White House Primary School

White House Primary School – Theme Planning

Spring Term 4

Whole School Theme: Mighty Mountains

Year Topaz

Session / Skills/Subject / L. I & Success Criteria / Main Teaching /

Plenary/Next Steps

1 / 1a Ask geographical questions. 1b Collect & record evidence. 2a Use appropriate geographical vocabulary. 2c Use atlases, maps & globes at a range of scales. / LI - / Introduce topic. Ask chn to think about what they already know about mountains. Has anyone ever been up a mountain, perhaps when they’ve been skiing?
Chn to create a spidergram about their knowledge and understanding based around answering q’s
1.  what is a mountain?
2.  where are mountains found?
3.  how tall is a mountain?
4.  Do we have any mountains in England?
5.  Names of mountains?
Look at a globe ask a child to find the UK. Then find some of the other countries that may have been mentioned, e.g. Nepal (Mount Everest), France, Italy, Austria (the Alps), etc. Remind chn of the 8 continents & ask them to find them on the globe/google earth. / Share with the chn some of the things they will be learning about during this theme. Correlate a set of questions the chn would like to find out the answer to.
Focus Groups / Differentiation
Chn should each write some mountain facts they already know, e.g. there are mountains all over the world in every continent. Then ask them to write some questions about what they would like to know, e.g. are volcanoes mountains? Remind chn they are writing non-fiction. They are providing or seeking information. Ask them how they might they begin their sentences? / Key Questions
Resources
Assessment
Session / Skills/Subject / L. I & Success Criteria / Main Teaching /

Plenary/Next Steps

2 / 1a Ask geographical questions.
2a Use appropriate geographical vocabulary.
2c Use atlases, maps & globes at a range of scales.
2e Draw & complete maps at a range of scales.
3a Identify & describe places.
3b Understand the location of places & environments they study & other significant places/environments. / LI – explore mountain ranges around the world.
SC
- label the continents
- draw the mountain ranges carefully
- label them
- can you add any others? / Show chn a world map that shows the main mountain ranges. Explain to the chn that we will be finding the main mountain ranges across the world. Explain that the term “mountain range” refers to an area of land that is covered in mountains. Ask chn if they know any mountain ranges? The Himalayas, the Andes, the Alps, the Rockies, etc? Use the map to go through each continent & find the largest mountain ranges. On the IWB list the continents & the major mountain ranges, pointing to a globe or world map as you do so to identify the position of each range. Look at how many ranges stretch through more than one country. Show chn how, on the map, the mountains are usually given in a darker colour to show their height (contour lines). Demonstrate sketching the main ranges in each continent on a blank world map. / Show chn a world map with the main mountain ranges unnamed. Ask chn if they can remember which ones are which. Choose 5-7 mountain ranges from around the world (include: Himalayas, Andes, Alps) & ask the chn to memorise their names & location.
Focus Groups / Differentiation – Mixed ability HA/MA with SEND/LA
Give chn a blank map of the world and ask them to work individually &/or in pairs to label the continents & then to draw & label the mountain ranges you have listed as a class.
Extension: Chn look in an atlas to find other ranges & add these to their maps. / Key Questions
Resources
Assessment
Session / Skills/Subject / L. I & Success Criteria / Main Teaching /

Plenary/Next Steps

3 / Geog
1a Ask geographical questions. 2a Use appropriate geographical vocabulary. 2c Use atlases, maps & globes. 4b Recognise some important physical processes & explain how these cause changes in environments.
Science
4a (extended) Understand that the Earth is approximately spherical & of what it consists. / Print large copies of pictures or use interactive w/b. You need a hard-boiled egg.
Ask chn if they think volcanoes are mountains? Discuss answers. What evidence do we have? What are mountains exactly? According to some experts a mountain is a peak that is 600m higher than the surrounding land – anything less is a hill. This means volcanoes are mountains – they are a particular type of mountain. In the next session we will be thinking about the types of mountains, how they came to be… how they are formed? About a quarter of all the Earth’s land mass is mountainous. Some mountains are volcanoes which are mostly situated at points where the plates that form the Earth’s crust meet. Use a globe to point out the main volcanic areas. Show some famous volcanoes on an atlas, e.g. Mt St Helens, Krakatoa, Vesuvius, Etna, etc. Volcanoes are formed by openings in the Earth’s crust where fiery clouds of hot ash, gas & magma spit out. This cools into layer upon layer of solid rock (session resources). Draw a diagram of the Earth on f/c (session resources). The land/oceans are on the Earth’s crust (outer layer). Below this is a thick layer called the mantle – this is liquid rock & it is where the magma comes from. Right in the centre of the Earth is the core which is very hot. Use a hardboiled egg as a model of the layers: shell = Earth’s crust, white = mantle (it should be liquid), yolk = core. / SEND/LA – show their diagrams & explain each layer. They then ask the others some questions about volcanoes, which the other chn answer using the facts they have found out.
Focus Groups / Differentiation – mixed ability
SEND/LA - Chn draw a cross section of the Earth & label the parts Crust, Mantle, Core. They should colour these appropriately.
A/HA - Chn use atlases & non-fiction texts to research information about volcanoes, they should find as much out as they can to report back to the class. / Key Questions
Resources
Assessment
Session / Skills/Subject / L. I & Success Criteria / Main Teaching /

Plenary/Next Steps

4 / Geog
1a Ask geographical questions. 2a Use appropriate geographical vocabulary. 3e Identify how & why places change. 4b Recognise some important physical processes & explain how these cause changes in environments.
Science
4a Understand that the earth is approximately spherical & of what it consists. / You need a hard boiled egg & plasticine
Ask a child to remind the class how volcanoes are formed. Show a diagram of the Earth’s layers that SEND/LA group drew yesterday. Explain that the Earth’s crust is like eggshell. Imagine it is all cracked & so made of about 30 different pieces called plates these plates move over time. Demonstrate this with the hard boiled egg, break the skin gently by rolling it on the table. Let the chn look at it. Show chn the pictures of the earth’s land masses over time (session resources). Discuss how the Earths continents have moved – encourage chn to comment on how America has moved, where Africa was 100 million years ago, etc. Explain that as these plates move the Earth changes – it is constantly changing. Use the egg to show two large pieces moving & hitting each other. What do chn think happens when this occurs? Explain that mountains are formed in three ways: one is through volcanic activity (volcanoes). Fold mountains are formed when two plates slowly crunch into each other & the Earth’s crust is pushed up. Block mountains are formed by part of the crust being squeezed up between two cracks called faults. These faults are where earthquakes happen. This is why many mountain ranges also experience earthquakes. Can demonstrate this well with layers of diff coloured plasticine representing the layers of the earth’ s crust & mantle and pushing two ‘plates of crust’ together or cutting to create a fault lines and a block mountain. / Look at chn’s work to rehearse the 3 ways mountains are formed. Ask a child to name a mountain range & discuss how it was formed. Use internet & non-fiction texts to find out.
Focus Groups / Differentiation
SEND/LA - Chn draw & annotate a diagram of how volcanoes are formed.
A - Chn draw & annotate a diagram of how fold mountains are formed.
HA - Chn draw & annotate a diagram of how block mountains are formed. / Key Questions
Resources
Assessment
Session / Skills/Subject / L. I & Success Criteria / Main Teaching /

Plenary/Next Steps

5 / Geog
3a Identify & describe what places are like. 3b Understand the locations of places they study. 3d Explain why places are like they are. 3e Identify how & why places change. 3f Understand how places are different to other places in the world.
Science
1c Make links between life processes in humans & the environment. / Ask chn what they know about the weather & climate in the mountains. Is it the same or different to the climate in the rest of the country of the mountains, or do mountains have their own climate? Why? Discuss how the height of mountains affects the climate. The higher the mountains are the more extreme the climate. As you climb a mountain the air gets thinner. This means there is less oxygen in the air. Explain that air is a mixture of several gases (mainly nitrogen & oxygen) & that we just need one of these (oxygen) to keep us alive. At very high altitudes there is very little oxygen in the air, because the air is at a lower pressure so there are less particles (molecules) of all the gases that make up air. What difference does this make? Discuss how when we are high in the mountains we may need to breathe faster (pant) to get enough oxygen. This makes climbing mountains difficult. Ask chn to think about what they already know about mountains & what other differences there are in mountain climates – it gets very cold due to the height above sea level. This is why many mountains have snow on the top all year round. Mountain climates have what is called a snow line: the height above which there is always snow. Below the snow line the snow melts in the warmer seasons. There is also a tree line: higher mountains are so high that trees do not grow. Trees & plants can’t grow in very high altitude due to the lack of oxygen, the poor or thin soil & the colder climate. / A to give speeches on mountain climates to the class. HA to join in to give some exact heights of snow & tree line.
Focus Groups / Differentiation
SEND/LA - Chn draw a mountain & label snow & tree lines. They write a sentence on the weather at the bottom, halfway up & at the top.
A - Chn use info sheet to find out about mountain climates. They prepare presentations giving detail on mountain climates.
HA- Chn use internet & information texts to find out how high the snow & tree lines are in different mountain ranges: Himalayas, Andes, Alps. / Key Questions
Resources
Assessment
Session / Skills/Subject / L. I & Success Criteria / Main Teaching /

Plenary/Next Steps

6 / Geog
2a Use appropriate geographical vocabulary. 2c Use atlases, maps & globes at a range of scales. 3a Identify & describe what places are like. 3b Understand locations of places they study. 3c Describe where places are. 3e Identify how/why places change.
History
1a Place changes into correct periods of time. / Show a map of Europe & ask what continent it is. Ask chn to name some of the countries in Europe & to come & point them out on the map, e.g. France, Spain, Poland, Norway, etc. Name some of the major countries. Look at Eastern Europe & discuss how it has changed over the last 30 years. Show an old atlas & a new map & point out some of the changes so that chn will not be thrown if they look at an old atlas or globe & then at a newer map. Discuss how some countries have split up into independent nations (e.g. Yugoslavia). We will find out about mountain ranges in Europe. The UK is a part of Europe, but we will look at UK mountains in more detail in another session. Can chn remember the name of any mountain ranges in Europe? If they can, which countries are these mountains in? Give pairs of chn an atlas. Chn work together to look at different countries in Europe & find mountains/mountain ranges in that country. Provide physical maps of specific countries rather than Europe as a whole as chn will find more detail on these. Make a class list of European mountains/mountain ranges & the country names on f/c. Has anyone found a country with no mountains, e.g. Holland? Why might this be? It is a very flat country. Did anyone find the highest mountain? There is Mount Elbrus (5642m) in the Caucasus (on the border of Asia & Europe). There is Mont Blanc in the French Alps (session resources). Could use interactive map at http://www.oddizzi.com/. / Look at chn’s maps & learn some of the names & locations of mountain ranges by heart.
Focus Groups / Differentiation – Mixed ability
Chn draw & label mountain ranges on a blank map of Europe. They work in groups & share atlases. When they have finished, draw all the groups together around a large physical map of Europe. Ask each group to come & identify different ranges in different countries. Make sure everyone knows which the longest & highest ranges are. Discuss ranges or mountains which chn have actually visited. / Key Questions
Resources
Assessment
Session / Skills/Subject / L. I & Success Criteria / Main Teaching /

Plenary/Next Steps

7 / Geog
1a Ask geographical questions. 2a Use geographical vocabulary. 2c Use atlases & maps. 2d Use secondary sources of information. 2e Draw maps at a range of scales.
ICT
Develop & refine ideas by bringing together, organising text, table & images. / LI / Discuss what we know about European mountains. Use a map of Europe. Choose chn to come & locate/name the different ranges: Pyrenees, Alps, etc. Show a large map of the UK. Discuss where the mountains are. Talk about the difference between mountains & hills. Remind chn that a mountain is generally considered to be over 600m above its surroundings. By this criteria, discuss if any UK peaks are mountains. Explain that Scafell Pike (978m) is generally said to be the highest peak in England. Show chn where this is. Hand out maps of the UK with hills/mountains shown – one between two chn. Locate/name the large ranges of hills/mountains in England, Scotland, Wales (session resources). Ask chn to write the names on their maps. Remind chn where in the UK we live/ask them to draw our town/city/village on their map. Also locate London & nearest city to you. Explain that in this session & next, chn will work in pairs to plan a poster of one of the European mountain ranges. Explain that we want different pairs to choose different ranges so that in the end we can make a poster display of all the mountains in western Europe. Discuss what a poster will need to contain: good images, factual information – possibly in the form of speech bubbles or captions, tables or charts – e.g. of the weather or of the heights of different mountains in the range, etc. Discuss how we will work in this session to research our chosen range, & to plan a layout for our posters – how much text, how many pictures, whether to include tables or charts, etc. / Discuss the differences between the different ranges of mountains. They have lots of similarities but how are they different?
Focus Groups / Differentiation
Chn work in pairs: allow them to choose or give each pair a mountain range from western Europe including UK. Chn use the internet, encyclopaedias, atlases, & information books to research their mountain range. Encourage chn to download & draw up charts, tables, fact boxes, captions, etc – a range of different ways of presenting text. Then they plan the layout of their poster, thinking hard about what images they will use to break up the different text formats. / Key Questions
Resources
Assessment
Session / Skills/Subject / L. I & Success Criteria / Main Teaching /

Plenary/Next Steps