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Unpicking Landscapes Together: What Working With a Geographer Taught Me About The Past

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Unpicking Landscapes Together: What Working With a Geographer Taught Me About The Past

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Over the past few months, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Stefan, a Geography Subject Development Lead at Teach First, on what we’ve loosely (and lovingly) called our “Historic Landscapes” project. What started as a few conversations about landscapes somehow turned into a full-blown excavation of all the hidden crossing points between our subjects - and honestly, I’ve come away wondering why History and Geography don’t collaborate more often.

The more we talked, the more threads we kept pulling

Every meeting with Stefan felt like we were unpicking a tapestry. We’d tug at something that sounded distinctly geographical, only to find a whole historical narrative buried underneath. Or we’d dig into a historical story, and suddenly the geographical conditions or constraints were doing half the causal work.

It reminded me that the disciplinary boundaries we take for granted in schools are often far blurrier in the world we’re actually trying to help students understand. Landscapes shape human stories. Human stories reshape landscapes. And when you put those two disciplines side by side, you don’t just get richer content - you get a deeper, more connected kind of thinking.

There’s a rich vein here - if we’re allowed to mine it

If History and Geography were given more time and space to plan together, I’m convinced we could tap into a rich seam of shared disciplinary knowledge and skills. Students could learn about change and continuity through the shifting use of landscapes. They could explore causation through environmental constraints or human responses to transformation of place. They could see how stories unfold not in abstract spaces but in physical, lived environments.

But, and every teacher will recognise this, time is the stumbling block. Cross-departmental planning is a lovely idea until the reality of timetables, meetings, duties, and day-to-day survival reasserts itself. Teachers are time-poor, and even the most enthusiastic departments rarely get the luxury of structured collaboration.

So we tried to make something that helps, not adds more work

That’s why we didn’t set out to create a shiny, all-singing, all-dancing scheme that schools would have to adopt wholesale. Instead, what Stefan and I ended up building is more like a recipe book. A set of ingredients and methods that departments can dip into, combine, adapt, and make their own.
• Schools can pick out individual topics
• They can choose specific landscapes or themes
• They can take just one lesson idea - or a whole arc
• They can use it to enhance what they already teach, rather than tearing up their curriculum

It doesn’t require full-scale joint-planning; it just needs a bit of coordination over what is taught and when. Because when History and Geography are telling connected stories, the impact on students’ understanding can be huge.

They start to see landscapes as layered with stories. They begin to understand historical causation more fully because they grasp the geographical context. They recognise change and continuity not as abstract disciplinary concepts but as things you can literally trace across a map, a coastline, or even (as the case maybe on the Langdales) on a hillside.

In short: geography sharpens the history, and history deepens the geography

Working with Stefan has convinced me that interdisciplinary work isn’t a luxury - it’s a missed opportunity not to do it. And while schools may not have endless time to co-plan grand shared units, they can carve out small pockets of connected curriculum thinking.

And if what we’ve created helps even one school to double down on students’ understanding of landscapes, stories, and the relationships between them, then all those meetings, diagrams, and “wait—hang on!” moments were more than worth it.

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Lesson One - Historic Landscapes - What are the natural wonders of the Lake District?

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Lesson One - Historic Landscapes - What are the natural wonders of the Lake District?

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In the first lesson we intend to locate the landscape, describing the key geographical features that makes this landscape unique - a place of awe and wonder. The key takeaways from this lesson are:

The Lake District is located in the North of England in Cumbria

The wildlife and physical beauty of the Lakes makes it unique

The Lake Districts natural beauty has inspired cultural responses.

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HistLandscapes L1 - What are the natural wonders of the Lake District

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Lesson Three - Historic Landscapes - How did early settlers shape the landscape?

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Lesson Three - Historic Landscapes - How did early settlers shape the landscape?

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In lesson 3 we want pupils to understand how early settlers used the landscape. The key takeaways from this lesson are:

Early settlers were involved in deforestation/land clearing

Early settlers were farmers and traders

Early settlers were involved in trade of goods around the UK

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HistLandscapes L3 - How did early settlers shape the Lake District

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Lesson Four - Historic Landscapes - How did the Lake District shape and reflect power in Roman and Medieval times?

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Lesson Four - Historic Landscapes - How did the Lake District shape and reflect power in Roman and Medieval times?

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In lesson four we want to show pupils how landscapes have been used in Roman and Medieval Britain for both resource extraction and to express power. The key takeaways are:

The Romans built forts in the landscape to protect trade routes

The landscape was utilised when considering the locations of these sites

Who has power in the area dictated how the landscape was used

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HistLandscapes L4 - How did the Lake District shape and reflect power in Roman and Medieval times

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Lesson Five - Historic Landscapes - What were the consequences of the Industrial Revolution on the Lake District?

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Lesson Five - Historic Landscapes - What were the consequences of the Industrial Revolution on the Lake District?

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In lesson five we are exploring the impact of the Industrial Revolution on the Lake District and differing interpretations of how people viewed the landscape in this era. The key takeaways are:

The Industrial Revolution was a turning point for landscapes in the UK

The landscape of the Lake District became romanticised in this period

The meaning of the landscape for many changed in this period

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HistLandscapes L5 - What were the consequences of the Industrial Revolution on the Lakes

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Lesson Six - Historic Landscapes - How has industry shaped the Landscape of the Lakes?

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Lesson Six - Historic Landscapes - How has industry shaped the Landscape of the Lakes?

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In lesson seven we look at how the landscape facilitates different industries, and the changing nature of these industries over time. The key takeaways are:

Industry in the Lake District has changed over time

The changing nature of industry has impacted the landscape in different ways

The way that industry has impacted the landscape has had positive and negative consequences that are very much open to interpretation

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HistLandscapes L6 - How has industry shaped the landscape of the Lakes

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Lesson Seven - Historic Landscapes - How has protest shaped the way we see the Lake District? 

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Lesson Seven - Historic Landscapes - How has protest shaped the way we see the Lake District? 

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In lesson 7 we look at how the differing interpretations became grounds for conflict following the changes sparked by the Industrial Revolution. The key takeaways are:

The changing meaning and industries in the landscape have led to conflict

Historical conflict tended to be around the construction of railways and increased tourism in the Industrial period

Individuals and groups of people protested in various ways to protect the landscape

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HistLandscapes L7 - How has protest shaped the way we see the Lake District

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Lesson Eight - Historic Landscapes - How is the climate crisis causing conflict in the Lakes? 

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Lesson Eight - Historic Landscapes - How is the climate crisis causing conflict in the Lakes? 

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In lesson eight we examine the multi-faceted impact the climate crisis is having on the Lake District, and how this leads to conflict in the modern era. The key takeaways are:

The landscape of the Lake District faces increased challenges due to climate change

These changes are causing conflict between groups of individuals

Who has power to make changes has shifted over time (thinking back to lesson 4)

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HistLandscapes L8 - How is the climate crisis  causing conflict in the Lake District

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A lesson on the story of the not-so-humble potato and the environmental impact of this crop over time. The key takeaways are:

Empires facilitated the global spread of crops. This had both a positive and negative impact

Trade networks were being established allowed for increased food security and fuelled population growth

Human impact on the environment can have long lasting consequences

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The Little Ice Age - How far reaching was the impact of the Little Ice Age?

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The Little Ice Age - How far reaching was the impact of the Little Ice Age?

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A lesson on the Little Ice Age that caeasily be embedded in any scheme of learning to provide some background context on the weather events on the 16th and 17th centuries. The key takeaways are:

Human history is often directly linked to environmental factors

The impact of the Little Ice Age negatively impacted the living conditions of people across Europe

Environmental conditions played a big role in historic events and on human behaviour

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Impact of the Industrial Revolution - Did the industrial revolution help people more than it harmed the environment?

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Impact of the Industrial Revolution - Did the industrial revolution help people more than it harmed the environment?

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A lesson which slots easily into any IR unit examining consequences. This goes beyond the typical political/social/economic factors and includes environmental. The key takeaways are:

The technological leap forwards fuelled mass production and transformed the economy

Urbanisation led to social problems like overcrowding and porr living conditions for workers

Increased coal use caused severe pollution and long-term climate impacts. Human impact on the environment can be, and is, long reaching.

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WW1 - How did war on the Western Front impact upon the environment?

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WW1 - How did war on the Western Front impact upon the environment?

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A lesson that can slot into any enquiry on the Western Front. The key takeaways are:

Environmental conditions played a big role in WW1

The impact of warfare can devastate landscapes, habitats and agriculture in the short term

Humans can have a positive impact on the environment

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Lesson 2 - How did natural forces Shape the Lake District?

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Lesson 2 - How did natural forces Shape the Lake District?

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HistLandscapes L2 - What do you think makes the Lake District landscape so dramatic and unique-compressed

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Lesson 9 - How is the Lake District being protected for future generations?

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Lesson 9 - How is the Lake District being protected for future generations?

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HistLandscapes L9 - How is the Lake District being protected for future generations