The landscape of the Lake District
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can identify some of the processes that have caused this landscape of mountains and lakes.
Key learning points
- Rocks in the Lake District reveal changes over millions of years
- Mountains, valleys and lakes here have been created by colliding continents, and forces of folding and uplift
- The rocks were shaped by ice sheets and the actions of glaciers
- High rainfall, and deep glacial valleys, means much water can be stored, volcanic rock stops water draining away
Keywords
Erosion - Erosion is the process of Earth’s surface, e.g. rock or soil, being worn away and transported from its original site
Tarn - A tarn is a mountain lake or pool.
Volcanic ash - Volcanic ash is made of small pieces of cooled lava and rock thrown into the air when a volcano erupts
Lava - Lava is molten rock that has broken through Earth’s surface. When it is still below the surface it is known as magma
Tectonic plates - The huge pieces that Earth’s crust is broken into are known as tectonic plates
Common misconception
Children may think the mountains of the Lake District are volcanoes.
The volcanoes which produces the lava and ash that fell onto the Lake District were not the mountains themselves. Volcanic rock formed as a result of nearby volcanic activity.
Teacher tip
If children have no prior knowledge of tectonic plates you may wish to spend some time introducing this concept to them. It is also worth pointing out that when these processes occurred countries were not in their current position. In fact the Lake District was once located south of the equator!
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Put these National Parks in order from north to south.
Q2.Which of these are lakes in the Lake District?
Q3.Which of these is a settlement, which is a lake and which is a mountain in the Lake District?
mountain
settlement
lake
Q4.What do National Parks aim to do for the natural environment? Unscramble the letters to find the answer.
Q5.Match the term to the correct definition.
a large area of water surrounded by land
a natural raised part of Earth’s surface that is higher than a hill
a part of a country or the world
Q6.The Lake District National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. What does this mean?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of these processes created the mountain landscape in the Lake District?
Q2.What do geologists study?
Q3.How did the movement of tectonic plates create the mountains in the Lake District?
Q4.How did glaciers change the Lake District?
Q5.What created the lakes in the Lake District?
Q6.What type of lakes are created by glaciers. Unscramble the letters to help find the answer.
To help you plan your 4 geography lesson on: The landscape of the Lake District, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 4 geography lesson on: The landscape of the Lake District, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 geography lessons from the UK region: why is the Lake District a national park? unit, dive into the full primary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.