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 a wider cross-curricula unit called London Zoo which is designed for KS1 and lower KS2 students (Y2-4).
The engaging presentation takes students on a journey through the main events in the London Zoo’s history, from its founding by Sir Stamford Raffles to the arrival of Winnie the bear (the inspiration for Winnie the Pooh) and also more recent developments such as the opening of Tiger Territory.
The timeline activity reinforces this learning by encouraging students to place these events in chronological order. It is differentiated three ways:
Easier – Students place 8 events on the timeline (using stickers)
Medium – Students write 8 events on a timeline with dates
Harder – Students write 8 events on a timeline without dates
N.B. It is recommended that the activity sheets are photocopied to A3 size to fit the stickers and allow for children with larger handwriting.
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 a wider unit called Exploring St Lucia and is designed to teach KS2 students about a contrasting non-European country.
First the presentation introduces students to the directions of the compass. It then helps them to locate places in St Lucia using compass directions – first using the four cardinal points (N, E, S, W), then also using the four ordinal points (NE, SE, SW, NW).
The accompanying activity gives students a chance to locate places in St Lucia using the points of the compass. It is differentiated two ways.
Easier – Students locate places using the eight points of the compass (with compass direction hints).
Harder – Students locate places using the eight points of the compass (no compass direction hints).
Extension – Students complete another compass direction challenge.
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 Spain, a Geography unit designed for upper KS2 students (Y4-6), but can also be taught as a stand alone lesson.
In the presentation students recap the 8 points of the compass and locate Spanish cities using these compass directions. They also learn how to locate cities in relation to each other (e.g. Valencia is north of Alicante).
The activity challenges students use all 8 compass directions to locate Spanish cities. It is differentiated three ways:
Easier – Students locate Spanish cities (with answer clues + cities marked on the map)
Medium – Students locate Spanish cities (with answer clues)
Harder – Students locate Spanish cities (no answer clues)
Extension – Students locate Spanish cities in relation to each other.
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 a wider Geography unit called Great Missenden – A Village Settlement which is designed for students in upper KS2 (Y4-6).
First the presentation uses satellite photos and maps to locate the village of Great Missenden which is located in the Chilterns to the north-west of London.
The activity then challenges students to identify and label geographical features in and around London and the Great Missenden locality.
In the extension activity, students classify the features they have found as human or physical.
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 simple set of activities is a great way for students to sharpen their map skills and learn the location of the states of the USA.
The worksheets can be used as an introduction to the geography of the US for younger students or to revise core geographical knowledge with older students. The states are even numbered in the order in which they joined the Union! There are three activities:
Activity 1:
Students write numbers on a map to identify each US state.
Activity 2:
Students use an atlas or map and write in the full name of each US state.
Activity 3:
Students use state abbreviations to write in the full name of each US state.
For more Geography and History resources, check out our TES shop.
If you like this resource, please review it. We will happily send you a free resource of your choice in return for a review or useful suggestions/feedback. Contact us at ed@teachitforward.co.uk
This resource is part of Tropical Rainforests, a Geography unit designed for students in KS2, but can also be taught as a stand alone lesson. All resources are compatible with both Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
The presentation starts by recapping the issue of deforestation and its detrimental impact on rainforests around the world. It then challenges students to think of practical ways we can all help protect tropical rainforests (e.g. buying sustainable products, using less paper).
Next, it introduces some of the charities working to save the world’s tropical rainforests including the Rainforest Trust and WWF. If your students wish to organise a fundraising event, there are lots of ideas and inspiration.
For their activity, students create a ‘Save the Rainforests’ poster to advertise your fundraising event and/or raise awareness of ways we can all help protect tropical rainforests.
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 is the free planning overview for Exploring Brazil, a comprehensive unit of work about the geography of Brazil. A vocabulary page and topic title page are also included.
The unit is is designed for students in KS2 from Y4 to Y6 and includes a variety of engaging lessons, differentiated activities and worksheets.
All the resources described in this unit plan are available on TES, either as individual lessons or as a bundle. Lessons include:
L1 – Identifying the countries and capitals of South America
L2 – Writing a Brazil fact file
L3 – Using 4 and 6-figure grid references to locate Brazilian cities
L4 – Identifying the human and physical features of Brazil
L5 – Exploring Brazil’s ecosystems
L6 – Investigating Brazil’s weather and climate
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 is the free planning overview for Our World, a comprehensive introduction to the geography of Planet Earth. A vocabulary page and topic title page are also included.
This unit is designed for students in KS1 and lower KS2 (Y1-3) and includes a variety of engaging lessons, differentiated activities and worksheets.
All the resources described in the planning are available on TES, either individually or as a bundle. Lessons include:
L1 – Completing a world map jigsaw
L2 – Identifying the continents and oceans of the world (FREE)
L3 – Where do we live?
L4 – Identifying human and natural features of the world
L5 – Investigating satellite photos of famous world landmarks
L6 – Introduction to compass directions
L7 – Identifying world climate zones
L8 – Identifying the countries and capitals of the UK (FREE)
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 is a simple matching activity to help children recognise and identify the continents of the world. It is suitable for children in KS1 & KS2.
This resource works well with the World map jigsaw and Continents and oceans of the world.
It can also be used to play Pelmanism, a fun game which promotes concentration and memory skills.
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 free lesson is an ideal introduction to the geography of the British Isles for students in KS1 and KS2. It is also part of Exploring the United Kingdom, a Geography unit designed for KS1 and lower KS2 (Y2-4).
The colourful presentation teaches students the countries, capitals and seas of the United Kingdom and Ireland. The activity worksheets are differentiated four ways:
Easier – Students identify the countries & capitals of the UK and Ireland (with a map prompt).
Medium – Students identify the countries & capitals of the UK and Ireland (with vocab & map prompt).
Harder – Students identify the countries & capitals of the UK and Ireland (with vocab but no map prompt).
Hardest – Students identify the countries, capitals and seas of the UK and Ireland (no vocab or map prompt).
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 a wider cross-curricula unit called London Zoo which is designed for KS1 and lower KS2 students (Y2-4).
The colourful presentation introduces students to some of the animal groups children might see at London Zoo including mammals, fish, insects, birds, reptiles and amphibians.
The activity then takes students on a tour of the zoo and challenges them to record the animals they would see at different points in their journey. It is differentiated two ways:
Easier – Students identify 20 different animals (with first-letter clues).
Harder – Students identify 20 different animals (no clues).
N.B. The activity worksheet can be photocopied to A3 size to allow for children with larger handwriting.
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 a wider unit called Exploring St Lucia and is designed to teach KS2 students about a contrasting non-European country.
The presentation introduces the students to satellite photos. It then challenges them to use their detective skills to identify the various human and physical geographical features of St Lucia.
It is accompanied by a writing-based activity which challenges students to identify the features in the satellite photos and explain their reasoning. It is differentiated three ways:
Easier – Students identify 1 feature per satellite photo.
Medium – Students identify 2 features per satellite photo.
Harder – Students identify 3 features per satellite photo.
Extension – Students sort the features they have found into human and physical.
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 Trade, a Geography unit designed for students in upper KS2 (Y5-6).
First the presentation introduces the banana trade and the concept of ‘supply chains’. Students are then challenged to sequence the banana supply chain in a group activity.
The Banana Split game, produced by Cafod, is then introduced. This is a great way to help children understand the uneven distribution of power and money in the supply chains of many of every day foods. There is also an activity sheet for students to complete as they progress through the game.
Finally the Fairtrade movement is introduced as a way for consumers to improve the conditions of workers in developing countries around the world. In the plenary, Fairtrade is also linked to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
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 is the free planning overview for Investigating Rivers, a comprehensive Geography unit about rivers. A topic title page is also included.
This unit is designed for students in KS2 from Y4 to Y6 and includes a variety of engaging lessons, differentiated activities and worksheets.
All the resources described in this unit plan are available on TES either as individual lessons or as a bundle. Lessons include:
L1 - Understanding the water cycle
L2 - Identifying features of a river system
L3 - Identifying characteristics of the three stages of a river
L4 - Investigating features of the River Thames
L5 - Thinking about the different ways we use water
L6 - Understanding the impacts of floods and droughts
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 resource is part of Exploring Australia, a Geography unit designed for students in upper KS1 and lower KS2 (Y2-Y4). All resources are compatible with both Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
First the presentation introduces satellite photos. Students initially examine satellite photos of famous world landmarks before moving on to investigate several Australian sites.
The activities challenge students to use their geographical detective skills to identify Australian landmarks from satellite photos:
Matching Activity:
Students match 10 Australian landmarks to their satellite photos.
Writing Activity:
Easier - Students investigate satellite photos of 8 Australian landmarks (using a writing frame).
Harder - Students investigate satellite photos of 10 Australian landmarks (writing in books).
Extension - Students choose an Australian landmark they would like to visit and explain why.
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 is the free planning overview for Tropical Rainforests, a comprehensive unit about tropical rainforests, the most biodiverse terrestrial ecosystems on Earth. A topic title page and knowledge organiser are also included.
The unit is is designed for students in KS2 (Y3-Y6) and includes a variety of engaging lessons, differentiated activities and worksheets. All resources are compatible with both Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
All the resources described in this unit plan are available on TES, either as individual lessons or as a bundle. Lessons include:
L1 – Locating tropical rainforests on a world map
L2 – Identifying tropical rainforest animals
L3 – Investigating the layers of a tropical rainforest
L4 – Exploring the Amazon rainforest
L5 – Understanding the impact of deforestation on the Amazon
L6 – Investigating how deforestation affects an Amazon tribe
L7 - Thinking of ways to help save tropical rainforests
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.
These colourful worksheets are a great way for students to learn the location of Europe’s countries and capital cities. They can be used with all ages from KS1 to KS4.
They are ideal for atlas work and can be used either as an introduction to Europe for younger students or to extend the geographical knowledge of older students.
There are three differentiated activities:
Activity 1 - Identifying the countries of Europe:
Shorter activity - Students write in numbers for each country (20 or 38 countries).
Longer activity - Students write in the name of each country (20 or 38 countries).
Activity 2 - Identifying the capital cities of Europe:
Shorter activity - Students write in numbers for each capital city (20 or 38 capitals).
Longer activity - Students write in the name of each capital city (20 or 38 capitals).
Activity 3 - Identifying the countries and capital cities of Europe:
The answers for this activity need to be written in an exercise book.
Shorter activity - Students find the names of 20 countries and their capitals.
Longer activity - Students find the names of 38 countries and their capitals.
N.B. All activities can be printed to A4 paper. Some may need to be expanded to A3, depending on the size of students’ writing.
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 is the free planning overview for Understanding Latitude & Longitude. A topic title page is also included.
This Geography unit is designed for students in upper KS2 and KS3 and contains a sequence of four lessons with differentiated activities and worksheets. These are carefully designed to help students learn the skill of reading latitude and longitude coordinates on a world map.
All the resources described in this unit plan are available on TES, either as individual lessons or as a bundle. Lessons include:
L1 – Introduction to latitude and longitude
L2 – Finding latitude and longitude coordinates on a world map
L3 – Reading latitude and longitude with greater accuracy
L4 – Locating world capital cities using latitude and longitude
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 is the free planning overview for Exploring the United Kingdom, a comprehensive unit of work about the geography of the UK. A vocabulary page and topic title page are also included.
This unit is designed for students in KS1 and lower KS2 and includes nine fully-planned lessons complete with differentiated activities and worksheets.
All the resources described in this unit plan are available on TES, either as individual lessons or as a bundle. Lessons include:
L1 – Identifying the countries and capitals of the UK & Ireland (FREE)
L2 – Locating UK cities using compass directions
L3 – Identifying human & physical features of the UK
L4 – Investigating satellite photos of the UK
L5 – Comparing the city and the countryside
L6– Identifying famous features and characteristics of countries of the UK
L7 – Identifying flags of the United Kingdom
L8 – Identifying the four seasons of weather in the UK
Optional lesson – Identifying the countries and capital cities of Europe
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 a wider Geography unit called Great Missenden – A Village Settlement which is designed for students in upper KS2 (Y4-6).
In this lesson, students are introduced a high street survey, a great way of looking at land use in settlements. The presentation first outlines the RICEPOTS system for categorising land use and includes many photos of real world examples to aid understanding.
The activity challenges students to use Google Street View to work out the types of land use on Great Missenden High Street. It is differentiated three ways:
Easier – Students find the business name/land use of 10 places on Great Missenden High Street (with clues).
Medium – Students find the business name/land use of 14 places on Great Missenden High Street (with clues).
Harder – Students find the business name/land use of 14 places on Great Missenden High Street (no clues).
Extension – Students use Google Street View to survey a section of Great Missenden High Street by themselves.
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.