New
New
Villages, towns and cities in the UK
You can locate and identify villages, towns and cities in atlases and on OS maps.
Lesson 2 of 6
New
New
- Year 3
Villages, towns and cities in the UK
You can locate and identify villages, towns and cities in atlases and on OS maps.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Villages, towns and cities have different features.
- Atlas maps of the UK often use different symbols or text size to indicate the size of a settlement.
- Atlas maps can be used to investigate the location and distribution of the UK’s significant cities.
- Any settlement can be located on an OS map, and its features investigated using the key.
Keywords
Atlas map - Atlas maps show the location of places and features at global or national scale.
Symbol - A symbol is used to show an important landmark, place, feature or area of a map, diagram or drawing.
Location - A location is the particular position of something on Earth.
Distribution - Distribution is how something is spread out across a geographic area.
Common misconception
Pupils often read four figure grid references the wrong way round.
Remind pupils that they find the easting first by reading along the corridor, then read the northing by going up the stairs.
Following the completion of task A, this would be a great opportunity for fieldwork. Pupils could use the local area map to plan a route past some of the features they identified then go out and follow it.
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.Which country is not part of the UK?
Which country is not part of the UK?
England
Northern Ireland
Scotland
Q2.The United Kingdom is made up of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and __________?
The United Kingdom is made up of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and __________?
Edinburgh
London
Belfast
Q3.Which of the following settlement types is the smallest?
Which of the following settlement types is the smallest?
city
village
town
Q4.Which of the following settlement types is the largest?
Which of the following settlement types is the largest?
village
town
hamlet
Q5.__________ generally has a population of between 500 and 3000 people and usually has a few services: typically a church, a post office, a school and a pub.
__________ generally has a population of between 500 and 3000 people and usually has a few services: typically a church, a post office, a school and a pub.
a town
a megacity
Q6.__________ has a population in excess of 10,000,000 with a large transport network and has global importance.
__________ has a population in excess of 10,000,000 with a large transport network and has global importance.
a town
a hamlet
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the capital city of Wales?
What is the capital city of Wales?
London
Belfast
Edinburgh
Q2.What is the capital city of England?
What is the capital city of England?
Manchester
Birmingham
Edinburgh
Q3.What is the capital city of Scotland?
What is the capital city of Scotland?
Glasgow
Cardiff
Belfast
Q4.What is the capital city of Northern Ireland?
What is the capital city of Northern Ireland?
Glasgow
Newcastle
Edinburgh
Q5.The vertical lines on an OS maps are called
The vertical lines on an OS maps are called
Q6.The horizontal lines on an OS map are called
The horizontal lines on an OS map are called
