2024/25

Autumn Term 2

Year 3/4

Key end points of this unit, Mediterranean Europe, are:

• Describe and understand key physical and human features of Mediterranean Europe.

• Mediterranean Europe is located in southern Europe.

• The Mediterranean climate is warm and dry in the summer, cool and wet in the winter.

• The warm, dry climate in Mediterranean Europe allows olives to grow.

• There are several mountain ranges in Mediterranean Europe

Children will be introduced to the Mediterranean region where  will locate the Mediterranean Sea and the countries surrounding it.  The children will look at the climate of Mediterranean Europe. Children will look again at climate graphs and will consider rainfall in the region. They will learn that the gulf stream influences the climate in the Mediterranean.  They will build on their knowledge of climate and look at food and farming in Mediterranean Europe. They will explore the connection between climate and agriculture. Children will look at the landscape in the Mediterranean region and will identify mountain ranges using an atlas or Google Maps. . In the fifth lesson of this unit, children will build on their knowledge of settlements and will study Athens and Venice before comparing and contrasting the two cities.  They will consider the differences and similarities between the regions of Europe in terms of human features, physical features and climate. 

Year 5/6

Key end points of this unit, North America, are:

• The North American continent spreads from close to the North Pole, south towards the equator.
• Rivers stretch across the continent providing a source of water and also transport links.
• Many of North America’s major rivers have been affected by human actions.
•  Many people live in large cities in North America, this presents challenge.

Children will identify the countries within this continent including the United States of America, Canada and Mexico. When looking at the United States of America, children will learn that the states have not always been united, and many battles have been fought over land and power.  Children will use atlases to identify locations in North Unit Rationale America. Children will locate the Bearing Sea and learn that it is thought that the ancestors of Native Americans travelled from Asia, across a bridge of land that is now under the Bering Sea, to begin populating the North American continent.  Children will study the biomes of the North American continent including coniferous forest, deciduous forest, temperate grassland semi-desert and tundra. They will learn about the permafrost that lies under the ground in the most northern parts of North America, creating a cold, tree-less landscape. They will contrast this with the temperate grassland in the Great Plains, and the prairie. In turn, this is will provide contrast with the tropical forest biome of some regions in Central America. Children will learn that the rivers in North America are important to the economy, for trade and transport and also help to sustain a large population.  Anchorage in Alaska will be compared with the local area, providing some important contrasts including climate, physical features, population, environment, and regional activities.