In Geography, Year Two have been learning all about the world’s continents, oceans and climate zones. They have used atlases to identify where these are in the world as well as countries close to the equator and the North and South Poles.
To begin, the children learned that there are seven continents in the world and that the UK is part of Europe. They also remembered that Uganda is a country in Africa, drawing on their knowledge from the spring term. The children used an atlas to identify each continent and then labelled it on their own map of the world. Next, the children found out about the five oceans. They were intrigued to learn about the Atlantic Ocean in particular. Although it is half the size of the Pacific Ocean, it is home to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge – the longest underwater mountain range in the world. Again, the children used an atlas to identify the oceans and the continents they are close to, before labelling them on a map.
After that, the children learned about climate – the long term weather pattern in an area. They identified the equator in an atlas and used this to determine which areas of the world are hot and which are cold. Did you know, countries closest to the equator are hot and those furthest away are cold? The children used coloured strips of paper to demonstrate which parts of the world had a hot, warm or cold climate. They realised that the UK has a warm climate because it sits in between the equator and the North Pole. This is why we have a mix of hot and cold weather.
Once the children were able to identify the climate zones, they used an atlas to locate specific countries. They had to work out whether the country had a hot climate or a cold climate based on its proximity to the equator / North Pole. Finally, the boys and girls pretended they were going on a trip, visiting Scotland, Uganda and Antarctica. Using a map, they identified which climate zone each country was in and discussed what they would pack in their suitcase that would be suitable for the climate. Unsurprisingly, the children chose wellies and umbrellas for Scotland, sunglasses and shorts for Uganda and snow boots and woolly hats for Antarctica.
