The story can be differentiated to make the range of landscapes relevant to the local area where the students are based. It covers an array of different geographical features, such as, grass, mud, caves and water – most of these should be found in areas through out the UK.

The activity on the website send students on a local bare hunt where they will use geographical terminology and vocabulary, such as 'under, over, through'. They could create a linear map that tells the story of the journey, planning it first and then record their journey. They will be developing special awareness and representations on maps. Linking with the Key Stage 1 curriculum. This will be in a local area near the school, linking to the curriculum of exploring local environment.

When the children are talking about the story, they should choose sounds which link to the geographical features mentioned in the story, e.g. 'splash, splosh in the river'. Then challenge them by getting the students to think of other features, such as mountains and forests, and to think of sounds that could accompany those features.

The website provides a structured lesson, with activities and video resources. Both the book and website encourage children to pose questions about their local environment, leading to further exploration of others. The journey encourages the children to think about geographical features of wider environments.

-appropriateness for use by pupils:

• weather (how different weathers can effect day to day life e.g snow storms)

• Different locations (man made/natural, any similarities and differences)

• Exploring landscapes and physical features

• Mapping (create their own map to tell story)

• Positional and directional language

• Weather and seasons

• Local geography

• Comparing places

• Environmental awareness

Websites and their navigability:

• oak national academy( extremely easy to navigate, subjects split up into year groups, units, topics.

• BBC bitesize

• Word wall (matching game, spin the wheel, picks element of the story and from that the children can talk about that element (name features etc)

Brief review of story:

• family go on a bear hunt and have to navigate through different types of weather, once the reach the bear cave and find the bear then rush to get back home!

Opportunities for activity ideas, such as mapping, symbols, talking about the area around them. For example in the bear hunt story there are specific areas to symbolise on their journey (grass, river, snow, cave). The children could also build on their sense of direction by following the bear's footprints.

Follow Barnaby bear's journey around England. Making the journal more personal to their community and culture. For example, Barnaby bear goes to Chester, the children could make a map and look for Barnaby bear in their school, using the symbols on the map.

Both could explore habitats and where bear's live. Thinking about their environments and shelters. The children could build their own bear shelter.

They both link in with eyfs and children's understand of the world, specifically exploration and inquiry, community and culture, and making sense of the physical world.

The book and website are age appropriate. The website is easy to access, child friendly, and uses interesting language. It also offers a large range of places to explore and fully appreciate those areas. The bear hunt book is easy to read, repetitive and uses key easy, to remember phrases.

EYFS - Understanding the world

KS1: Travel and transport. 5: Tremendous trains - BBC Teach 

1. Read through book and discuss in class. Ask questions about if they have been on trains and to where.

2. Watch video on website and discuss

3. Go on a train trip and take pictures of what they can see and where they pass.

4. Back in class children draw a train and stick photos on trip of what they saw in order along the journey.

5. Make their own train journey in class with train set, pictures of places and discuss.

6. Bingo activity for places seen on the train

   
   

Links:

Local Geography

Mapping

Directional language

Place Knowledge