One Planet, Our World

In this essential skills and knowledge geography project, children analyse maps to locate countries and begin to use four-figure grid references. They sort and classify human and physical features and are introduced to the intercardinal compass points of north-east, north-west, south-east and south-west to locate geographical features on a map.

Children analyse data and draw conclusions about the structure and environment of three settlements, building on learning from the Y1 projects Our Wonderful World and Bright Lights, Big City. They learn the term 'carbon footprint' and identify practical ways to reduce their carbon footprint.

Children name and describe the Earth's four layers and are introduced to plate tectonics. They discover Earth's five major climate zones and begin to use longitude and latitude to locate places on a world map. They also locate and name European countries and capital cities.

Children continue to deepen their knowledge of the United Kingdom by studying significant human and physical features. They learn about the unique features of significant cities in the United Kingdom and conduct fieldwork to study the effect of weather on the local environment. The children learn the five main types of land use and investigate the locality to discover how land is used.