National Curriculum links

Locational knowledge: name, locate and identify characteristics of the four countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom and its surrounding seas. Geographical skills and fieldwork: use world maps, atlases and globes to identify the United Kingdom and its countries. Geographical skills and fieldwork: use simple compass directions (North, South, East and West) and locational and directional language to describe the location of features and routes on a map.

Key Stage 1 Geography programme of study, National Curriculum in England (Department for Education).

Learning objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will be able to:

  • name and locate the four countries of the United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland;
  • name the capital city of each country: London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast;
  • name the seas that surround the UK, including the North Sea, the Irish Sea, the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean;
  • use the compass directions North, South, East and West to describe where one country is in relation to another.

Lesson outline

Starter

Display a map of the United Kingdom. Ask pupils what they already know. Can anyone name a country? Establish that the UK is made up of four countries and introduce them one at a time, locating each on the map.

Main activity

Working from a map, pupils locate each country and match it to its capital city. Use this site's country pages to confirm and explore each one: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Introduce the surrounding seas and label them together. Then model directional language: "Scotland is to the North of England", "Wales is to the West of England". Pupils complete a blank outline map of the UK, labelling the four countries, the four capital cities and the surrounding seas, using a word bank.

Plenary

Play a quick direction game. Ask questions such as "Which country is to the West of England?" (Wales) or "Which capital city is furthest North?" (Edinburgh). Pupils point to the answer on the class map and explain using a compass direction.

Differentiation

Support and challenge

  • Support: provide a partly labelled map and a word bank of country, capital and sea names. Focus on North, South, East and West only.
  • Challenge: locate one additional city in each country beyond the capital, and begin to use the diagonal directions North-East, North-West, South-East and South-West, building towards the Key Stage 2 eight-point compass.

Key vocabulary

country, capital city, sea, ocean, border, map, compass, North, South, East, West.

Assessment: key questions

  • Can pupils name and locate all four countries of the UK and their capital cities?
  • Can pupils name at least two of the surrounding seas?
  • Can pupils use a compass direction to describe where one place is in relation to another?

Tools and links for this lesson