Investigating Our Local Area

Lesson Overview

Subject: Geography
Year Group: Year 6
Lesson Duration: 50 minutes
National Curriculum Link:

• Key Stage 2 Geography – Human and Physical Geography
  Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region of the United Kingdom.
• Geographical Skills and Fieldwork
  Use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in the local area using a range of methods, including sketch maps, plans and graphs, and digital technologies.

Learning Objective

To develop an enquiry question related to a local issue.

Success Criteria

• I can explore changes and issues occurring in my local area.
• I can determine my initial understanding of a local issue.
• I can identify what I want to find out about a local issue.

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Lesson Structure

Starter Activity (10 minutes) – What Do We Know?

1. Engage pupils: Display a collection of recent photos/newspaper clippings about changes in their local area (e.g. new housing developments, roadworks, green spaces under threat, local businesses closing or opening).
2. Think-Pair-Share: Ask pupils: “What do you notice? What changes do you see happening? Why might they be happening?”
3. Class Discussion: Capture responses on a whiteboard under two categories – Human Geography (man-made changes) and Physical Geography (changes to the natural environment).

Main Activity (25 minutes) – Developing Our Enquiry Question

Step 1: Identifying a Local Issue (10 minutes)

• Introduce the idea that geographers investigate real-world issues by asking big questions.
• Provide pupils with a list of possible local issues (e.g., traffic congestion, pollution, loss of green space, effects of tourism, lack of recycling, impact of new housing).
• In small groups, pupils choose an issue that interests them most.

Step 2: Understanding What We Know (5 minutes)

• Each group creates a KWL Chart (Know / Want to Know / Learned) focusing on their chosen issue.
• In the “K” column, they list what they already know about the issue.
• In the “W” column, they brainstorm what they want to find out.

Step 3: Creating an Enquiry Question (10 minutes)

• Explain that geographers use enquiry questions to guide their research.
• Provide examples of strong enquiry questions:
  • “How is new development affecting traffic in our area?”
  • “What impact do litter levels have on wildlife in our local park?”
  • “Why are independent shops closing in our town?”
• Groups work together to frame their own enquiry question based on their local issue.
• Each group writes their final question on a large piece of paper and sticks it on the classroom wall.

Plenary (15 minutes) – Peer Reflection and Next Steps

1. Gallery Walk – Pupils walk around the room, reading each group's enquiry question.
2. Group Share – As a class, discuss the enquiry questions. Are they clear and specific? Can they be investigated with research and fieldwork?
3. Class Vote – Each pupil votes for the enquiry question they find most interesting.
4. Reflection (Exit Ticket) – Each pupil writes one thing they are excited to find out during this geography unit.

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Differentiation and Support

• Scaffolding: Provide sentence starters for enquiry questions if needed.
• Challenge: More able pupils refine their enquiry question to be more open-ended or consider multiple perspectives.
• Support: Offer additional prompts and simplified resources for pupils who need extra guidance.

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Resources and Materials

• Photographs/articles of recent local developments
• Large sheets of paper & markers
• KWL Chart templates
• Voting stickers for plenary activity

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Assessment for Learning (AfL)

• Observations during group discussions.
• Quality and clarity of final enquiry questions.
• Exit ticket reflections to gauge pupil engagement and understanding.

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Next Lesson Preview

• Investigating sources of information (maps, news articles, local surveys) to explore answers to the enquiry question.

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Teacher’s Note

By allowing pupils to choose their own local issue and frame their own enquiry question, this lesson fosters curiosity and ownership of learning. It also lays a strong foundation for geographical skills such as data collection and analysis in future lessons.