Towns and Cities Nearby

Overview

This 35-minute lesson enables Year 2 students to explore towns and cities near Skelmersdale in North West England. The lesson follows the National Curriculum for England (Geography) and focuses on developing locational knowledge and understanding of human and physical features in local contexts.

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National Curriculum Links

Key Stage 1 Geography - Locational Knowledge and Geographical Skills and Fieldwork

• NC Objective:
  Name, locate and identify characteristics of the four countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom and its surrounding seas.
  Use world maps, atlases and globes to identify the United Kingdom and its countries, as well as key topographical features.
• NC Objective:
  Use basic geographical vocabulary to refer to key physical and human features.
• NC Objective:
  Use aerial photographs and plan perspectives to recognise landmarks and basic human and physical features.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will be able to:

• Locate Skelmersdale on a map and identify at least three nearby towns and cities.
• Use simple geographical vocabulary to describe key features of these places (e.g., town, city, buildings, parks, rivers).
• Understand differences and similarities between towns and cities in North West England.
• Use aerial photographs and maps to identify landmarks around Skelmersdale.

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Resources

• Large map of North West England (printed or projected) including Skelmersdale, nearby towns, and cities (e.g., Wigan, Ormskirk, Liverpool).
• Printed aerial photographs and images of Skelmersdale and nearby places.
• Individual map worksheets with town and city names labelled and blank spaces for pupils to draw or write.
• Magnetic or paper town/city name labels for interactive map activity.
• Whiteboard and markers.
• Mini-whiteboards for pupil responses.

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Lesson Timeline

Introduction (5 minutes)

• Gather children around a large map of North West England.
• Point to Skelmersdale, asking if anyone knows where it is or has visited.
• Explain today's focus: exploring Skelmersdale and the nearby towns and cities.
• Briefly introduce the idea that places can be towns or cities and have different features (e.g., lots of buildings, parks, rivers).

Activity 1: Mapping Nearby Places (10 minutes)

• Hand out individual map worksheets with towns and cities labelled nearby (Wigan, Ormskirk, Liverpool, Preston).
• Using the magnetic/paper labels, invite pupils to come to the big map and place each town/city label in the right position near Skelmersdale.
• Discuss each place briefly:
  • Is it a town or city?
  • What landmarks or features might we see there? (Example: Liverpool is a big city with a famous waterfront.)
• Pupils annotate their worksheets with a simple drawing or a word describing something they learned about each place.

Activity 2: Spotting Features (12 minutes)

• Show aerial photographs of Skelmersdale and one or two nearby towns/cities (e.g., Wigan, Liverpool).
• In pairs, ask pupils to spot and name features they see—buildings, parks, roads, rivers.
• On mini-whiteboards, pupils write or draw one physical feature and one human feature they noticed in Skelmersdale and a nearby town/city.
• Invite a few pupils to share their observations aloud.
• Teacher models writing: "Skelmersdale has many trees (physical). Liverpool has tall buildings (human)."

Plenary: Comparing Places (6 minutes)

• On the large map, revisit Skelmersdale and one other nearby town/city (e.g., Ormskirk).
• Facilitate a brief discussion:
  • Which place is bigger?
  • What is similar about these places?
  • What is different?
• Use a simple Venn diagram on the board to record similarities and differences with class input.
• Reinforce geographical vocabulary: town, city, feature, human, physical.

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Assessment

• Observe participation during map labelling and photograph discussions for understanding of locations and features.
• Review pupils’ annotated maps and mini-whiteboard responses for use of correct place names and feature vocabulary.
• Use plenary Venn diagram contributions to assess ability to compare places.

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Differentiation

• Support: Provide labelled worksheets with pictures for less confident pupils, and allow paired work for map activities.
• Challenge: Ask more able pupils to explain why certain features might be found in towns versus cities or to predict what types of businesses might be in a town compared to a city.

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Extension Ideas (if time or for further lessons)

• Create a simple physical model or collage of Skelmersdale and one nearby town, focusing on key landmarks.
• Use simple compass directions (N, E, S, W) to describe locations of towns relative to Skelmersdale.
• Write a short sentence about their favourite town or city and why.

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This lesson makes local geography tangible and exciting for Year 2 children, embedding key curriculum objectives with engaging, hands-on activities focused on Skelmersdale and its geographical context.