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Lower Key Stage 2 Modern Europe - NEW LOOK
Introduction - NEW LOOK

Understand the amazing physical and human geography of Modern Europe. Create a map of Europe and personalise a passport recording your achievements. Investigate climate, key European physical features and locate capital cities. Understand the different reasons why people might move around the world and how we can make them feel welcome in our school.

Session 1 My Europe: Take to the rails!

Objectives

Geography

  • To consider our existing knowledge and understanding about Europe.
  • To identify countries and bodies of water in Europe and locate these on a map.

Computing

  • To use the internet in a focused and selective way to find out facts about European countries.

Enquiry question
What countries are in Europe and where are they located?

Outcomes
Children will:

  • Create a class word cloud to share our existing knowledge and understanding about Europe.
  • Identify and locate countries and bodies of water in Europe by helping to make a class jigsaw map.
  • Use the internet to find out facts about some European countries.

Provided Resources

  • Map of Europe jigsaw
  • Map of Europe
  • Country labels for map of Europe jigsaw
  • Template for my Europe passport
  • Europe’s best-sellers!

You Will Also Need

A3 plain paper
Scissors
Internet access

Weblinks
WordSift could be used to create a digital word cloud.
Interrail’s destination planner - introduction to some European countries.

Session 2 River deep, mountain high

Objectives

Geography

  • To work with others to describe and locate mountain ranges and rivers in Europe.
  • To apply our learning to create a board game featuring European mountains and rivers.

Computing

  • To develop skills in using the internet and other information sources for research purposes.

Enquiry question
What can we find out about Europe’s mountains and rivers?

Outcomes
Children will:

  • Use the internet and other information sources to research the mountain ranges and rivers of Europe.
  • Describe and locate European mountains and rivers.
  • Create a Snakes and Ladders-style game to represent and apply learning.

Session 3 Cracking capitals!

Objectives

Geography

  • To learn the names and locations of some of the major European capital cities.
  • To use atlases and digital maps to explore Europe’s capital cities.

English

  • To retrieve, record and present information from non-fiction texts.

Enquiry question
Where are Europe’s capital cities and what facts can we find out about them?

Outcomes
Children will:

  • Locate capital cities on a map of Europe.
  • Use the internet and a digital mapping tool to research a capital city in Europe.
  • Create an information text about a capital city.

You Will Also Need

Atlases
Access to the internet
Information books about Europe (optional)

Weblinks

Video clip from Kiddopedia - learn countries, capital cities and flags.
Mapillary and Google Earth - share and explore photographs of the world.
Lonely Planet and other travel websites - research capital cities and their landmarks.

Session 4 Pack your bags

Objectives

Geography

  • To investigate the climate in different countries in Europe.
  • To identify food items, national specialities and other exports associated with different European countries.
  • To make links between the food grown in a country and its climate and topography.

Enquiry question
What can we learn about different climates and industries in Europe?

Outcomes
Children will:

  • Interpret online data and information to research the climate in different European countries and apply this learning to decide what to wear on a trip to these countries in August.
  • Unpack a shopping bag to investigate which food comes from different countries in Europe.
  • ill a bag with souvenirs from any of the countries visited, to represent the national specialities, natural resources and famous exports of those countries.

You Will Also Need

Access to the internet
Non-fiction books about Europe (optional)
Coloured pencils and pens
Shopping bags containing 5-7 items of food items from Europe (or just the empty packaging)

Weblinks
Weather and Climate website -worldwide weather forecasts and climate information.
Cheese-making in the Pyrenees from bbc.co.uk
Interrail’s destination planner includes information about the national specialities of different countries.

Session 5 On the move

Objectives

Geography

  • To explore reasons why people might move between or within countries and recognise that people may or may not have choice in this movement.
  • To use role-play to explore different situations in which someone might feel welcome or unwelcome.
  • To consider ways in which we could take action to make our school a welcoming place for others.

Enquiry question
Why do people move?

Outcomes
Children will:

  • Discuss reasons why people might move between or within countries.
  • Perform freeze frames to show different situations in which someone might feel welcome or unwelcome.
  • Create a welcome poster using lots of different languages.

Provided Resources

There are no provided resources for this session.

Session 6 Representing geographical features

Objectives

Geography

  • To understand how the climate and different physical and human geographical features link together in a European locality.

Design and Technology

  • To design, build and decorate a model to represent this European locality.
  • To select tools, equipment and materials to perform practical tasks accurately and aesthetically.

Enquiry question
How can we design and build a model of a European locality?

Outcomes
Children will:

  • Investigate the physical features of places in Europe and how people interact with them.
  • Design, build and decorate a model to represent the human and physical geographical features of a European locality.

You Will Also Need

Junk modelling materials (e.g. cardboard packaging, foil and plastic pots)
PVA glue
Masking tape
Shallow trays
Water
Poster or Acrylic paint and paintbrushes
Sand and small stones

Weblinks
Mapillary and Google Earth - explore children’s chosen locality, and identify physical and human geographical features.
Lonely Planet and other travel websites - research localities in Europe.
The 3D Geography website - inspiration for geography model making!