Exploring Our Local Environment

Overview

This 45-minute geography lesson is designed for a SEND class with varied abilities across Years 1 to 9 but aims primarily to engage Year 7 learners (age 11-12). The lesson focuses on understanding local geographical features and how humans interact with their environment, closely following the National Curriculum for England requirements. The approach is highly inclusive, scaffolded, and multisensory to engage students at different levels, using practical activities and differentiated support.

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National Curriculum Links

Key Stage 3 Programme of Study - Geography (relevant to Year 7)

• Human and Physical Geography:
  • Understand how physical features and human activities interact locally (NC ref: KS3 Geography, Human and Physical Geography).
• Geographical Skills:
  • Use fieldwork to observe, measure, and record human and physical features around the school and local environment. (NC ref: Geographical skills and fieldwork section)

SEND Considerations:

• Scaffolded learning objectives
• Use of visual supports and concrete examples
• Multi-sensory learning approaches

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson:

1. Students will be able to identify at least three physical and three human features in their local environment.
2. Students will improve observational and recording skills using simple fieldwork techniques.
3. Students will express how human activities affect the local environment and vice versa.
4. Different abilities within the class will demonstrate understanding through verbal, visual, or written work adapted to their levels.

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Resources

• Visual aids with images of local physical features (rivers, hills, parks) and human features (roads, buildings, benches)
• Simple fieldwork worksheets with symbols and drawing opportunities
• Clipboards, pencils, coloured pens
• Tablets or cameras (if available) to capture photos for students less able to write
• Tactile maps or 3D models for kinaesthetic learners
• Whiteboard and markers

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter (5 minutes)

Activity: Interactive Discussion with Visual Prompts

• Show images of local physical and human features.
• Ask students to name or point out what they see.
• Use physical gestures, symbols, or simplified text for SEND support.
• Example question: “What is this? Is it made by nature or people?”

Assessment: Use verbal contributions or pointing to assess prior knowledge and engage all students.

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2. Introduction to Fieldwork (5 minutes)

Teacher explanation:

• Briefly explain what fieldwork means: going outside to observe and record features.
• Introduce the worksheet: different sections for physical features, human features, and notes/drawings.
• Model how to complete one example on the board (e.g., drawing a tree for a physical feature).
• Emphasise sensory observation: What do you see, hear, feel?

Inclusion: Provide sentence starters or pictures for less able learners to use.

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3. Main Activity – Local Environment Walk and Fieldwork (25 minutes)

Activity:

• Take the class outside to a designated safe local area around the school.
• Students work individually or in pairs with teacher/TA support according to ability.
• They observe, draw, or photograph three physical and three human features.
• Encourage simple notes (e.g., “The road is busy,” “The tree has green leaves”).
• Use tactile maps or 3D models for those unable to participate outside.
• Support from staff to scaffold vocabulary and check understanding.

Differentiation:

• Year 1-3 students: focus on naming and drawing only.
• Year 4-6: adding simple descriptive phrases.
• Year 7-9: writing short observations and comparisons.

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4. Plenary (10 minutes)

Activity: Group Sharing and Reflection

• Back in the classroom, invite students to share one physical and one human feature they found.
• Discuss briefly how humans might affect the environment (e.g., litter or planting trees).
• Use sentence stems for SEND: “One thing I saw was ___.” “People make ___.”
• Teacher writes key vocabulary on the board (e.g., natural, built, environment).

Assessment:

• Oral contributions assessed with notes against learning objectives.
• Collect worksheets or photos as evidence of observation and recording.

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Assessment

• Formative: Observations during discussion, fieldwork, and plenary participation.
• Summative: Completed worksheet/photos showing identification of local features and basic understanding of human-environment interaction.
• Use a simple rubric adapted for SEND that includes:
  • Identifies at least 3 physical and 3 human features
  • Uses observation skills to record information (drawing, writing, photography)
  • Expresses understanding of human impact on environment verbally or in writing

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Adaptations & Support

• Pre-teach key vocabulary with symbols and realia (e.g., photos of local features).
• Use visual timers and clear instructions to help with transitions.
• Pair stronger students with SEND learners to model tasks and encourage peer support.
• Offer 'quiet zones' or sensory breaks if the outdoor environment is overwhelming.
• Provide sentence cards or voice recorders for those with writing difficulties.

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WOW Factor

• Introduce a classroom “Geography Detective” role for one student each lesson to use a tablet or camera to capture features, encouraging tech use and responsibility.
• Use augmented reality (AR) apps (if school devices allow) to overlay local maps with physical/human features during the plenary, creating engaging visualisations.
• Create a multilingual glossary poster including students’ home languages to foster inclusion and respect for diversity.

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This lesson plan combines hands-on field experience, personalised scaffolding, and use of innovative techniques to meet the National Curriculum requirements and inspire SEND students across a wide age range.