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      Mapping places to visit in our local area

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      You can describe and show with maps where you usually go in your local area.

      Key learning points

      1. The 'local area' can mean different things to different people.
      2. Maps can be used to plot and show your typical range and places visited in a week, and how you feel about them.
      3. A typical local range will probably include your school, your house, the local shops and play areas.

      Keywords

      • Area - An area is a particular portion of the Earth's surface and it can be as small as a park or as large as an ocean.

      • Local - Local means an area which the people who live there are familiar with, and encounter in their everyday lives.

      • Range - Range means the distance and extent an individual may travel in their everyday lives.

      • Symbol - A symbol is used to show an important landmark, place, feature or area of a map, diagram or drawing.

      Common misconception

      Pupils think the local area is either one particular place or has a particular size.

      Share examples of where we go, and think about this in the context of everyday lives in urban and rural areas, using different examples.

      Teacher tip

      Sharing personal, everyday experiences is a powerful way to bring learning to life and supports abstract thinking.

      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 of these are physical features? Choose two answers.

      mosque
      town
      church
      Correct answer: hill
      Correct answer: beach

      Q2.
      What do we use to find out what symbols on a map mean?

      Correct Answer: a map key, a key

      Q3.
      Match the feature with an activity

      Correct Answer:shop,shopping

      shopping

      Correct Answer:play park,play

      play

      Correct Answer:school,learn

      learn

      Correct Answer:woods,walk and play

      walk and play

      Correct Answer:swimming pool,swim

      swim

      Correct Answer:beach,build sandcastles

      build sandcastles

      Q4.
      What kind of feature is the local take-away shop?

      Correct Answer: a human feature

      Q5.
      Can you order these from smallest to largest?

      1 - street
      2 - town
      3 - country

      Q6.
      What direction is opposite south?

      Correct Answer: north

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      What does local mean?

      Correct answer: the area where someone lives that they know well
      just my street
      my village or town
      where the shops are

      Q2.
      The size of one person's local area can be different to another person's - true or false?

      Correct Answer: True

      Q3.
      Which of these places do you expect most of your classmates to visit in a typical school week? Order from most to least.

      1 - school
      2 - local park
      3 - your friend's house

      Q4.
      Why might geographers want to know where people go in the local area?

      Correct answer: to think about routes, travel and local development
      for fun
      to plan a holiday in another country

      Q5.
      Our local area is part of the UK. What are the different countries that make up the UK? Choose four answers.

      Correct answer: England
      Correct answer: Northern Ireland
      Correct answer: Scotland
      Correct answer: Wales
      Ireland

      Q6.
      Which countries make up the island of Great Britain?

      Correct Answer: England, Scotland and Wales

      To help you plan your 2 geography lesson on: Mapping places to visit in our local area, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...