Unit 3 The farm
Geography
Year 2
ABOUT THE UNIT
This is a ‘short’ unit. It shows how a farm can be used to develop children’s understanding of geographical features.
This unit could also be used as a ‘continuous’ unit over a longer period of time.
Prior to the unit, book a visit to a countryside-based farm. See website www.face-online.org.uk for suggested farms to visit.
If possible arrange a tour of a nearby village as part of the visit, to allow the children to see some of the surrounding area.
Geographical enquiry and skills
Knowledge and understanding of places
ask geographical questions
express own views
communicate in different ways
use geographical vocabulary
use globes, maps and plans
use secondary sources
make maps and plans
describe what places are like
compare places
Knowledge and understanding of patterns and
processes
Knowledge and understanding of environmental
change and sustainable development
observe features
recognise environmental change
VOCABULARY
RESOURCES
In this unit, children are likely to use:
 farm, field, tractor, weather, barn, farmyard, hedgerow, boundary, farmer
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 QCA 2000
fiction books about farms
atlas
pictures and photographs of farms
materials for making a collage
Browse, save, edit or print Schemes of Work from the Standards Site at www.standards.dfee.gov.uk
Ref: QCA/00/490
Browse, save, edit or print Schemes of Work from the Standards Site at www.standards.dfee.gov.uk
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Primary Schemes of Work: Geography Unit 3 An island home.
POSSIBLE TEACHING ACTIVITIES
LEARNING OUTCOMES
CHILDREN SHOULD LEARN
POINTS TO NOTE
CHILDREN
Where is the farm, what type of farm is it and what is it like?
 to identify the physical and
human features of a place
 how the countryside is
different from the town
 Read the children a variety of fiction and non-fiction books
about farms. Ask the children what the farms all have in
common.
 Using pictures and photographs of farms, ask the children
to think of different words to describe the farm and
surroundings. Write the words on post it notes and sort
into a physical landscape group and a human landscape.
 Show a map of the area around the farm they will be
visiting. Ask them to find a town and an area of open land
or countryside. Show them where the farm is.
 Using the pictures and photographs of farms as a guide,
draw a basic map of an imagined farm with the children.
Discuss where the buildings, farmyard, farmhouse and
fields might go. Ask the children to produce their own
maps.
 locate Scotland and the
Western Isles on a map
 are aware of the nature and
character of an environment
different from their own
 identify main features and
places of interest and
construct a map to record
them
Literacy: children could use words about landscape when
they are discussing how words and pictures are used to
suggest the farm setting.
What types of transport are used on the farm?
 to identify types of transport
 how an environment
changes
 Ask the children to draw or list the main types of transport
used on the farm e.g. tractor, combine harvester,
landrover, walking, tanker, bailer, truck.
 Give the children a list of jobs the farmer has to do. Ask
them to match each job to the appropriate mode of
transport the farmer might use to do the job.
 know about various types of
transport
 know how the environment
of the farm is changing
Who lives on the farm and what work do they do?
 QCA 2000
1
Ref: QCA/00/490
Browse, save, edit or print Schemes of Work from the Standards Site at www.standards.dfee.gov.uk
 how land and buildings are
used
 QCA 2000
Primary Schemes of Work: Geography Unit 3 An island home.
 Give the children a map of the farm showing barns, grain
store, hen house, farmhouse, sheep pens, millking
parlour, farmyard. Then give them a set of cards with
statements relating to the usage of the land and buildings
e.g. The cows are milked twice a day. / The sheep stay in
the fields during the summer. / The hens lay eggs in their
house. / The hay is stored in the barn. Ask the children to
place the cards on the map, corresponding to the correct
part of the farm.
 Ask the children to list the uses of land and buildings.
 Give the children a list of jobs the farmer might do on a
typical day. Ask them to write the farmer’s diary entry for
one day saying what he or she did during the day.
 recognise how land and
buildings are used in
different ways
2
Ref: QCA/00/490
Browse, save, edit or print Schemes of Work from the Standards Site at www.standards.dfee.gov.uk
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Primary Schemes of Work: Geography Unit 3 An island home.
POSSIBLE TEACHING ACTIVITIES
LEARNING OUTCOMES
CHILDREN SHOULD LEARN
POINTS TO NOTE
CHILDREN
How is the farm and its surrounding area similar to, and different from, our locality?
 that the world extends
outside their locality
 to recognise similarities and
differences and
communicate them
 Divide the children into groups to make a collage or
panoramic picture of the farm and its surrounding area
and their locality and label the main features of both
places.
 Ask the children to make a list of the similarities and
differences between the farm and its surrounding area and
their local environment under headings such as buildings,
people and animals, physical landscape and transport.
 recognise and understand
similar and different features
of two contrasting places
What do I like and dislike about the farm? Would I like to live there?
 to identify likes and dislikes
about a place
 Discuss with the children what they would like about living
on a farm, what they would miss most and what things it
would be difficult to do.
 Encourage the children to express personal preferences.
 use reasoned arguments
and discussion to make an
informed personal choice
 express their views about
the farm
Literacy: the work on the setting could be extended to
include children writing about the farm and surrounding
countryside from a visitor’s point of view. They could use
their map they have drawn to plan, and then describe, a
route around the island.
It is a good idea to review the school’s fiction and non-fiction
books to identify potential links with geography.
 QCA 2000
3
Ref: QCA/00/490
Browse, save, edit or print Schemes of Work from the Standards Site at www.standards.dfee.gov.uk
Primary Schemes of Work: Geography Unit 3 An
island home
PRIOR LEARNING
It is helpful if the children have:
 studied their local environment, which will act as a starting point for making comparisons with another place, as in Unit 1, for
example
 developed the skills of using photographs and maps
 done work on aspects of geography, e.g. transport, jobs, physical and human features
EXPECTATIONS
at the end of this unit
most children will:
be familiar with a contrasting environment in the UK;
recognise the main similarities and differences between their local area and a contrasting
place;
extract information from secondary sources
some children will not have
made so much progress and will:
have a more limited understanding of the main similarities and differences between their
local area and a contrasting place
some children will have
progressed further and will also:
be able to follow a route on a map from their home area to the farm area
 QCA 2000
4
Ref: QCA/00/490