Life in Durban

Overview

Duration: 45 minutes
Class size: 14 students (EYFS, Year 1, Year 2)
Unit: Exploring Local and Global Geography (Lesson 5 of 6)
National Curriculum links:

• EYFS: Understanding the world – People, Culture and Communities
• KS1 Geography Programme of Study (Years 1 & 2)
  • Human and physical geography of a small area of the UK and contrasting non-European country (Durban, South Africa)
  • Use of simple fieldwork and observational skills to study the geography of the school and its grounds and the key human and physical features of its surrounding environment.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson:

• EYFS will talk about what they want to know about life in Durban, showing curiosity and engagement with different cultures (ELG – Understanding the World – People, Culture and Communities).
• Year 1 will identify and articulate simple questions about human and physical features of Durban, building on prior knowledge of local geography (NC Geography PoS: Locational Knowledge, Human and Physical Geography).
• Year 2 will formulate more complex questions about social and environmental aspects of Durban, demonstrating understanding of key geographical terms and concepts (NC Geography PoS: Locational Knowledge; Human and Physical Geography; Geographical skills and fieldwork).
• All students will show respect and interest while listening to the guest speaker, practising active listening and effective questioning skills.

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Resources

• Photo slideshow or map images of Durban (human features: buildings, markets, schools; physical features: coastline, hills, beaches)
• Question prompt cards (simple and complex)
• Large world map or globe
• Whiteboard and markers
• Guest speaker (parent from Durban)
• Worksheet templates:
  • EYFS: Picture and sentence starters ("I want to know...")
  • Year 1: Question starter sheets (What is...? Where is...? How...? types)
  • Year 2: Question stems focusing on cause, effect, comparison, and opinion (Why does...? How is... different from...? What would happen if...?)

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

• Engage and recap:

  • Gather the class in a circle. Show the large world map/globe. Locate the school’s local area and then introduce Durban, South Africa, pointing to its location on the map.
  • Recap key human and physical features learned in earlier lessons (Lesson 1-4): What do we know about where we live? What are physical features (hills, rivers)? What are human features (houses, shops)?
  • Use photo slideshow to show examples from Durban, linking images to the feature types.

• Learning link:

  • Explain today’s special activity - a guest speaker who grew up in Durban will join the class to tell us about life there. We will prepare questions to find out more!

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2. Differentiated Question Preparation (15 minutes)

• Organise students in mixed groups by year group or ability.

• EYFS group:

  • Use picture prompt cards (e.g., beach, market, school) with sentence starters “I want to know…”
  • Adult support to help children form simple spoken or pictorial questions/thoughts.
  • Share ideas with the class before the speaker arrives.

• Year 1 group:

  • Provide question starter sheets with simple question formats (What...? Where...? Who...?)
  • Prompt children to write or verbally formulate simple questions about human and physical features or life in Durban.
  • Model examples, e.g., “What is the weather like in Durban?” “Where do children go to school in Durban?”

• Year 2 group:

  • Distribute question stems that promote deeper inquiry (Why does... happen? How is Durban different from our town? What do people do for fun in Durban?)
  • Encourage students to write or practise asking these more complex questions.
  • Challenge: Can they make questions about how climate affects daily life, or compare local features to Durban’s?

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3. Guest Speaker Session (15 minutes)

• Introduce guest speaker warmly. Remind children of respectful listening and behaviour.
• The speaker shares anecdotes about growing up in Durban, touching on physical environment and human life (school, homes, transport, food, weather).
• Children ask their prepared questions in turn (EYFS can voice their curiosities with adult support).
• The teacher facilitates, helping clarify or build on student questions.

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4. Reflection and Consolidation (5 minutes)

• Discuss what the class found interesting or surprising about Durban.
• Record some key points on the whiteboard under headings: Physical features, Human features, Differences, Similarities.
• EYFS children can draw something they remember from the talk or share one fact learned aloud.
• Year 1 and 2 students write or verbally share one new fact or something they found curious.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Formative assessment:
  • Observation during question preparation, noting ability to generate questions appropriate to year group.
  • Listening to questions during guest speaker time to assess engagement and understanding.
• Recording responses:
  • Worksheets from EYFS and KS1 to review thoughts and questions.
  • Teacher notes on spoken contributions and reflections.

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Differentiation and Inclusion

• Provide visual supports and sentence starters for all.
• Adult support for EYFS to scaffold language and understanding.
• Challenge Year 2 students with higher-order questioning to deepen cognitive skills.
• Allow alternate methods of participation (drawing, speaking, writing).
• Encourage peer support within mixed-age groupings.
• Check guest speaker sensitivity to children’s questions, guiding appropriately.

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Curriculum Links Reference

• EYFS Development Matters:
  • Understanding the World: People, Culture and Communities - Children know about similarities and differences between themselves and others including families, communities, and traditions.
• KS1 Geography PoS (2014):
  • Pupils should develop knowledge about the wider world, including contrasting non-European country (Durban, South Africa).
  • Talk about human and physical features of their locality and compare with a contrasting non-European locality.
  • Use basic geographical vocabulary and observational skills to describe features.

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WOW factor Idea

Invite the guest speaker to bring artefacts or photographs from Durban (traditional clothing, foods, or souvenir items) to provide a multisensory experience. Alternatively, use a virtual reality headset or 360-degree video tour (if available) to “visit” Durban visually, bringing the location vividly to life – this can engage all learners, especially EYFS.

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Lesson Summary

This lesson builds on students’ understanding of human and physical geography, develops effective questioning skills matched to ability, and enriches cultural awareness through a real-life connection. It meets curriculum expectations for EYFS and KS1 geography through experiential, inquiry-based learning grounded in respectful listening and communication.