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Measuring settlement change
I can use maps to measure and investigate settlement growth over time.
Lesson 2 of 6
New
New
- Year 3
Measuring settlement change
I can use maps to measure and investigate settlement growth over time.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Historical maps can be used to find out the size of our local settlement in the past.
- Maps can be used to find our settlement's current size and measure how much it has changed.
- Geographical knowledge helps to explain why some parts of the locale have grown the most/least.
Keywords
Historical map - Historical maps show what an area was like in the past.
Annotation - An annotation is text or notes added onto a map or image to provide additional information.
Developed - When something has developed it has changed from how it was in the past, usually for the better.
Census - A census is the official collection of data about a whole population.
Common misconception
Children may not understand the time periods discussed in this lesson.
You could make a washing line timeline in the classroom with dates familiar to the children as markers then add the maps to the timeline.
You can use Digimaps to get the children to measure the area of their local settlement using their historical maps and area tools.
Teacher tip
Equipment
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1. are places where groups of people live and work.
are places where groups of people live and work.
schools
offices
Q2.Which of these settlements is a village?
Which of these settlements is a village?
Q3.What is an opinion?
What is an opinion?
a fact that can be proven to be true
a method of collecting data
Q4.The is the total number of individuals living in a specific area or region.
The is the total number of individuals living in a specific area or region.
Q5.Which of these settlement types is the largest?
Which of these settlement types is the largest?
village
town
hamlet
Q6.Starting with the smallest, order the settlements types by size.
Starting with the smallest, order the settlements types by size.
Q2 image 2 Heydon village in Norfolk, John Fielding, 2015, licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What can show us what an area was like in the past?
What can show us what an area was like in the past?
OS maps
satellite images
Q2.What does the letter 'N' stand for on a compass?
What does the letter 'N' stand for on a compass?
narrow
near
Q3.Which direction is missing from the four compass points: north, east, south and ?
Which direction is missing from the four compass points: north, east, south and ?
Q4.What is a census?
What is a census?
a count of the number of houses
an official count of the population at a specific time
Q5.__________ is text or notes added onto a map or image to provide additional information.
__________ is text or notes added onto a map or image to provide additional information.
a survey
a questionnaire
Q6.What do we call an official collection of data about a whole population?
What do we call an official collection of data about a whole population?
Q2 Mind Pixell/Shutterstock.com
