The Mountain Ranges of the UK

The children independently researched and used atlases to identify the various mountain ranges across the UK.

Jake: 'I really enjoyed using the atlas to find the different mountain ranges. It was good to see the contour and relief lines which show how steep the land actually is.'

Non-Chronological Report: The Structure of the Amazon Rainforest

After learning all about biomes and ecosystems, making links with their writing topic, Year 5 have been writing their own non-chronological reports about the structure of the Amazon Rainforest.

They discussed the different canopy layers and the forest floor, as well as threats to the rainforest. 

Amy: 'Did you know that when deforestation happens, this disrupts the ecosystem and can destroy animal habitats? This can even cause them to face extinction.'

Mapping: Relief and Contour Lines

Today, we learned to be trainee cartographers! We learned that to show height on a 2D map, it was necessary to use contour lines and relief lines. These show how high above the sea level the land lies. After looking at a section of an Ordnance Survey (OS) map of Snowdonia which is a National Park in North Wales, we actually constructed a 3D map out of cardboard from using the contour lines on a 2D map. Have a look at the picture! We were then able to match images showing different topography such as cliffs, V shaped and U shaped valleys, to their relief sketches. 

Cross-Curricular links with History 

When we studied  the 'Anglo-Saxons' as part of our History, the children drew a map of the UK and Northern Europe to show the journey the invaders took to reach our shores. In doing so, we were able to understand how place names had changed over time and the reasons for this. It also helped us to understand the reason for the cultural diversity that was embedded in England at the time and how this has influenced our peoples today. 

Daniel: 'This was really tricky because we had to draw the map independently! It was interesting to compare how the map of the UK had changed over time.'