LKS2 Topic Overview: Modern Europe
Discover Modern Europe in this exciting and informative topic. Understand the amazing physical and human geography of Modern Europe. Travel around, learn key facts and explore the varied countries that make up our European continent. Develop skills in human and physical geography and further your historical and cultural knowledge of these countries as well!
Block / Key NC Objectives / Main creative outcomesBlock A
Introduction to Modern Europe
[7 sessions] / Geography, Computing, English and D&T
· Locate the world’s countries, using maps to focus on Europe (including the location of Russia).
· Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography including … rivers and mountains.
· Locate the world’s countries, concentrating on major cities.
· Use maps, atlases, globes and digital mapping.
· Describe & understand key aspects of physical geography including climate zones, rivers & mountains.
· Describe and understand 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.
· Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region in a European country.
· Describe and understand key aspects of physical and human geography.
· Use search technologies effectively, appreciate how results are selected and ranked, and be discerning in evaluating digital content.
· Use presentation software to communicate ideas or information (optional).
· Retrieve, record and present information from non-fiction.
· Plan, draft, edit and write a concise report. Be clear about an appropriate standard of handwriting, e.g. an unjoined style for labelling a diagram.
· Design innovative, functional and appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups. Select tools, equipment and materials to perform practical tasks accurately and aesthetically. / Understand the amazing physical and human geography of Modern Europe. Create a map of Europe and personalise a passport recording your achievements. Investigate key European physical features. Research a European capital city for a display and examine the weather from each of Europe’s climate zones before deciding what to pack for your travels!
Block B
France
[4 sessions] / Geography, Computing and Art
· An understanding of the human and physical geography of France, including its climate zones.
· An appreciation of geographical similarities and differences between your local area and regions of France.
· Create a class ‘soundscape’ exhibition of the local area.
· Create ‘conté crayon’ sketches of a local waterway and a painting in the ‘pointillist’ style.
· Use impasto painting to recreate one of Berthe Morisot’s coast paintings.
· Use a range of digital devices to capture, edit and present images and sounds. / This rich and imaginative block uses a range of artworks to inspire learning about the human and physical geography of France, including its climate zones; discover the art of Cézanne, Seurat and Morisot and where their works are located geographically; the outcomes of this block include creating a 21st Century soundscape, a pointillist style painting and an impasto painting.
Block C
Germany
[4 sessions] / Geography, English, PE and Art
· Locate Germany on a map and concentrate on its environmental regions,
key physical and human characteristics, and major cities.
· Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region in Germany.
· Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers and mountains.
· 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.
· Use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied.
· Give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes.
· Extend pupils’ confidence, enjoyment and mastery of language through public speaking, performance and debate.
· Play a game of 5-a-side football and apply basic principles suitable for attacking and defending.
· Use running, jumping, throwing and catching in isolation and in combination.
· Improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials, to create a theatrical backdrop. / Become a professional footballer in Germany and learn about the team you represent and its regional geographic features. Explore physical and human aspects of the region. Take an enchanted journey with the Brothers Grimm into the Black Forest and discover why this landscape influenced the retelling of some of our most famous traditional tales. Put on your own performance in the backdrop of the Black Forest - a backdrop you have created yourself!
Block D
Spain
[4 sessions] / Geography, English and D&T
· Locate Spain on a map and concentrate on its environmental regions,key physical and human characteristics, and major cities.
· Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region in Spain.
· Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers and mountains.
· 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.
· Use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied.
· Prepare and cook two savoury and one sweet Spanish dish using a range of cooking techniques.
· Understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed.
· Give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes.
· Participate in presentations. / Join the world’s top cyclists to take a road trip through the varying geography of Spain. Stop off en-route to try your hand at some classic Spanish cooking and learn about the origins of some of Spain’s more famous dishes and their links to the physical and human geography of Andalusia, Valencia and the Cantabrian Mountains.
Block E
Russia
[6 sessions] / Geography, English, Science and D&T
· Locate the world’s countries, using maps to focus on Europe (including the location of Russia).
· Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography including climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers and mountains.
· Give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes.
· Speak audibly and fluently with an increasing command of Standard English
· Participate in presentations.
· Select and use appropriate registers for effective communication.
· Identify that animals need the right types and amount of nutrition and that they get nutrition from what they eat.
· Construct and interpret a variety of food chains, identifying producers, predators and prey.
· Identify how animals and plants are adapted to suit their environment and in different ways.
· Explore and use classification keys to help group, identify and name a variety of living things in their local and wider environment.
· Use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose.
· Generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagram.
· Select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks accurately.
· Select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials and textiles, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities.
· Evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work. / Raise awareness of the four major Russian biomes to help protect them for future generations. Can you become a Biome Co-ordinator and put on your own creative biome exhibition that will include food chain mobiles, adaptation fold-ups, an online classification key and a large scale model of your chosen biome? If so, then welcome to Russia!
Block F
Italy
[4 sessions] / Geography, History and English
· Locate Italy on a map and concentrate on its environmental regions,
key physical and human characteristics, and major cities.
· Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region in Italy.
· Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains and volcanoes.
· 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.
· Use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied.
· Construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information.
· Understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources.
· Give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes.
· Retrieve, record and present information from non-fiction.
Extend pupils’ confidence, enjoyment and mastery of language through public speaking, performance and debate. / Travel to Italy to take in the alpine scenery and enjoy a mountain trek through the many mountain ranges that Italy boasts. Take a trip back in time to CE 79 and the fateful day that Mt Vesuvius blew her top. Investigate the mysterious draw of the volcanoes of southern Italy for settlement - would you take the risk and live in the shadow of a live volcano?
Block G
Norway
[4 sessions] / Geography, Science, PE and Maths
· Locate the world’s countries, using maps to focus on Europe.
· Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region in a European country.
· Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography including climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, and mountains.
· Describe and understand human geography including types of settlement and land use and economic activity.
· Ask relevant questions and use scientific enquiry to answer them.
· Set up simple practical enquiries, comparative and fair tests.
· Make systematic and careful observations and take accurate measurements.
· Gather, record, and present data to help in answering questions.
· Compare how things move on different surfaces.
· Notice that some forces need contact between two objects.
· Take part in outdoor and adventurous activity challenges.
· Use running and jumping in isolation and in combination.
· Develop flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance [for example, through athletics and gymnastics].
· Measure and compare lengths; interpret and present data using bar charts and tables; solve comparison questions using info presented in scaled bar charts. / Study the geography and winter sports of Norway in preparation for a ‘top trumps’-based briefing of sports executives for the winter Olympics - consider forces and investigate friction challenges using scientific methods, processes and skills.