© Jason Hawkes
The Geography of Britain – Viewing Places from Above
Learning objectives and
key questions
Children should learn:
Nat. Cur.
Lesson 1: Exploring the
Landscapes of Britain.
To use geographical terms
to describe different types
of British landscape.
1a, 2a, 2d
To use geographical
questions.
1a, 1c
To identify the human and
physical features of place.
To understand that different
types of landscape can
evoke different feelings, or
senses of place.
To understand that the
landscape of Britain is
made up of many different
landscapes – physical and
human.
To understand definitions of
Great Britain and the United
Kingdom
1e
3a, 3c,
2f – to use
ICT to help in
geographical
investigations
3b, 3c
Teaching and learning activities
Activity 1: Describing places
Groups are given a selection of photographs to look
at and asked to describe what they can see in each
image.
Pupils select one image and imagine that they are
there. Using a postcard template they describe the
geographical features in the image (see/hear/smell)
and how they feel Warm? Cold? Safe? Afraid?
Excited? Calm?
Org.
Resources
Key skills
Success criteria
/ learning
outcomes
Children are able
to:
Groups
9 photo cards
printed out from
‘9 aerial photos’
ppt and divided
between the
groups.
To observe,
recognise and
describe.
Identify a range
of geographical
features from
aerial
photographs.
Indiv/
Pairs
Ideas discussed as a class with each image
displayed on interactive whiteboard. Key words for
each image noted on white board.
Class
Activity 2: Where in the world?
Pupils asked where in the world they think each
picture is - in Britain or elsewhere?
Class
To take part in an
enquiry processes
Reveal that they are all somewhere in the UK. You
may at this stage chose to simply define what is
meant by the UK (England, Scotland, Wales,
Northern Ireland) and Great Britain (England,
Scotland and Wales).
Locate each place on a map of the UK using
Google Earth placemark activity or Location map
ppt. A selected student who matches the correct
description to the numbered placemark adds this
description into Google Earth or hard copy map of
UK.
Activity 3: The Geography of Britain Quiz:
Postcard
template
Literacy: children
can develop their
use of descriptive
language
Cross reference to
en3 Writing:
composition
Google Earth
KMZ file of
location marks
1-9.
Groups
Location map of
9 GE
placemarks,
ppt.
‘Geography of
To find places on
a map. Cross
reference to ICT
i.e. inputting data
into Google Earth
Use and
understand a
variety of
geographical
terms.
Understand that
the UK is made
up of many
different
landscapes,
affected by
physical and
human
processes.
Demonstrate
some locational
knowledge of
places in Britain
e.g Ben Nevis is
3c
A class quiz designed to test and expand what
students know about different places in the UK and
constituent parts of Great Britain.
3a
Homework/assessment opportunity: Pupils write
a short story about their experience of visiting
somewhere in the UK. This could be a school trip, a
holiday, a favourite place, a visit to see a family
member, etc. Pupils should describe where this
place is (e.g. a seaside town on the east coast of
England) and description of what it is like, bearing
in mind the key geographical words introduced in
this lesson.
Britain Quiz’ ppt
a mountain in the
Scottish
Highlands.
Demonstrate
understanding of
the terms Britain,
UK, British Isles.
Google Earth
‘creating a
place mark’
instructions.
A second version of the GE place mark activity
could be made to incorporate the class’s chosen
places in the UK.
Lesson 2: Viewing places
from above: Aerial
photography and maps.
To recognise and
understand the differences
between an aerial or plan
view and a ground level
view.
To understand that an
aerial photo or plan view
gives you an ‘overview’ of a
place or a landscape and
that this is helpful for
making a map.
Activity 1: Viewing from above, viewing at
ground level
1a, 1c, 2a,
2d
2a
2b, 2e
To understand that maps,
like aerial photos are views
from above, but they can
contain different types of
Students asked to match the ground level
photographs with aerial photographs used in
exercise 1.
Group
‘9 aerial photos
and ground
level photos’
ppt
Indiv
Paper/coloured
pencils.
Aerial photo of
school and
grounds
(Google Maps)
Understand the
concept of a plan
view.
Discuss as a class, the different type of information
that can be gathered from aerial vs ground level
photography. Overview vs sense of place? Sense
of scale, etc.
Activity 2: Drawing plan views
Children to draw a plan view of something local,
such as the school play ground. Children can
annotate their drawings.
Discuss as a class how you might make aerial
images (vantage point, balloon, kite, plane,
Class
Images of
equipment used
Explore a range of
scales
Make a plan /
simple map
Draw a simple
plan view
information.
satellite)
To locate features on a
map and read basic map
symbols
1c, 1e, 2a
Activity 3: Aerial photography and maps ‘pairs’
game.
Match the OS map location to the photo. Students
nominated to explain they have matched certain
photos and maps.
OS map symbol flashcards can be used to support
this activity.
Introduce to the class that they have been mapreading. Explore the differences between aerial
photos and maps. Explore the different type of
information presented in each. Introduce concept
of map symbols, using symbols that correspond to
features on the set of aerial photographs.
Homework: Give pupils a map symbols sheet with
10 highlighted symbols to learn.
Assessment opportunity: Use a selection of OS
flashcards for a flashcard game, or visit the Map
Zone website for an interactive whiteboard version.
List of 9 Britain from the Air photographs used in KS2 unit
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Banburgh Castle
Ben Nevis
Chesil Beach
Giant’s Causeway
London Eye
Perranporth Beach
Portmeirion
Port Talbot
Sheffield
to create aerial
photos.
Group
Class
OS map
extracts for 9
selected
images
Ordance
Survey
flashcards PDF
OS map
symbols sheet
PDF
OS flashcard
games PDF
Demonstrate
basic map
reading skills,
through locating
features on a
map.