Focus of the lessons (3 and 4):

The Geography of an Historic Town: Shrewsbury

Enquiry Question:

Why is this place like this?

Content:

Enquiry Skills

Mapping Skills – specifically location

Concepts – place, space and environment (human and physical features)

Links to previous learning:

Stage 2

Misconceptions:

Rivers and canals – the difference between the two

Site and situation of a settlement - the distinction between the two

Activity ideas:

Research - using selected resources children research why these features were valued by the Saxon rulers of Mercia

Explore concepts of site and situation using aerial photographs, maps and sand-tray modelling

Produce advert for the ‘Saxon rulers of Mercia Gazette’ – ‘’Choose Shrewsbury’’

•Where is this place? What is this place like?

•Why is this place like it is?

•How is this place connected to other places?

•How is this place changing?

•What does it feel like to be in this place?

Michael Storm

The Geography of an Historic Town: Shrewsbury

Enquiry Question:

What is this place?

Content:

Enquiry skills

Mapping skills- Specific location and scale

Concepts- place and scale

Links to previous learning- Science- Habitats, living things, physical change.

May have little knowledge of using a Map and using some Geographical vocabulary to explain where in comparison to other things etc.

Misconceptions-

The dingle is all natural

Just a garden- also a habitat for living things

Same as any park/garden- sunken design creates a microclimate (more sheltered and humid so supports more growth and variation)

Activity ideas-

Human or physical- spot the difference, card sort using photos.

Creating and labelling own map- Using symbols and vocab to learn where the dingle is in relation to the quarry, town centre etc.

Identify new features from old photos and take updates picture.

Further activities-

Making an advert in the form of a leaflet or poster explaining why people should visit and support the dingle- using photos from visit and map created.

The Geography of an Historic Town: Shrewsbury

Enquiry Question:

What is this place like?

Content:

Enquiry skills

Concepts - place, space and environment

Links to previous learning:

Structures

Landmarks

Location

Misconceptions:

Rivers and canals - difference between the two

Town and city - difference between the two

How was it built?

Activity ideas:

Field trip

Build your own bridge

Mapping

Focus of lesson (1): The geography of Shropshire Hills.

Enquiry Question:

What is this place like?

Content:

• Enquiry Skills

• Space, place and environment

• Interpretation

• Fieldwork Skills - photography, field sketching.

Links to previous learning:

N/A

Misconceptions:

• Hills were created by humans.

• Could be a volcano.

Activity Idea:

• Taking different photographs of landscape.

• Identifying different habitats and animals.

• Drawing field sketch images.

• Using this information to create a descriptive writing piece about the Shropshire Hills, can later add images to make writing more appealing.

• Children can take part in a show and tell activity reading out their descriptive writing pieces if they wish.

How is this place changing?

Content:

Enquiry Skills

Mapping Skills – specifically location

Concepts – Space (Location, interaction), Place (Community, Sense of Place), Earth Systems (Flood Defences, Physical Changes to Area), Environment (Enviromental Change - Flooding).

Misconceptions:

Theatre Severn/Theatres in Shrewsbury have always existed

Rivers and canals – the difference between the two

Flooding only happens in Winter

Activity ideas:

Research - What the Theatre Severn site used to look like from digimaps and through photographs, compare what physical elements have changed. Research different types of flood defences, compare them, notice which defences Theatre Severn uses. Look at photos of flooding and when the flooding happened.

Field Trip - Going and looking at Theatre Severn and the surrounding flood defences. Ask questionaires to members of the public or staff at Theatre Severn about the flooding and how it affects them/how it affects them now compared to 5/10 years ago etc. Bring a photo of what it used to look like and try and match the location it was taken and angle so theres a more direct comparison.

focus on lesson 1: The geography of an Historic town: Shrewsbury

Enquiry Question:

What are the town walls?

content:

Enquiry skills

mapping skills- specific location where it starts and ends.

concepts- Time

Links to previous learning:

KS1

Misconceptions:

The town walls go all around town.

The town walls were built to keep the English out.

Activity ideas:

field trip- visit the remain walls plotting on a map where it is.

Taking Photographs

show maps of the river how the wall was built strategically.

Labelling features of the walls eg towers, river defences and gates

creative:

create posters/leaflets (why you should visit Shrewsbury)

peer assessed presentations.

Content:

• place;

• environment;

• interconnection;

• interpretation;

• geographical enquiry (offering own ideas, analyse evidence).

Links to previous learning:

Looked at the 5 senses.

Understanding different feelings.

Misconception:

Everyone feels the same when they go there. Everyone goes there for the same reason.

Activity Ideas:

Doing a sense mind-map in pairs to pin-point the different feelings of being in the qaurry.

Research:

Why people go to the quarry?

What is at the quarry which attracts people?

Why was the quarry established?

What is this place like?

Concepts:

> Space, place & environment.

Skills:

> Geographical enquiry and using images.

Misconceptions:

> Hills are all the same height or flat from looking at a map.

> They are like mountains.

Activity Ideas:

> Label the hills on a map of Shropshire.

> Take photos/draw what they see.

Enquiry skills: What can you see?

Mapping Skills: Locate on the map of Shrewsbury town. How do we get there?

Concepts: Place and space

Misconceptions: Children may mistake it as being created my humans - not a natural resource.

Activity Ideas:

Research - How do I get there? Create own map and directions to how they can navigate.

What forms of transport?

Trip to the hills and take pictures of their surroundings. Follow their directions.

Write a description of what they can see or saw.