Geographical Skills and Fieldwork

KS1

GE-KS1-D004

Using world maps, atlases and globes; using compass directions (North, South, East and West) and locational and directional language; using aerial photographs and plan perspectives; carrying out simple fieldwork.

National Curriculum context

Geographical skills are the methods and tools geographers use to collect, present and analyse spatial information. At KS1, pupils learn to use the fundamental tools of geographical enquiry: maps, atlases and globes as representations of the world; compass directions as a system for describing spatial relationships; aerial photographs and plan perspectives as ways of seeing the world from above. These tools are complementary: maps represent the world symbolically, photographs show it visually, and compass directions provide a shared language for describing location and movement. Fieldwork at KS1 brings geographical skills into the local environment, giving pupils direct experience of observing, recording and questioning the world around them, establishing the enquiry habits that are central to geographical study.

1

Concepts

1

Clusters

0

Prerequisites

1

With difficulty levels

AI Direct: 1

Lesson Clusters

1

Use maps, atlases and globes to locate and describe places

practice Curated

Single concept domain; map, atlas and globe literacy is the core geographical skill at KS1 — pupils learn to use these tools to find and communicate information about places studied in the other domains.

1 concepts Evidence and Argument
Maps, Atlases and Globes

Teaching Suggestions (1)

Study units and activities that deliver concepts in this domain.

Our Local Area

Geography Study Place Study
Pedagogical rationale

The local area study is the starting point for geographical enquiry at KS1, grounding abstract concepts in direct experience. Pupils observe, describe, and map the human and physical features of their immediate environment, building the observational and descriptive vocabulary that underpins all subsequent geography. The school determines which local area to study, making this universally relevant.

Enquiry: What is our local area like? Place: School Locality Contrast: UK Locality vs Non-European Locality
Maps, Atlases and Globes
Changes Within Living Memory Drawing from Observation

Concepts (1)

Maps, Atlases and Globes

skill AI Direct

GE-KS1-C005

Maps, atlases and globes are the primary tools geographers use to represent and communicate spatial information. A map is a flat, symbolic representation of a part of the Earth's surface; an atlas is a collection of maps in book form; a globe is a three-dimensional spherical representation. Each has different advantages: globes accurately show the relative sizes of continents and the shape of the Earth, while maps are more portable and convenient for showing detailed information. At KS1, pupils learn to use and interpret each type of representation, developing their ability to extract locational information.

Teaching guidance

Make atlases, maps and a globe available as regular classroom resources. Teach pupils how to use a contents page and index in an atlas. Practice using compass directions on maps. Teach pupils to recognise and construct simple map symbols and keys. Use aerial photographs alongside maps to connect the plan view to the real environment. Progressively increase the complexity of maps pupils use: from picture maps to simple symbol maps to more conventional representations.

Vocabulary: map, atlas, globe, symbol, key, compass, north, south, east, west, direction, scale, aerial, plan view, represent, location, grid, legend
Common misconceptions

Pupils may not understand that maps are simplified representations that omit detail. Comparing a photograph with a map of the same area makes the process of abstraction visible. The convention of north at the top of a map is not universal; explaining why it is conventional helps pupils understand maps as human constructions. Some pupils may struggle to interpret the top-down (plan) perspective of maps; relating it to the aerial photographs they see helps bridge this.

Difficulty levels

Entry

Using a simple map or plan to identify features, understanding that a map represents a real place from above.

Example task

This is a map of our classroom. Can you find the door, the teacher's desk and the reading corner on the map?

Model response: The door is here, the teacher's desk is at the front, and the reading corner is in this corner.

Developing

Using a simple key to read a map and using basic compass directions (north, south, east, west) to describe where things are.

Example task

Look at this map of the school grounds. Use the key to find the playground. Is it north or south of the school building?

Model response: The playground is the green area with this symbol. Looking at the compass, the playground is south of the school building.

Expected

Using maps, atlases and globes to locate places and features, constructing simple maps with a key, title and compass directions.

Example task

Draw a map of the route from our classroom to the school hall. Include a key with symbols, a title and a compass arrow.

Model response: My map shows the corridor from our classroom past the office to the hall. I used a rectangle for doors, a triangle for the stairs, and coloured the hall blue. The title is 'Route to the School Hall' and north is at the top.

Delivery rationale

Geography map/spatial skill — digital mapping tools and interactive exercises are highly effective.