Classroom ideas – Primary

Here are 8 lesson plans covering different elements of the curriculum for students aged 7-11. We hope that these will stimulate ideas that you can adapt, expand and apply to other curriculum topics. The full lesson plans are available to download in both pdf and word formats. See the descriptions below for a summary of what is covered for each topic.

Animal habitats (Download lesson plan)

Students are introduced to the types of habitats found across the world and use Google Earth and Maps to look at different examples, such as the Sahara desert or the Brazilian rainforest. Students get into teams and each choose a different habitat to research (e.g. grasslands, mountains, lakes). They can use Google Search, Images, Maps and Earth to put together a presentation about their habitat.

The second task looks at animals and their adaptations for certain environments. Students use Google Search and Images to find animals that are well adapted to living in their habitat and find out about the adaptations that enable them to be successful there. They could add information to placemarks in Google Maps, showing where the habitat is, a picture of the animal and a brief description of the adaptations.

Finally, they can use special layers in Google Maps or Earth, such as the WWF Conservation Projects Layer, to find out about conservation projects around the world.

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Settlements (Download lesson plan)

Students learn about who settled in Britain and where, and why the villages and towns that we live in today are located where they are. They use Google Search to find out the meanings of common place name endings (e.g. -ton, -by) and then plot examples of these place names on Google Maps or Earth. They are asked to try and identify any trends e.g. are settlements of Viking origin located in a particular part of the country?

They then go on to think about what features made certain locations attractive to settlers. Students use Google Earth to look at the features of different villages and list the reasons why a settlement grew up in that location.

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Climate Change (Download lesson plan)

Students research information about climate change and its causes using Google Search and and learn how to discriminate between results from different sources. They consider the different viewpoints that they have found on the topic and create a simple presentation using the information they have researched.

Students are then introduced to the concept of carbon footprint and use the Google Carbon Footprint Project tools to calculate their personal footprint, consider the actions they can take to reduce it and share their results on the map. Using these tools and activities, pupils gain a greater understanding of the issues surrounding climate change and can see how their own energy use compares to that of others.

The final activity uses layers in Google Earth (such as the United Nations Environment Programme layer) to study the effects of climate change. www.google.co.uk/carbonfootprint/schools.html

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Visual arts (Download lesson plan)

Students create an "illustrated dictionary" of the visual arts. They use Google Search and Images to find pictures and images of different branches (e.g. sculpture, painting, textiles) and use these to create a dictionary that explains each type of art and gives images of examples.

They then research famous artists to find out which countries they came from and add them to a Google Map with information and pictures of their work to build up a visual representation of artists across the world.

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Exploring your area (Download lesson plan)

This activity allows students to investigate their local area. They learn where they are in the world and identify and describe a range of physical and human features of their locality.

Using Google Maps, they try to find their school and then use the map to answer a number of questions about their area. Can they find their route to school? What other landmarks can they identify on the map e.g. railway lines, parks, rivers? Using satellite view in Maps or Google Earth they see if they can identify certain features that they see everyday - shops, houses, farm land. They consider what the area can tell them about the people that live there e.g. if there's farmland around or if it's in the middle of a city. What difference would this make to people’s lives?

They then create their own map of their local area, highlighting geographical features such as rivers, hills or forests plus other places of interest such as tourist attractions. Using Google Search and Images they add information and images to the map. This can be done using Google My Maps.

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Development (Download lesson plan)

This lesson helps students to consider the changes that can happen in an area and the impact that these changes can have both on the environment and the people that live there. It uses an example of a proposed wind farm development and allows pupils to debate the pros and cons of it.

Students work in teams using Google Search and Earth to find out information on the village where the development is planned (such as how many people live there, the layout of the village, what the surrounding area is like). This will help them to get a visual perspective on the planned location of the wind farm to better understand the local issues involved. Using the ruler in Google Earth they can work out where they think is the best place to locate the wind turbines in relation to the village.

They then investigate the impact that proposed development projects can have on local communities and the environment. They research what impact a large proposed development (real or imagined) would have on their own local area and create a presentation that is either for or against the development. They can use Google Search to find some of the reasons why people object to developments and some reasons why they can benefit people and use Google Earth or Maps to visualise the pros and cons of where this development is planned to be.

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The Romans in Britain (Download lesson plan)

This activity helps students to learn about the effects of the invasion and settlement of the Romans on Britain. They begin by researching key facts about the Romans using Google Search and learn key research skills such as how to discriminate between different websites.

The second task uses Google Earth to show students which places were part of the Roman Empire and where they are located. They create a tour in Google Earth of locations such as Rome, Hadrian's Wall and Pont du Gard, adding photos of each to placemarks.

Students then go on to focus on the Romans in Britain. They find information about life in Roman Britain from a range of sources and use these to create a map of Britain that shows the major Roman settlements. They add information and photos of the settlements and artefacts that have been found there.

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Chocolate and fair trade (Download lesson plan)

This lesson helps students to understand the production, transport and consumption of food around the world, using chocolate as an example. Students start by finding out about cocoa, what it looks like and where it's farmed. They find pictures of cocoa beans using Google Images and then use Google Search to find out how chocolate is made from cocoa beans. They research the countries that produce cocoa and plot the information on a Google My Map.

They are introduced to the idea of Fairtrade and how this can benefit farmers and the environment. Using the Fair Trade Certified Global Awareness layer in Google Earth, they can read information about many different Fairtrade cooperatives; from cocoa farmers in Ghana and the Ivory Coast, to coffee farmers in South America and tea farmers in India.

The second activity introduces pupils to the idea of food miles. They use Google Search to find a definition of food miles, how the transport of foods can affect the environment and also learn how far food has to travel to the UK using the line tool in Google Maps.

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