interest and construct a map to record them / Literacy: children could use words about landscape when they are discussing how words and pictures are used to suggest the farm setting.
What types of transport are used on the farm?
· to identify types of transport
· how an environment changes / · Ask the children to draw or list the main types of transport used on the farm e.g. tractor, combine harvester, landrover, walking, tanker, bailer, truck.
· Give the children a list of jobs the farmer has to do. Ask them to match each job to the appropriate mode of transport the farmer might use to do the job. / · know about various types of transport
· know how the environment of the farm is changing
Who lives on the farm and what work do they do?
· how land and buildings are used / · Give the children a map of the farm showing barns, grain store, hen house, farmhouse, sheep pens, millking parlour, farmyard. Then give them a set of cards with statements relating to the usage of the land and buildings e.g. The cows are milked twice a day. / The sheep stay in the fields during the summer. / The hens lay eggs in their house. / The hay is stored in the barn. Ask the children to place the cards on the map, corresponding to the correct part of the farm.
· Ask the children to list the uses of land and buildings.
· Give the children a list of jobs the farmer might do on a typical day. Ask them to write the farmer’s diary entry for one day saying what he or she did during the day. / · recognise how land and buildings are used in different ways
LEARNING OBJECTIVES / POSSIBLE TEACHING ACTIVITIES / LEARNING OUTCOMES / POINTS TO NOTE
CHILDREN SHOULD LEARN / CHILDREN
How is the farm and its surrounding area similar to, and different from, our locality?
· that the world extends outside their locality
· to recognise similarities and differences and communicate them / · Divide the children into groups to make a collage or panoramic picture of the farm and its surrounding area and their locality and label the main features of both places.
· Ask the children to make a list of the similarities and differences between the farm and its surrounding area and their local environment under headings such as buildings, people and animals, physical landscape and transport. / · recognise and understand similar and different features of two contrasting places
What do I like and dislike about the farm? Would I like to live there?
· to identify likes and dislikes about a place / · Discuss with the children what they would like about living on a farm, what they would miss most and what things it would be difficult to do.
· Encourage the children to express personal preferences. / · use reasoned arguments and discussion to make an informed personal choice
· express their views about the farm / Literacy: the work on the setting could be extended to include children writing about the farm and surrounding countryside from a visitor’s point of view. They could use their map they have drawn to plan, and then describe, a route around the island.
It is a good idea to review the school’s fiction and non-fiction books to identify potential links with geography.
ã QCA 2000 / 3 / Ref: QCA/00/490
Browse, save, edit or print Schemes of Work from the Standards Site at www.standards.dfee.gov.uk / Primary Schemes of Work: Geography Unit 3 An island home
PRIOR LEARNING
It is helpful if the children have:
· studied their local environment, which will act as a starting point for making comparisons with another place, as in Unit 1, for example
· developed the skills of using photographs and maps
· done work on aspects of geography, e.g. transport, jobs, physical and human features
EXPECTATIONS
at the end of this unit
most children will: / be familiar with a contrasting environment in the UK;
recognise the main similarities and differences between their local area and a contrasting place;
extract information from secondary sources
some children will not have
made so much progress and will: / have a more limited understanding of the main similarities and differences between their local area and a contrasting place
some children will have
progressed further and will also: / be able to follow a route on a map from their home area to the farm area
ã QCA 2000 / 4 / Ref: QCA/00/490