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      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can identify and locate forests globally using atlases.

      Key learning points

      1. There are more than 60,000 species of tree across the world and forests cover about a third of its land mass.
      2. Boreal, temperate and tropical are simple categorisations of the world’s forest biomes.
      3. Deciduous trees lose their leaves in autumn and evergreen trees keep their leaves all the year around.

      Keywords

      • Biome - A biome is a large region of the world with places that have similar climates, vegetation and animals that have adapted to living there

      • Deciduous - Deciduous trees and shrubs lose all their leaves in autumn and winter and grow new leaves in spring

      • Climate zone - Climate zones are areas that have similar weather conditions and climate, e.g. the tropics

      • Evergreen - Evergreen trees and shrubs keep their leaves all year round

      • Vegetation belt - Vegetation belts are large areas in biomes that have similar plants

      Common misconception

      Children may not understand the concept of migration.

      Explain that some animals move from one region or habitat to another according to the seasons.

      Teacher tip

      Task B could be extended by asking the children to add illustrations or field sketches of what each forest would look like. Google Streetview could also be used to demonstrate the type of trees at each location.

      Equipment

      Atlases or devices to access digital mapping.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), 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.
      Infrastructure is all the basic systems in a country, such as...

      Correct answer: transport
      mountains
      Correct answer: power supply

      Q2.
      Woodland has been cut down through history to make way for...

      Correct answer: farming
      Correct answer: settlements
      biodiversity
      Correct answer: transport links

      Q3.
      Without the influence of humans the UK would mainly be...

      roads and buildings
      agricultural land
      Correct answer: woodland and forest

      Q4.
      UK woodland cover is other European countries.

      much higher than in
      about the same as in
      Correct answer: much lower than in

      Q5.
      What happened to woodland cover in the UK during Roman times?

      Correct answer: woodland cover was reduced even more
      Correct answer: woodlands became more managed to supply timber needed for Roman settlements
      woodland cover was increased

      Q6.
      What happened to woodland in the UK after the end of the First World War?

      there was an excess of timber
      Correct answer: there was a shortage of timber
      many new native tree species were planted
      Correct answer: many new non-native tree species were planted

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      trees and shrubs lose all their leaves in autumn and winter and grow new leaves in spring.

      Correct answer: Deciduous
      Older
      Evergreen

      Q2.
      A is a large region of the world with places that have similar climates, vegetation and animals that have adapted to living there.

      Correct Answer: biome

      Q3.
      Which of these trees are deciduous?

      Correct answer: aak
      Correct answer: beech
      pine
      fir
      Correct answer: ash

      Q4.
      Which forest biome is this a description of: "The climate is warm and wet. Temperatures are high throughout the year and there is no winter."

      boreal
      temperate deciduous
      Correct answer: tropical

      Q5.
      The determines which trees and plants are able to grow in particular locations.

      Correct Answer: climate

      Q6.
      Trees that grow in a climate with long, cold winters and short cool summers can be found in vegetation belts.

      Correct answer: boreal forest
      temperate forest
      tropical rainforest

      To help you plan your 5 geography lesson on: Global trees and forests, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...