Year 5

This unit allows children to further explore the range of maps available to geographers and to develop their understanding of the key features of maps. They will study a range of maps and atlases, including digital maps, and compare their features. The will learn to use the eight compass points to give directions and give grid references to locate places on a map. By comparing maps of the same place, children will learn about the way that places have changed over time.

In this unit, the children will find out more about why rivers are so important to the towns and villages that have developed on their banks. By looking at the features of rivers, and the natural and human ways that rivers change over time, children will explore the life stories of rivers. Children will learn the names and locations of the major rivers of the UK and the world.

In Sustainability, children will think about the needs of a settlement, and the needs of the planet as a whole. They will find out where resources such as power and food come from, and look at ways in which natural resources can be conserved. After discussing the idea of a carbon footprint, children will have the chance to consider how their actions impact on others around the world, and to think about the changes that they could make to try to ensure that natural resources are shared so there is enough for everyone to live sustainably.