Geography Scheme | Year 2 | Block 1: If You go Down to the Woods Today | Lesson 6: Let’s Use the Compass and Maps Together!
Year 2 Geography – Lesson 6: Let’s Use the Compass and Maps Together!
Bring the unit together with this practical Year 2 geography lesson on map skills and compass directions. Pupils use world maps, globes and atlases to locate some of the world’s forests and practise describing their positions using north, south, east and west. Children are introduced to the idea that forests exist in different climates – boreal, temperate and tropical – and learn how to describe their locations in relation to the UK. Using compasses outdoors, they explore directions in the playground or school grounds before applying this knowledge to map work.
What’s included in this lesson pack?
- A detailed lesson plan with vocabulary, misconceptions and assessment questions.
- Interactive slides introducing compass points and the locations of the world’s forests.
- Differentiated worksheets and world forest maps for practice.
- Photo pack of world forests to support research and comparisons.
- Outdoor activity ideas, such as compass games and drawing a compass rose in the playground with chalk.
Learning objectives
- Use atlases, globes and maps to locate world forests.
- Describe locations using compass directions (north, south, east, west).
- Understand the differences between boreal, temperate and tropical forests.
- Develop vocabulary such as climate, direction, local, national and global.
Why choose this lesson?
This lesson tackles common misconceptions, such as believing that all forests look like those in the UK or that forests only exist in temperate climates. Pupils build on prior knowledge of human and physical features and apply skills in a global context. Cross-curricular links include literacy (non-fiction texts), numeracy (directional language), and PSHE (forest well-being activities).
Download this Year 2 geography lesson pack as part of our KS1 Geography Scheme of Work. Access all lesson plans, worksheets and interactive slides with a free trial.
