This term's topic has been all about understanding where we are in the world and how to locate ourselves and then compare where we are to other parts of the world.
In Week 1, we looked at how the equator divides the world into the Norther and Southern Hemisphere. We looked at how the seasons are the opposites of each other and how compasses will spin in opposite directions due to the pull of the different poles. the children then had to pick a country in the Northern and Southern hemisphere and then research its climate, biomes, temperature, rainfall and other geographical elements.
In Week 2, we looked at lines of longitude and latitude. it was important that we understood how we can use these invisible lines to find out where we are in the world.
The children, like on all maps, used the equator as their 0 mark and then used coordinates going North or South East or West to locate continents or counties.
In week 3, we looked at the Prime Meridian and how this is the vertical version of the equator. we discussed and answered the question as to why London was the site of the Prime Meridian and how every country having their own Prime Meridian would complicate things.
The children then had to find a country that sat on the Prime Meridian and research it
In week 4, W started looking at time zones. We discussed why times zones were important and that every country couldn't have the same time due to the movement of the sun. we looked at all the time zones in the world and saw that some of them make little sense. The children were interested to see that countries borders, and even politics can influence a time zone. To end this lesson, I gave the children a time in one country and asked them to tell me the time in another.
Week 5 we have been comparing the poles and the amount of daylight hours that we get here in the UK compared to the South and the North Pole. We looked at a globe and discussed why our position and the angle of the earth mean that there are times when both poles are 24 hours of daylight and times when they have 24 hours of night.
Week 6 - This week, we have been looking at the topics. We analysed the different type of tropical regions in the world and how they are just North and South of the equator. We compared tropical environments to the UK. The children then became mini weather presenters and began to create weather reports as if they were in both locations.