Year 5 Geography Block 1

Year 5 Geography – Viva Las Vegas! (Region of North America)

Take your pupils on a virtual trip to the USA with our Year 5 geography unit, “Viva Las Vegas!”. Fully aligned with the National Curriculum, this North America region study develops map skills, time zone knowledge, and understanding of human and physical features in a desert environment.

Part of our Glorious Geography scheme of work, recognised as Highly Commended by the Geographical Association, this unit includes lesson plans, differentiated worksheets, and interactive slides designed to save planning time while supporting progression.

Lessons in this unit
  • Week 1: How can we travel to Las Vegas?
  • Week 2: What is a time zone?
  • Week 3: What are the features of Las Vegas?
  • Week 4: How is the climate different from ours?
  • Week 5: What is it like to live in Las Vegas?
  • Week 6: What challenges face Las Vegas?
Unit outcomes
  • Plan a route between world locations using maps and digital tools.
  • Explain time zones and identify Las Vegas’ time zone relative to the UK.
  • Identify key physical and human features of Las Vegas and its region.
  • Compare desert climate with the UK and interpret climate graphs.
  • Describe daily life in Las Vegas and evaluate urban challenges (e.g. water supply, sustainability).

Explore North America with our Year 5 geography unit

This Year 5 geography unit on Las Vegas builds pupils’ understanding of North America through practical, enquiry-based lessons. Children investigate desert landscapes, time zones, tourism and land use, comparing Las Vegas with UK locations.

What’s included in this unit?

  • Fully planned lesson packs with worksheets, slides and vocabulary cards.
  • Skills practice using maps, atlases, globes and digital mapping.
  • Comparisons between human and physical geography in Las Vegas and the UK.
  • Assessment opportunities to track progress and understanding.

Why choose this unit?

Our KS2 geography scheme of work is written by subject specialists and recognised as Highly Commended by the Geographical Association. Each lesson is engaging, age-appropriate and designed to give teachers confidence in delivering high-quality geography.

Discover more KS2 geography units covering trade, settlements, climate zones and more, or explore the full Primary Geography Scheme of Work for EYFS to Year 6.

Explore Geography Scheme