Mental Maps

We've been thinking about the way we view or perceive our local area in Year 6. One of the things we looked at was how to assess our local area and we used this site (thanks to geoblogs) to get us warmed up. The site is part of a mapping project by "My Society" but more on that another time. We looked at views like the one below and gave it a score out of 10 for how "scenic" it was. It raised lots of questions such as "what is scenic" and "what makes one view an 8 and another view a 9". I was delighted that my desktop background of Whitby Abbey scored a 10! This all leads us to the question of how we rate our local area and why some of us give it such a high score and others such a low one, we will be exploring this further.

Grid Coordinates

If you are still confused by 6 figure grid coordinates then you can improve your skills by having a go at some of these. For the full background and details of how grid coordinates work go to the OS site for a full tutorial.

Maps Year 6

Our exploration of maps is now well underway. Remember that as spies you must not reveal your secret identity to anyone. You may also be expected to travel the world and know where you are going. Why not brush up on your map skills and have a little fun along the way with this country location game and work out your traveller IQ! Just click on the link and scroll down the page or select one of the other challenges on offer.

The first Eco club tree is planted.

For those who followed the disasterous adventures of Mr Notleys tree "Twiggy" and the slightly less dire tales of "Twiggy II" will be pleased to hear that "Twiggy III" is now safely growing in our grounds. Twiggy III - like its predecessors is an Oak tree and was kindly donated by the family of a Year 6 student.

Make your own planet.

Lots of you have asked for the file to make a larger version of the Blue Marble globe from lessons. Click here to open the PDF file ready for printing.

Alternatively try a model of the Ozone layer (click here) , or the continents (click here). If you want a further challenge why not create an origami globe (a good chance to brush up on your paper folding skills if you are in year 9!)

Rivers

In Year 6 you should be looking at finishing your journey of a river project. Remember to look at the upper course of the river with its waterfalls and V shaped valleys, the middle course with its meanders and the lower course with its deltas and estuaries. Don't forget to include the impact of people with farming, trade and transport, water supply and towns all areas to mention. Include diagrams, photos and other evidence. You can recap on the journey of a river here and a list of useful sites can be found here.

Geography Photos update

Thanks for the early returns of geography photographs to add to our online collection with flickr. The quality is great but we need more please. Remember if you have been somewhere interesting or seen something geographical e-mail it into school with a short message explaining where, when and what it is!!