Year group

Unit

Unit overview and progression through units

National Curriculum content

Key Knowledge

Tier 3 vocabulary spine

Collegiate Tier 3 vocabulary

Subject specialisms spine (artist, primary/secondary sources etc)

Common Misconceptions

Nursery

All about me

The children can talk about their own immediate family and where they live

Talk about members of their immediate family

and community.

The children can talk about the people in their family

Family, home, street, house, garden, pond, nature

Nursery 

Summer Holidays

The children will share experiences that they have either experienced or seen

Know that there are different countries in the world and talk about the differences they have experienced or seen in photos

The children can talk about different places they have experienced or seen

Family, place, holiday, beach, seaside, season, weather

Reception

Celebrations

This unit looks at the purpose of places of worship and places of local importance to our community

Understand that some places are special

to members of their community.

The children can recognise a church building and can talk about some of the celebrations that happen there

Church, celebrate, community, school, place, worship

Reception

Traditional Tales

This unit explores time and place through traditional tales. They will compare routes which characters in stories make and compare them to their own routes. They will design and compare their own maps

Draw information from a simple map

The children will design, draw and talk about their own map from a story and a map from their route to school.

Map, place, route, live, travel, forest, habitat

Reception

Seaside and holidays

This unit explore different places around the world and how they differ from where we live.

Recognise some similarities and differences

between life in this country and life in

other countries

The children will compare and contrast where we live and another country.

They will learn that other languages are spoken (French)

Country, hot, cold, sunny, rain, travel, far, language, grass, sand, forest, garden, season, weather

Year 1

Local area study

This unit looks the local area and how it creates a sense of place

They can explore the countries and seas of the UK and identify their country, beginning to understand that this is one way to identify place. They then look locally to develop their understanding of interconnections, identifying the diversity of the local area by looking at addresses and common places of interest (school, church, park) Children can express what they like about their local area. 

Concepts:

place

interconnections

*name, locate and identify characteristics of the four countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom and its surrounding seas

Know the names of the four countries that make up the UK and name the three main seas that surround the UK using maps, globes and atlases.

Know key human features such as city, town, village, factory, farm, house, office, port, harbour and shop.

Know how to devise a simple map and use and construct basic symbols in a key.

address, near, far, travel, journey, routes, features, attractive, buildings, offices, church, shop, houses, flats, garage, factory, leisure, playground, park, locality, farm, map, human processes

Children may confuse Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Children may not know the difference between a sea and ocean.

Some children may struggle to identify differences with towns, villages and cities.

Year 1

Polar Regions

This unit looks at the way that space is occupied in cold and hot areas, comparing and contrasting the Antarctic with a hotter location. Studying the environment, children can explain how animals have adapted to suit the weather and by looking at weather, know how to dress for weather appropriately.

Concepts:

Space

environment

*use basic geographical vocabulary to refer to:

*key physical features, including: beach, cliff, coast, forest, hill, mountain, sea, ocean, river, soil, valley, vegetation, season and weather

*key human features, including: city, town, village, factory, farm, house, office, port, harbour and shop

Know where the equator, North Pole and South Pole are on a globe.

Know which is N, E, S and W on a compass.

Know features of hot and cold places in the world.

weather, climate, climatic zone, hot, cold, dry, warm temperate, cool temperate, polar, temperature, poles, equator, suitable, north pole, south pole, atlas, globe, seasonal, pattern, compass, Atlas

Children may think that penguins only live in cold areas.

Children may not understand adaptions of animals to help them in their environment.

Year 1

Seaside in the present

This unit builds on previous learning about local areas by developing understanding of physical and human features of an area. They are then able to identify some physical features in the wider areas of the UK, including coasts. They can then continue to develop their understanding of scale, looking at how much area is coastal versus other types of land around the UK.

Concepts:

Scale

Physical and human processes

*understand geographical similarities and differences through studying the human and physical geography of a small area of the United Kingdom, and of a small area in a contrasting non-European country

*identify seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom and the location of hot and cold areas of the world in relation to the Equator and the North and South Poles

*use basic geographical vocabulary to refer to:

*key physical features

*key human features,

*use simple compass directions (North, South, East and West) and locational and directional language to describe the location of features and routes on a map

Know seasonal and daily weather patterns in the UK.

Know key physical features such as beach, cliff. coast, forest, hill, mountain, sea, ocean, river, soil, valley, vegetation, season, weather.

Know features of hot and cold places in the world.

seaside, beach, weather, town, country, holiday, human, physical, features, buildings, lifestyle, bathing, transport, poster, postcard, costume, island, sea, ocean, soil, hill, forest, river, coast, beach, physical processes

Children may confuse seasides with coasts.

Children may not be secure in their understanding of physical and human processes and struggle to identify these.

Year 2

Local Area in the Present

Children continue to develop their understanding of place and local areas in this unit. Consolidating learning from Year 1, children continue to develop their understanding of place and the physical and human features found in familiar areas. They develop their understanding of how place is describes by looking at capital cities, helping them to understand the scale of places and how this affects the names given to them.

Concepts:

Place

Scale

*use aerial photographs and plan perspectives to recognise landmarks and basic human and physical features; devise a simple map; and use and construct basic symbols in a key

*use simple fieldwork and observational skills to study the geography of their school and its grounds and the key human and physical features of its surrounding environment.

Know the name of and locate the four capital cities of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland using maps and atlases.

Use aerial photographs and plan perspectives to recognise landmarks and basic human and physical features.

Use simple fieldwork and observational skills to study the geography of their school and its grounds and the key human and physical features of its surrounding environment.

hamlet, village, town, city, settlement, north, south, east, west, directional, route, scale, distance, direction, key, symbol, homes, shops, roads, services, factory, buildings, transport, land use, environment, pollution, slopes, valleys, streams, fieldwork, plan perspective, locality, landmark, map, location, aerial photograph

Year 2

Non-European comparison study

In this unit, children understand the interconnections of place by looking at continents of the world. They consolidate their understanding of physical and human processes by comparing those found in the UK to those in a non-European country.

Concepts:

Interconnections

Physical and human processes

*understand geographical similarities and differences through studying the human and physical geography of a small area of the United Kingdom, and of a small area in a contrasting non-European country

Know the names of and locate the seven continents of the world using maps, globes and atlases.

Know the main differences between a place in England and that of a small place in a non-European country.

Know and use locational and directional language (including 4 compass points) such as: left and right; near and far to describe the location of features and routes on maps and/or aerial photographs.

Harbour, temperate, settlement, convicts, urban, compass, features

Children may become confused with the term Australia as a country and a continent.

Children may believe Africa is a country.

Children may confuse seas with oceans.

Year 2

Food from around the world

In this unit, children continue to consolidate their knowledge of continents. They use their understanding of scale to compare the continents. They also look at how environment and climate affects the types of food grown in certain places. They also look at scale when comparing buying local versus buying food from all over the world.

Concepts:

Scale

Environment

*name and locate the world’s seven continents and five oceans

*name, locate and identify characteristics of the four countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom and its surrounding seas

*use world maps, atlases and globes to identify the United Kingdom and its countries, as well as the countries, continents and oceans studied at this key stage

Know the names of and locate the seven continents of the world using maps, globes and atlases.

Know the names of and locate the five oceans of the world using maps, globes and atlases.

investigate, rural, continent, locate, map,

world, atlas, globe,

countries, ocean, human feature, physical feature, vegetation, factory, farm, surrounding, environment, characteristic, seasonal, weather,

equator, global

Children may not link environments and climates to ideal food growing as many foods are easily available in supermarkets.

Year 3

Volcanoes and earthquakes

Children continue to look at physical and human processes through the natural processes of volcanoes and earthquakes. They then look at place and how these events impacts human geography.

Concepts:

Place

Physical and human processes

*(H) Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquake, and the water cycle.

Describe and understand key aspects of earthquakes, including causes and impact.

Describe and understand key aspects of volcanoes including parts and hazards.

earthquake, volcano, erupt, dormant, magnitude, meteoric, intensity, tsunami, tectonic plates, magma, chamber.

Children may think that earthquakes and volcano eruptions happen randomly, rather than as a cause and effect.

children may not realise that earthquakes happen in specific places. 

Year 3

The UK

Children look at the UK in greater detail, using scale to help them to understand the attraction to certain places in the UK for living and for leisure. They look at how space is used in cities and rural areas in the UK and how this affects people’s decision to live in certain areas.

Concepts:

Space

Scale

*(PK) Understand geographical similarities and differences through studying the human and physical geography of a region of the United Kingdom, a region in a European country, and a region within North and South America.

*(F) Use the eight points of a compass, four and six-figure grid references, symbols and key (including the use of Ordnance Survey maps) to build their knowledge of the United Kingdom and the wider world

Know the names of and locate some counties and at cities in the UK.

Know and name the eight points of a compass.

Europe, continent, county, city, country, compass, hemisphere, compass rose, atlas, scale

Children may confuse cities and towns in the UK.

Children may confuse personal preference to spotting patterns with general preferences.

Year 3

Mediterranean country study

In this unit, children look at the interconnections of the location of a Mediterranean country in relation to continents and significant geographical zones such as the tropics. They look at how environment affects tourism, food and travel.

Concepts:

Environment

Interconnections

*(LK) Identify the position and significance of latitude, longitude, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle, the Prime/

Greenwich Meridian and time zones (including day and night)

Know the names of and locate some European countries, including Russia.

Identify the position of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and locate some countries within each hemisphere.

Understand geographical similarities and differences of human and physical geography between the UK and a European Country.

country, division, hemisphere, meridian, capital city, locate, contrast, Mediterranean, environment

Children may think that the Mediterranean is a continent.

Year 4

Map work

In this unit, children work on key map skills to help them to understand how scale is reflected in map work. They can use maps to see how space is occupied and how keys are created to explain this information.

Concepts:

Space

Scale

*(LK) identify the position and significance of latitude, longitude, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle, the Prime/Greenwich Meridian and time zones (including day and night)

* (S) use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied

Know the difference between latitude and longitude and locate lines including the equator, Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic circles and the Greenwich Meridian are on a world map (including time zones)

Know the names of and locate at least eight major capital cities across the world.

latitude, longitude, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle, the Prime/Greenwich Meridian, time zones, Atlas

Children may not associate surrounding islands of the UK as part of the UK as it isn’t part of the mainland.

Children may mix up towns and cities.

Year 4

The River Nile

Children use this unit to look at how rivers are formed and how the water cycle are examples of physical processes. They also look at how rivers have impacted human geography in the area surrounding these. Children also see how the environment changes as they follow the journey of a river. 

Concepts:

Physical and human processes

Environment

*(P) describe and understand key aspects of: physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes, and the water cycle

Know and label the main features of a river.

Explain the features of a water cycle.

Use maps, atlases, globes and Google Earth to locate some of the world’s longest rivers.

precipitation, cumulonimbus, stratus, cumulus, cirrus, erosion, transportation, deposition, meanders, ox-bow lakes, delta, water course, tributary, source, mouth, channel, river bed, reaches, estuary, water cycle, river

Children may think that rivers start at the sea and flow inland.

Children may think that the water cycle only includes freezing and melting processes.

Year 4

Mountains

In this unit, children use the concept of place to explore how mountains are key physical features in areas all over the world. Using the concept of interconnections, they look at how various mountain ranges have similarities and differences.

Concepts:

Place

Interconnections

* (P) describe and understand key aspects of: physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes, and the water cycle

Name and locate physical features of the UK, including main mountain regions/hills and rivers.

mountain ranges, peak, boundary, extends, summit, topographical, mountain, region, environment, scale

Children may not link learning of tectonic plates for mountain formation.

Year 5

European city

Children continue to develop their understanding of place in this unit by looking at significant European cities including megacities. They look at how space is used in this area and how ethnicities are diverse in different spaces.

Concepts:

Place

Space

*(LK) locate the world’s countries, using maps to focus on Europe (including the location of Russia) and North and South America, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, countries, and major cities

*(LK) name and locate counties and cities of the United Kingdom, geographical regions and their identifying human and physical characteristics, key topographical features (including hills, mountains, coasts and rivers), and land-use patterns; and understand how some of these aspects have changed over time.

Know the names of a number of European capitals.

population, city-state, enclave, inhabitants, advantages, disadvantages, congestion, pollution, place, scale, country, continent, city, Europe, European union, population, ethnicity, UK, physical feature, human feature, atlas

Children may think Europe is a country.

Children may confuse ethnicity with religion.

Year 5

North and South America (Mexico)

In this unit, children look at how North and South America have interconnections as well as differences. Focusing on Mexico, children can compare and contrast life in the two continents and reflect on how space is used differently in different areas. 

Concepts:

Space

Interconnections

* (PK) understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region of the United Kingdom, a region in a European country, and a region within North or South America

Know the names of, and locate, a number of North or South American countries.

Understand geographical similarities and differences of human and physical geography between the UK and a country in either North or South America.

North America, South America, country, continent, human features, physical features, similarity, difference, culture, climate, language, inter connections, place, location, space, United Kingdom

Children may think that North and south America are countries.

Year 5

Jungles and deserts

Children look at jungles and deserts to help them to consolidate their learning of physical and human processes by focusing on physical features. Studying the environment of jungles and deserts, including the animals and surrounding areas will help children to understand how environments are affected by weather. Children can collect and record information on weather in their locality and compare and contrast to weathers in jungles and deserts.

Concepts:

Physical and human processes

Environment

*(P) describe and understand key aspects of: physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes, and the water cycle

*use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied

Know what is meant by biomes and what the climate and features of some specific biomes are (e.g deserts and rainforests)

Use maps, atlases, globes and Google Earth to locate some of the world’s major biomes.

Know how to use graphs to record features such as temperature or rainfall across the world.

categorise, biomes, climate zones, inhabit, aquatic, terrestrial, climate, sampling, analyse, equatorial, sub-equatorial, emergent, canopy, understory, deforestation Rainforest, desert, biome, extreme, climate, temperature, precipitation, environment, deforestation, endangered species, emergent layer, canopy, understory layer, forest floor, Amazon, Sahara, terrestrial, aquatic, equatorial, sub-equatorial, eco-system, vegetation belt, variation, characteristics, conservation, minerals, global

Children may think that plants are dependent on humans.

Children may think that ecosystems can only be affected by humans.

Year 6

Climate change and sustainability

Children continue to look at physical and human processes in other biomes, building on their learning from work in jungles and deserts in Y5. They look at how different biomes have different environments and how we have an impact on the environment.

Concepts:

Physical and human processes

Environment

*(LK) identify the position and significance of latitude, longitude, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle, the Prime/Greenwich Meridian and time zones (including day and night)

*(H) describe and understand key aspects of: human geography, including: types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water

Describe and understand the distribution of natural resource including energy, food, minerals and water.

climate, weather, adapt, carbon dioxide, methane, deforestation climate change, sustainability, natural disaster, planet, community, resources, distribution, environment, physical and human processes, industrial, port, variation, minerals, global, conservation

Children may think that climate change is a future problem rather than one we need to address today.

Year 6

Trade

Studying fair trade, children look at the interconnections between different areas in the world, comparing developing and developed worlds. They look at how space is used in developing worlds and how this is helping to connect areas for trade. Looking at ports as a means of transporting goods, children can look at fairness of business and treatment of developing countries.

Concepts:

Space

Interconnections

*(H) describe and understand key aspects of: human geography, including: types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water

Describe and understand key aspects of human geography including economic activity, trade links and fair trade.

Identify land use patterns; and understand how some of these aspects have changed over time (industrial areas and ports)

import, export, international, cargo, networks, frequency, Fairtrade, developed, third-world, human and physical differences, features, institution, trading conditions, advocate, trade, land use, spatial variation, global

Children may think that all food is fair trade, confusing nutritional value labels with Fair trade.

Year 6

OS maps – Google Earth

Children build on map work from lower KS2, using maps and ordinance surveys to explore place. They look at familiar and unfamiliar areas and use maps to scale areas and help them to understand size.

Concepts:

Place

Scale

*(S) use the eight points of a compass, four and six-figure grid references, symbols and key (including the use of Ordnance Survey maps) to build their knowledge of the United Kingdom and the wider world

*(F) use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in the local area using a range of methods, including sketch maps, plans and graphs, and digital technologies.

*(S) use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied

Know what most of the Ordnance Survey symbols stand for.

Know how to use four and six-figure grid references to build their knowledge of the UK and wider world.

Use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in the local area using a range of different methods (including sketch maps, plans and graphs and digital technology.

Ordnance Survey, Grid Reference (Four-Figure & Six-Figure), Symbols, Compass, Atlas, Globe, Co-ordinates, Compass Points, Scale, compass rose