This project is studied in the Autumn Term, and although it is not a main Geography project, the children will start by looking at the continent of Africa and what it is like in the present, before learning about it’s past. They will look at the number and size of countries, natural resources, location, population, climate and physical features of Africa. They will locate Africa on maps and atlases and choose individual countries to look at further.

This project is Year 6’s main Geography project. It teaches children about the characteristics and features of polar regions, including the North and South Poles, and includes a detailed exploration of the environmental factors that shape and influence them.

The project starts by introducing the location of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and key lines of latitude and longitude, such as the equator and Prime Meridian. They will look at the similarities and differences of the Arctic circle and Antarctic circle, using satellite imaging to help them.

They will Identify the position of the Polar regions, and explain the significance of latitude, longitude, equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, the Arctic and Antarctic Circles, the Prime (or Greenwich) Meridian and time zones (including day and night). They will be encouraged to explain that at some times of the year, the poles are in near-constant daylight, known as polar day, or Midnight Sun. At other times of the year, the poles are in near-constant darkness, known as polar night.

In this project, the children will be using their growing knowledge of the polar regions to answer the geographical enquiry ‘How are polar oceans different to other oceans on Earth? They will also look at Polar landscapes. Physical features typical of the Arctic and Antarctic regions include glaciers, icebergs, ice caps, ice sheets, ice shelves and sea ice.

This project looks at climate change and the children will be asked questions to promote discussion, such as ‘What is climate change? Do you know any facts about climate change? How do you think climate change affects the polar regions?’

The children will look at the natural resources found in the Arctic circle, such as oil, gas, metals, minerals, fish, wood and freshwater, and they will look at the distribution of these natural resources. The project looks at Indigenous people and how the climate and landscape affect the lives of people in the Arctic. The children will look at how the people have successfully adapted to these conditions and whether their ways of life share any similarities or differences.

This project is studied in the Summer Term, and although it is not a main Geography project, the children will learn about the causes, events and consequences of the first and second world wars. They will learn about the Axis and Allied powers, and they will draw comparisons between the alliances. The children will understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time.