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In this block of learning, you will cover the following lessons:
🗺️ Week 1: What are the features of a park?
🗺️ Week 2: How can I get from my school to the local park?
🗺️ Week 3: Let’s explore the local park!
🗺️ Week 4: Where are the swings
🗺️ Week 5: What are other parks in the world like?
🗺️ Week 6: How can we improve our local park?
✅ Name the human and physical features within the local park and distinguish between the two.
✅ Plan and draw a map to show a route from one location to another, showing key human and physical features along the route.
✅ Follow a map or instructions using simple compass directions and find locations, discussing their observations. Ask questions and express likes and dislikes with reasons.
✅ Independently draw a map of the local park with a key of human and physical features and an arrow pointing north.
✅ Use maps, photographs and their own research geographical information to find out about a contrasting locality, noting the physical and human features.
✅ Give reasons why they like/dislike a place.
✅ Make suggestions on how to improve a place.
The national curriculum for Geography in Year 1 focuses on introducing pupils to the world around them, beginning with their local area. The aim is to develop their understanding of both human and physical geography, basic geographical vocabulary, and simple skills like map reading and observation. Here’s a brief overview of the key areas covered:
Locational Knowledge
Pupils should begin to understand their immediate surroundings, starting with their local area, such as their neighbourhood, village, town, or city. This includes identifying key places that are familiar to them and learning where these places are in relation to each other. They may start to develop an understanding of simple maps and positional language, such as “near” and “far.”
Place Knowledge
Children are encouraged to learn about different types of places, comparing their local area with other places, both nearby and further away. This helps to build their awareness of the diversity of the world around them. By studying contrasting areas, pupils can begin to understand how places differ and use comparative language to describe these differences.
Human and Physical Geography
Pupils should learn to identify a range of physical features (such as hills, rivers, and forests) and human-made features (such as buildings, roads, and playgrounds) in their local area. Understanding the difference between natural and man-made features is a key part of their learning at this stage. They will also explore how the seasons and weather affect the environment around them.
Geographical Skills and Fieldwork
At this level, children are introduced to basic geographical skills. This includes using simple maps to locate features in their local area and beginning to draw their own simple maps with a key. Fieldwork is also a core element, where pupils can explore their surroundings, observe key features, and record their findings, developing observational and recording skills.
By engaging with these topics, pupils in Year 1 begin to build a foundation in geography that will later develop into more complex concepts about the wider world.
