UK Cities and Counties

To begin our new Geography topic of UK cities and counties, the children used their new learned map skills to label the countries of the UK on the map and match the national flags to each country. Impressively, the children then labelled all the capital cities, the seas, oceans and channels as well as smaller islands. To ensure the reader was able to understand their map, the children learned of the importance of using a key to identify the capital cities. The children were then challenged to hand draw the map again by memory. 

"It was interesting to label the blank United Kingdom map with the information we learned today. I was surprised by the different seas we are surrounded by." Masie, Class 1

The Features of a River

Before we went on our fieldtrip to the River Bollin, Year 3 explored the main features of a river. We developed our understanding of key terminology and we then independently drew a diagram of a river and labelled it using the terms we had learnt in the lesson. 

Case Study: The River Mersey 

Today, Year 3 explored the River Mersey by conducting their own research and completing a fact file about the famous river. Did you know that the River Mersey was once the most polluted river in Europe?!

The United Kingdom

To start our topic on the UK, we used a range of maps to identify the four countries which make up the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland), locating the capital cities in each of these countries and locating some of the major cities.

"I enjoyed learning about the different countries and cities in the UK. Do you know the capital cities of the four countries in the UK?"- Prakathy, C1

We used a map of the UK to identify the different counties which are found in the United Kingdom including Merseyside. Then, we used a range of sources to research and identify key human and physical features within the county we live in (Merseyside) before creating a digital presentation showing examples of the landmarks we identified. 

After exploring the different cities and counties which are found in the United Kingdom, we identified what a region is as well as identifying the regions within the United Kingdom. Then, we used different sources (including Google Earth and a range of maps) to identify key human and physical landmarks in the North West of England as well exploring land use in the region. 

"Using Google Earth and exploring a range of maps has really helped me understand aspects of place a lot more. I now have a better understanding of the different places within the UK and can identify where they are on a map. Also, exploring the North West of England was extremely enjoyable as it showed me just how many exciting landmarks there are in the region and how much there is to do!"- Darby, C3

The Eight Compass Points 

During this lesson, we explored the eight compass points and then we applied this knowledge in order to read the map and give directions to different places in the UK. We even used our compass point knowledge to direct our teacher around the room! 

Tectonic Plate Boundaries 

During this lesson, we explored how the tectonic plates moved (lateral, divergent and convergent) and their boundaries. We demonstrated the various movements as a class. After this, we used our understanding of plate movement to complete the table exploring the impact of different plate movement around the world.