I've worked in primary teaching for over 10 years and specialise in creating fun and engaging educational resources, particularly for Geography and History.
I've worked in primary teaching for over 10 years and specialise in creating fun and engaging educational resources, particularly for Geography and History.
This lesson is part of Understanding Latitude and Longitude, a unit designed for students in upper KS2 and KS3. It can also be taught as a stand-alone lesson.
This lesson is specifically devised to help students read latitude and longitude with greater accuracy. Initially it scaffolds the learning of this skill with the use of guidelines, then encourages students to have a go without any aids.
The activity is differentiated two ways and includes an extension:
Easier β Students find the latitude and longitude of 12 points on a world map with guidelines.
Harder β Students find the latitude and longitude of 18 points on a world map with guidelines.
Extension β Students have a go at finding the coordinates of 12 points without guidelines.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of Understanding Latitude and Longitude, a unit designed for students in upper KS2 and KS3. It can also be taught as a stand-alone lesson.
This lesson explains step-by-step how to find the coordinates of a point on a world map using lines of latitude and longitude.
In the activity, students are challenged to find the latitude and longitude of 12 points in all four quadrants of a world map. It is differentiated three ways:
Easier β Students find coordinates of 12 points in the NE, SE, SW and NW quadrants of the world map respectively. The compass directions are already filled in.
Medium β Students find coordinates of 12 points in the NE, SE, SW and NW quadrants of the world map respectively.
Harder β Students find coordinates of 12 points randomly distributed across the four quadrants of the world map.
Extension β Students are challenged to draw and label 4 more points on to their map.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of The Seaside, a Geography unit designed for students in KS1 and lower KS2, but can also be taught as a stand alone lesson.
The presentation first explains the difference between human and physical geographical features. It then challenges students to identify a range of seaside features (e.g. cliffs, lighthouse, river mouth) and classify them as human or physical.
In the activity, students identify a range of seaside features and classify them as human or physical.
Easier - Students classify seaside features as human or physical.
Medium - Students label seaside features (with initial letter clues) and classify them as human or physical.
Harder - Students label seaside features (no clues) and classify them as human or physical.
Extension - Students unscramble sentences about the seaside.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of The Seaside, a Geography unit designed for students in KS1 and lower KS2, but can also be taught as a stand alone lesson.
The presentation introduces students to the seaside topic and then challenges them to identify features of the seaside (e.g. sandcastle, lifeguard) from partial picture clues.
In the activity, students identify and label seaside features:
Easier β Students label photos of seaside features (with initial letter clues).
Harder β Students label photos of seaside features (no clues)
Extension:
Easier β Students label seaside features in photos of Brighton Beach and a beach on the Isle of Harris.
Harder - Students write sentences about seaside features in photos of Brighton Beach and a beach on the Isle of Harris.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of The Seaside, a Geography unit designed for students in KS1 and lower KS2, but can also be taught as a stand alone lesson.
The presentation takes students on a tour of the seaside town of Lyme Regis, home of the famous 19th century paleontologist, Mary Anning.
On the way, students find out about a variety of tourist attractions and other features including the harbour, the Marine Aquarium and the Lyme Regis Museum.
The activity then challenges students to use their map skills to locate these features on a map of the town.
Easier - Students identify each feature of Lyme Regis by writing a number.
Harder - Students identify each feature of Lyme Regis by writing a name.
Extension - Students locate and circle other features of Lyme Regis using the map key.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of Our World, a Geography unit designed for students in KS1 and lower KS2 (Y1-3), but can also be taught as a stand alone lesson.
This Geography lesson is a fun introduction to satellite photos. The presentation first helps students understand what satellite photos are. It then challenges them to investigate satellite photos of a variety of world famous human and natural landmarks (e.g. Eiffel Tower, Victoria Falls).
It is accompanied by two activities:
Speaking and Listening Activity
In mixed pairs or trios, students match the photos of 16 world famous landmarks to their satellite photos, explaining their reasoning as they do so.
Writing Activity
Students investigate satellite photos and write sentences explaining which landmark they think each one is. E.g. βI think this photo is Stonehenge because I can see a circle of huge stones surrounded by grass.β
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of Our World, a Geography unit designed for students in KS1 and lower KS2 (Y1-3), but can also be taught as a stand alone lesson.
It aims to help younger students understand where they live. It looks at where Earth is in the solar system and then which continent, country and place they call home.
In the activity students write sentences about where they live. There are two differentiated worksheets:
Easier β Students fill in cloze procedure sentences to describe where they live.
Harder β Students write full sentences to describe where they live.
Extension β Students sort the names of countries, continents and planets into the correct categories.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of Exploring the United Kingdom, a Geography unit designed for KS1 and lower KS2 (Y2-4).
First the presentation introduces children to the flags of the United Kingdom and their names.
Students then complete one of two differentiated activity worksheets:
Easier β Students complete cloze procedure sentences about UK flags (with clues)
Harder β Students complete cloze procedure sentences about UK flags (no clues)
Extension β Students colour in the three UK national flags which together make up the Union Jack.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of Exploring the United Kingdom, a Geography unit designed for KS1 and lower KS2 (Y2-4).
The presentation first explains how every country β just like people β has its own special features and characteristics. It then introduces a variety of famous UK landmarks, sports and foods and challenges students to work out whether each is from England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
The activity can be done in two ways:
Partner activity:
In mixed ability partners, students match 20 features and characteristics to the four UK countries.
Individual activity:
Students match 20 features/characteristics to the four UK countries.
Easier β Students match features/characteristics to each country (using stickers with labels).
Harder β Students match features/characteristics to each country and label each one (using stickers without labels).
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of Mountain Environments, a Geography unit designed for students in upper KS2 (Y4-6).
N.B. Ideally students have a grounding in latitude and longitude prior to this lesson. The unit Understanding Latitude & Longitude is an ideal introduction to the topic.
First the presentation introduces students to latitude and longitude and goes through how to find the coordinates of a point step-by-step. It then asks students to find the latitude and longitude of several world capital cities.
The activity and extension then challenge children to locate famous world mountains using their latitude and longitude:
Easier - Students locate 12 famous world mountains using latitude and longitude.
Harder - Students locate 16 famous world mountains using latitude and longitude.
Extension - Students add more famous mountains to their world map using latitude and longitude clues.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of Exploring the United Kingdom, a Geography unit designed for KS1 and lower KS2 (Y2-4).
This lesson encourages students to identify geographical features found in the city/countryside and think about the similarities and differences between urban and rural areas in the UK.
First the presentation shows small segments of images from around the United Kingdom and challenges students to work out whether they are from the city or countryside.
Children then complete a Venn diagram-based activity which can be done in two ways:
Group activity:
In pairs or trios, children sort images of the city and countryside using a Venn diagram. This can also be done using two PE hoops and makes a nice classroom display.
Individual activity:
Students sort city and countryside vocabulary using a Venn diagram:
Easier β Students sort 12 city/countryside words
Harder β Students sort 18 city/countryside words
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of Mountain Environments, a Geography unit designed for students in upper KS2 (Y4-6).
First the presentation recaps the structure of the Earth and how its crust is split into tectonic plates. It then investigates the different ways tectonic plates can move and how two tectonic plates colliding can form fold mountains (e.g. the Himalayas).
The differentiated activity challenges students to work out which tectonic plates formed different fold mountain ranges around the world.
Easier β Students have to find one tectonic plate.
Medium β Students have to find two tectonic plates.
Harder β Students find the name of each mountain range and two tectonic plates.
Extension β Students complete a cloze procedure paragraph about fold mountains.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This fun jigsaw activity is a great geography resource for reinforcing childrenβs knowledge of the world.
It is also available as part of the Our World topic, an introduction to the geography of Planet Earth for KS1 and lower KS2
The presentation introduces students to a map of the world and highlights physical features including the continents, oceans, rivers and mountain ranges.
The jigsaw puzzle activity is differentiated six ways. The age brackets below are a rough guide:
6 pieces β EYFS
12 pieces β EYFS/Y1
24 pieces β Y1/2/3
36 pieces β Y2/3/4
48 pieces β Y3/4/5
60 pieces β Y4/5/6
A guide map is included for students in Early Years and KS1. Challenge more able KS2 students to complete the puzzle without the guide map.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of Investigating Rivers, a unit designed for upper KS2 (Y4-6).
First the presentation looks at sources of water and highlights the importance of this critical resource. It then introduces the main processes of the water cycle including key concepts such as evaporation, condensation and precipitation.
The activity then challenges students to label a diagram of the water cycle. It is differentiated three ways:
Easier β Students have all the label clues.
Medium β Students have only four label clues.
Harder β Students have no label clues.
Extension β Students complete a cloze procedure paragraph about the water cycle.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of Investigating Rivers, a unit designed for upper KS2 (Y4-6).
It introduces many key river concepts and a wide range of related vocabulary. First the presentation recaps the main processes of the water cycle. It then introduces some of the well known features of river systems (e.g. waterfalls and lakes). There are two activities:
Group Activity:
Students are challenged to match eight features of river systems to photos, satellite images and maps. This activity can easily be differentiated by giving groups different numbers of cards.
Individual Activity:
In the worksheet activity students identify the same features on a simplified drawing of a river system. It is differentiated two ways:
Easier β Students identify river features and complete cloze procedure definitions.
Harder β Students identify river features and write their own definitions of four river features.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of Investigating Rivers, a unit designed for upper KS2 (Y4-6).
It challenges students to think about all the different ways we use water and where we get it from. Are these necessary (needs) or luxury (wants)?
Students then categorise these uses of water as agricultural, recreational, commercial/industrial or community. Lastly, they consider how we can balance human water requirements with those of Earthβs wildlife.
In the activity students sort photos of different water uses into six different categories:
Household
Commercial/industrial
Recreational
Agricultural
Community
Wildlife
In the extension activity, students classify each water use as either necessary or luxury and explain their reasoning.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is part of Investigating Rivers, a unit designed for upper KS2 (Y4-6).
Students are first introduced to the three stages of a river β the upper course, middle course and lower course β and some of the key features of each. The presentation then challenges students to think about the characteristics of rivers in these different stages (e.g. altitude, channel width, water speed).
In the activity, students match descriptions to each stage of a river. It is differentiated two ways:
Easier β Students match colour-coded descriptions to either the upper, middle or lower course of a river.
Harder β Students match descriptions to either the upper, middle or lower course of a river.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is designed for KS2 students. It can be taught as a stand alone lesson but is also available as part of two wider units, both of which are available on TES:
-Volcanoes
-Volcanoes & Earthquakes
The presentation investigates the five deadly features of a volcanic eruption including volcanic ash, lava flows, volcanic bombs, pyroclastic flows and mud flows (or βlaharsβ).
The activity challenges students to match pictures of each feature to a description. It is differentiated four ways:
Easier β Students match pictures of the five features of a volcanic eruption to the descriptions.
Medium β Students complete cloze procedure sentences. They then match pictures to each description.
Harder β Students complete cloze procedure sentences. They then match pictures to each description and add a title for each section.
Hardest β Children stick pictures of the five features of a volcanic eruption in their books and write their own description next to each one.
Extension β Which feature of a volcanic eruption do children think is the most deadly? Can they explain their answer?
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is designed for KS2 students. It can be taught as a stand alone lesson but is also available as part of two wider units, both of which are available on TES:
-Volcanoes
-Volcanoes & Earthquakes
First the presentation looks at Mount Etna and Mount Vesuvius in Italy and asks why people choose to live so close to volcanoes.
The activities then challenges students to think about the advantages and disadvantages of living near a volcano:
Partner Activity:
Students sort statements and photos into advantages and disadvantages of living near a volcano.
Writing Activity:
Students write about the advantages and disadvantages of living near a volcano. Stickers and a vocabulary prompt are provided for this activity.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.
This lesson is designed for KS2 students. It can be taught as a stand alone lesson but is also available as part of two wider units, both of which are available on TES:
-Volcanoes
-Volcanoes & Earthquakes
First the presentation locates the Caribbean island of Montserrat. It then looks in detail at the eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano from 1995-99 and the devastating impact on the island.
There are two activities which accompany this lesson, plus extension activities:
Quiz Activity:
Video quiz activity which can be done in pairs/groups.
Writing Activity:
Students write a volcano fact file about the Soufriere Hills volcanic eruptions. This is differentiated three ways:
Easier β Students have statements to stick or copy into their fact file.
Medium β Students have a sequenced vocabulary prompt to scaffold their writing.
Harder β Students have an unsequenced vocabulary prompt to support their writing.
Extension β Students complete a cloze procedure text about the eruptions of Soufriere Hills.
If you like this resource, we would appreciate a review! We will happily send you a free resource in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk.