Lesson 1: United States of America an Exploration

Key Stage 2: United States of America Lesson 1: United States of America – An exploration

Locational Knowledge Place Knowledge Key questions and ideas Teaching and learning Resources activities Name and locate key Understand geographical  What are the key Starter: Downloads: features in the USA including similarities and differences of geographical features of  Pupils write down words Lesson Plan PDF | MSWORD states, lakes, rivers, different places within USA. the USA? associated with the USA. USA: An exploration (PPT) mountains, deserts, and Interpret a range of images Class discussion. Factsheet for teachers PDF | settlements. and sounds to be able to link  How many states does MSWORD Main: the USA have? USA outline map PDF | MSWORD places to a location on a  Images of the USA – map. pupils sort into Map Task Sheet PDF | MSWORD  What does the USA categories. USA Sounds Audio Files (MP4) ‘sound’ like?  Produce a collaborative map of the USA Web link: USA time lapse video:  Where are the rivers, completing missing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt- lakes and mountains in states, adding places juyvIWMQ the USA? and features. Human and Physical Geographical Skills and  Use a series of sounds to Assessment opportunities Geography Fieldwork  How is the USA different explore what the USA Understand the diversity of Use an atlas to be able to to where you live? sounds like. Class discussions to explore existing physical landscapes in the locate key features on a map knowledge and knowledge gained Plenary: USA including lakes, rivers, of the USA. during the lesson.  Watch a time lapse video mountains, deserts etc. of the USA and return to the words at the Understand the location and beginning of the lesson features of key settlements in to see what new words the USA. they have learnt to describe the USA. Key Stage 2: United States of America

Lesson 2: Canyons and valleys: physical landscapes

Locational Knowledge Place Knowledge Key questions and ideas Teaching and learning Resources activities Interpreting time lapse Understand the different  What are the key Starter: Downloads: videos to recognise key features across the USA, physical features of the  Pupils watch a video Lesson Plan PDF | MSWORD features of the landscape and the differences across United States of and create an A to Z of Canyons, Valleys and Plains (PPT) words related to in the USA the country (and to the UK) America? Factsheet for teachers PDF | physical landscapes in MSWORD the USA.  What is the Grand A to Z Answer Sheet for Teachers Canyon? Main: PDF | MSWORD  Explore the formation A to Z Worksheet PDF | MSWORD  Where is the Grand of the Grand Canyon. Canyon? Examine images to Grand Canyon demonstration sheet identify physical PDF | MSWORD  How was the Grand features. Canyon formed?  Investigating the length See lesson plan for additional of the Grand Canyon. resources needed for this lesson.  What is erosion?  Discuss the processes Human and Physical Geographical Skills and of erosion. Assessment opportunities Geography Fieldwork  How did erosion shape Plenary: Physical geography: Geographical skills and the Grand Canyon?  Ability to explain formation of  Demonstration to Describe and understand fieldwork: Interpreting a Grand Canyon in plenary. explore processes of the location and formation map of the Grand Canyon. river erosion.  Ability to accurately measure of key physical features  Class discussion of the the length of the Grand of the landscape in the impact of erosion on Canyon. USA including the Grand physical environments. Canyon. Key Stage 2: United States of America Lesson 3: Where are all the people?

Locational Knowledge Place Knowledge Key questions and ideas Teaching and learning Resources activities Understanding the Describe and understand the  How is population Starter: Downloads: distribution of population population characteristics of distributed in the USA?  Discuss population Lesson Plan PDF | MSWORD across the USA and different settlements in the distribution map of the Where are all the people (PPT) factors that affect this USA.  Where are the most USA. Factsheet for teachers PDF | Main: pattern. densely populated places MSWORD  Explore population in the USA? Population data sheet PDF | distribution change 1790- MSWORD 2010.  Where are the most Card sort activity PDF |  Use card sort activity to sparsely populated discuss why there are MSWORD places in the USA? more people in some Outline map of the USA PDF | places than others. MSWORD  How do the populations  Use data to make a map Example of pupil work: graph of states differ? of the USA’s most (PDF) populous places. Example of pupil work:  What factors affect  Explore US Census data population map (PDF) population change? to find out about the Human and Physical Geographical Skills and features of different US Assessment opportunities Geography Fieldwork  What will happen to the states. Plenary: Awareness of the impact Using census data to explore population of the USA in  Ability to describe accurately  Group discussion to physical features may the characteristics of the the future? population distribution. encourage pupils to  Ability to produce detailed have on the population population of the USA. estimate the population comparisons of the distribution of the USA. of three UK cities for demographic characteristics Understand the comparison to the of different states. distribution of the population of USA cities.  Class discussions at the end population in the USA of the lesson showing ability and the characteristics of to compare places studied different states in the with their own experiences of USA. where they live. Key Stage 2: United States of America Lesson 4: Challenged by water: floods and drought

Locational Knowledge Place Knowledge Key questions and ideas Teaching and learning Resources activities Using a range of Understand the different  Why does climate vary Starter: Downloads: evidence to recognise the climatic features of California across the USA?  Watch video to explore different climates and Mississippi and the how climate various Lesson Plan PDF | MSWORD impact this has on the experienced across the  Where is the Mississippi across the US. Challenged by Water: Floods different stages USA. river? and Droughts (PPT) Main: Climate Worksheet PDF |  Explore features of a  Why does the Mississippi MSWORD climate graph. Pupils to river flood? investigate US climate California Worksheet PDF | data to find out how MSWORD  What impacts do floods climate varies across the Example of Pupil’s Work: Florida have? US. Postcard PDF | MSWORD  Two further activities Example of Pupils Work:  What is drought? explore the causes and Mississippi Storyboard PDF | impacts of flooding in MSWORD  What causes drought? Mississippi and drought in California. Example of Pupil’s work: New  What are the impacts of York postcard PDF | MSWORD drought in California? Plenary: Mississippi Storyboard Activity  In a class discussion at PDF | MSWORD the end of the activity Postcard Template PDF | pupils can then consider MSWORD which events or issues Factsheet for Teachers PDF | had the biggest impacts on farmers (positive or MSWORD negative)

Human and Physical Geographical Skills and Assessment opportunities Geography Fieldwork Investigation of different Interpreting climate graphs to Successful completion of case physical features and understand changes in study worksheets and the ability processes related to climate across the USA. to discuss the causes and impacts of the drought and flood climate. events. Key Stage 2: United States of America Understand the impact of the environment on humans, particularly drought and floods. Key Stage 2: United States of America Lesson 5: Food and farming

Locational Knowledge Place Knowledge Key questions and ideas Teaching and learning Resources activities Understanding the wide Understanding the different  What foods come from Starter: Downloads variety of agricultural regional dominance of the USA?  Pupils bring in foods Lesson Plan PDF | MSWORD products from the USA. different products across the associated with USA. Food and Farming (PPT) USA.  What types of agricultural Discussion of foods Factsheet for teachers PDF | associated with USA. products does the USA MSWORD produce? Main: Scenario Cards PDF | MSWORD  Exploration of US Bean Tokens PDF | MSWORD  Where in the USA do Agricultural census data different types of farming to explore the distribution Web links: take place? of different farming US Agricultural Census data: practice in the USA. http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Public  What factors affect  Role play activity where ations/2012/Online_Resources/Ag_C farming? pupils take on the role of ensus_Web_Maps/ farmers and go through Human and Physical Geographical Skills and  What challenges face different ‘scenarios’ to Assessment opportunities Geography Fieldwork farmers in the USA? understand the different Knowledge of the impact Working with data at local factors that affect farming of physical features and and national level.  How important is food in the USA. Ability to explain the factors that processes on agricultural affect farming productivity based on and farming for the USA? the role play activity. production. Plenary:  Class discussion Human geography: about the factors that Understanding of the affect farming. different factors that affect farming livelihoods in the USA. Key Stage 2: United States of America Lesson 6: New York through time

Locational Knowledge Place Knowledge Key questions and ideas Teaching and learning Resources activities Understanding the Investigation of the  Where is New York Starter: Downloads: location of New York City, development of New York City?  In class discussion ask Lesson Plan PDF | MSWORD recognising key features City, its functions and pupils to think of people, and characteristics of the characteristics.  What happens in places and space they Factsheet for Teachers PDF | associate with New York. city. New York? MSWORD How do they know this about the city? Perhaps  How has New York New York: Then and Now they have visited, or City changed over Investigation Sheet PDF | recognise the city as it is MSWORD time? represented on television, or in films Lesson Six: New York Through  What factors have Main: Time (PPT) affected the  Study maps of New York development of New through time to examine how the city has York City? Web links: changed. Introduction to New York: https://www.youtube.com/watch?  Compare photographs of v=B-XVScEAXhY New York City at How New York has changed different time periods to since 1836: examine how the city has http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ changed. history/interactive-map- compares-new-york-city-1836- Plenary: today-180947939/?no-ist  New York Fact Tennis: in How New York has changed pairs pupils take it in over time: turns to say, “Did you https://www.youtube.com/watch? know that...” and then v=kOrgslc1-Ek give one piece of Human and Physical Geographical Skills and Assessment opportunities information, one fact, or Geography Fieldwork one place, or landmark Physical geography: Geographical skills and discussed within the Understanding of how the fieldwork: Analysis of Descriptive language used to lesson. location and features of historical maps to examine compare photographs and describe how the city has this area of the country urban change. changed. made it conducive for development. Ability to discuss findings of what New York was like in different Human Geography: time periods. Key Stage 2: United States of America Understanding how New City as a settlement developed over time.

Assessment: Quiz and ‘The new Ambassador’ activity

The assessment for this unit has two parts:

1) Multiple choice quiz

2) Activity: Pupils take on the role of a British Ambassador in the United States of America. They need to prepare a guide for a new Ambassador arriving explaining the top 10 things they need to know about the USA based on what they have learned during the unit.