Suggested Why Comics? KS2 Geography Lesson Plan

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Suggested Why Comics? KS2 Geography Lesson Plan

Why Comics? Key Stage 2 (age 7-11) Geography Lesson Plan: Learning about Colombia

IntroductionLooking to engage your students in contemporary human rights and social issues? Based at SOAS University of London, Why Comics? Education Charity brings contemporary humanitarian and social issues into the classroom (such as racism, conflict, migration, trafficking and climate change) through interactive literary comic books based on real-life testimony.

Our free easy-to-use KS2-5 resources build empathy and enhance learning for 7-18-year-old students and teachers alike, alongside UK national-curriculum relevant lesson plans to support multiple subjects.

Each sample UK National Curriculum based Lesson Plan is provided as a Word.doc – so you can use it as a building block. Please feel free to adjust the content to suit your teaching style and students’ needs, all the content is only suggested.

Our innovative resources help enhance learning to support multiple subjects (such as English, ESOL, Personal, Social, Health and Economic [PSHE] education, Citizenship Studies, Art, Media Studies and Geography). Our support materials are intended to inspire teachers and enhance teaching practices and different ideas.

Why Comics? resources are embedded with a wealth of age-appropriate contextual multimedia (such as news articles, maps, videos, infographics and reports) to educate and inspire pupils across a wide demographic.

Our materials encourage learners to make connections between their own lives and the lives of others throughout the world, promoting critical and reflective thinking on vital global themes. In this way, Why Comics? can help combat racism and intolerance in schools.

Already, over 600 schools in 27 countries have provided detailed feedback on our free interactive educational resources to overwhelmingly positive feedback. From September 2017, our materials will be disseminated to over 25,000 schools worldwide.

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Suggested Why Comics? KS2 Geography Lesson Plan

Please help us by filling out a short anonymous SurveyMonkey questionnaire after you have used our materials for our funders. This helps ensure that our great resources remain free.

Please email info@whycomics.org for more information. Thank you.Why Comics? Charity number - 1172791

Table of Content

sIntroduction.....................................................................................................................2UK National Curriculum KS2 Geography requirements:.....................................3Suggested Why Comics? Geography Lesson Plan.......................................................................4Aims:............................................................................................................................4Learning objectives:.................................................................................................4Lesson plan:.....................................................................................................................4Follow-up Lesson plan Comparative Geography: Colombia and the UK...........................................6Aims:............................................................................................................................6Learning objectives:.................................................................................................6Lesson Plan:.....................................................................................................................6Feedback....................................................................................................................7Future Plans.....................................................................................................................7

Who backs Why Comics? - About PositiveNegatives...............................................................7

UK National Curriculum KS2 Geography requirements:[Source: UK Gov KS2 Geography Subject content and assessment objectives]

Purpose of study

A high-quality geography education should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Teaching should equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world should help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the frameworks and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.

Key stage 2

Pupils should extend their knowledge and understanding beyond the local area to include the United Kingdom and Europe, North and South America. This will include the location and characteristics of a range of the world’s most significant human and physical features. They should develop their use of geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to enhance their locational and place knowledge.

Locational knowledge. Pupils should be taught to:

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Suggested Why Comics? KS2 Geography Lesson Plan

locate the world’s countries, using maps to focus on Europe (including the location of Russia) and North and South America, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, countries, and major cities;

name and locate counties and cities of the United Kingdom, geographical regions and their identifying human and physical characteristics, key topographical features (including hills, mountains, coasts and rivers), and land-use patterns and understand how some of these aspects have changed over time;

identify the position and significance of latitude, longitude, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle, the Prime/Greenwich Meridian and time zones (including day and night).

Place knowledge. Pupils should be taught to:

understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region of the United Kingdom, a region in a European country, and a region within North or South America.

Please note teacher’s notes are in purple.

Suggested Why Comics? Geography Lesson Plan Here is a suggested Geography lesson plan, consisting of two sessions, aimed at encouraging students to extend their knowledge and understanding beyond the local area. Students will look at South America, identifying countries and cities and learning about key physical and human characteristics. Students will also be looking at the subject of missing people, as told through the comic Enrique’s Shadow. Both lessons are 45 mins long, consisting of a reading in class, followed by group discussion and an assigned homework. The class can either read the comic collectively via projector, or at home via the web (www.whycomics.org).

Colombia: Location, Physical and Human Characteristics

Aims: This session will explore the location and physical and human characteristics of Colombia.

• Students will study a map of South America• Students will study a map of Colombia• Students will learn to effectively map a route and understand map scaling• Students will explore the issue of missing people in Calamar in Colombia

Learning objectives: By the end of the session, students will be able to:

• Identify Colombia on a map of South America • Identify Calamar on a map of Colombia • Effectively read a map, effectively map out a route and correctly use scale• Give reason of the issue of missing people in Calamar in Colombia

Lesson plan:1. Read through the comic as a group – Project the story in class and go through the comic panel by

panel. Ask different pupils to read out each page. If there is time, you could explore several of the additional resources in the interactive boxes dispersed throughout the comic. (20 mins)

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Suggested Why Comics? KS2 Geography Lesson Plan

Teacher’s note: As a bridge to the lesson’s main activity, give a short summary and suggest students think about the discussion points included at the end of the chosen comic.

2. Classroom Discussion – Show the class a map of South America and point out Colombia, then point out Guaviare. Provide each student with a map of Guaviare and then ask the class to locate San José and Calamar. Have the students to map a route from San José to Calamar and to work out the distance between them. (20 mins)

Teacher’s Notes:

You may print out this Map of South America. Here is the Route between San José to Calamar. Map skills for 7-9 year olds [Source: 3dgeography.co.uk]

Map skills Give compass directions. Use letter/number co-ordinates to locate features on a map. Use a large-scale map to locate their own position and features outside the classroom. Make a map of a short route, showing features in the order. Identify symbols using a key. Devise suitable symbols for use on a map. Identify significant lines of longitude and latitude and mark them on a map.

Using an atlas Using an atlas, identify the countries and seas that border on to the UK (home country). Use an atlas to locate and name countries and their capital cities. Use an online atlas to print pupils’ journey from home to school.

Aerial photographs Identify features on aerial photographs. Use an atlas to identify key geographical features.

Landscape sketches Draw a sketch of a landscape and label the key geographic features. Use geographic vocabulary to describe the landscape.

The earth’s surface Recognise that the earth’s surface is moving and that it has evolved over a period of millions of

years.

Mark on a map Mark on a map of the local area the location of their school. Identify the UK (home country) on a world map and on a map of Europe (home continent). Mark on a map the location of the major cities / major rivers of the United Kingdom (home

country). Mark on a world map the location of major deserts / rivers / mountain ranges. Recognise on a map of Europe the countries of the EU. Identify, locate and name key features of different countries studied.

Interpreting maps Explain why different locations make popular holiday destinations.

Creating maps to display information

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Suggested Why Comics? KS2 Geography Lesson Plan

Create an illustrated map to show where animals/industry/people live. Create a land-use map by colour shading a map of the local area to indicate residential and

commercial/industrial areas. Create a map to show key imports and exports with the locations of the originating countries. Create an infographic explaining where food has come from and the environmental impact of

that food.

3. Assign the class a homework: Ask the students to draw a map of their route from home to school, reminding them to include scale and a key. (5 mins)

Please help us by filling out a short anonymous SurveyMonkey questionnaire after you have used our materials for our funders. This helps ensure that our great resources remain free.

Please email info@whycomics.org for more information. Thank you.

Follow-up Lesson planComparative Geography: Colombia and the UK

Aims: This session will compare and contrast the physical and human characteristics of Colombia with physical and human characteristics of the United Kingdom.

• Students will learn about the physical and human characteristics of Colombia • Students will learn about the physical and human characteristics of the UK• Students will compare the physical and human characteristics of the UK and Colombia

Learning objectives: By the end of the session, students will be able to:

• Identify the physical and human characteristics of Colombia• Identify the physical and human characteristics of the UK• Analyse and critically discuss how the human and physical characteristics of Colombia are

different, and how they are similar to the UK’s.

Lesson Plan:

1. Summarise the previous lesson: Recap on the comic and what the class discussed. (10 mins)2. Classroom Discussion – Discuss the physical and human characteristics of Colombia. (30 mins)

Teacher’s Note: Physical and human characteristics of Colombia .

3. Assign the class a homework - Ask the class to write down ten ways the physical and human characteristic of Colombia differ from the physical and human characteristics of the UK. (5 mins)

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Suggested Why Comics? KS2 Geography Lesson Plan

FeedbackPlease help us by filling out a short anonymous SurveyMonkey questionnaire for our funders. This will help keep our great resources free. We will be happy to hear about how it works in the classroom, and are keen to receive any comments or feedback.

We are particularly interested if you would like to receive more resources like this. If so please include on the SurveyMonkey questionnaire which topics you would like us to cover (e.g. Divorce, Migration, Racism/Prejudice, Cyber/Bullying, Identity, Memory, Racism, Conflict, Natural Disasters, Human Trafficking/Slavery, Asylum/Refugees, Homelessness, Climate Change, Remittances & Migrant Workers, and Drug Trafficking & Addiction).

We are also interested to have feedback from pupils so if it is possible, please pass on the SurveyMonkey questionnaire link to them as well. Many thanks again, your help is most appreciated.

Future Plans

Over the coming year, we’re intending to expand our bank of database for KS2 (age 7-11) and KS3 (age 11-14) and KS4-5 (age 14-18) and their teachers, and produce national curriculum based accompanying lesson plans for multiple subjects. You can view all our resources on our Teachers Resources page.

We will continue to design and test our resources to ensure that they are made by teachers for teachers.

If you would like any more information or would like to be involved further, please contact info@whycomics.org. Thank you.

With very best wishes,

Dr Benjamin Dix

Director: Why Comics? Education CharitySenior Fellow: SOAS University of London

Web: http://www.whycomics.org/Email: info@whycomics.org Twitter and Instagram: @WhyComicsOrg Facebook: Why Comics? Education Charity

Why Comics? Education Charity is based at the Faber Building, SOAS University of London.Why Comics? Charity number - 1172791

Who backs Why Comics? - About PositiveNegatives

The award-winning non-profit PositiveNegatives produce literary comics, animations and podcasts about contemporary social and human rights issues. We combine ethnographic research with illustration and photography, adapting personal testimonies into art, education and advocacy materials. Since 2012, PositiveNegatives has worked extensively for over four years for an array of international organisations such as United Nations (UN), Overseas Development Institute (ODI), Open Society Foundations (OSF), The Nobel Peace Centre, The Guardian, BBC, and with leading academic institutions such as; Harvard South Asia Centre, SOAS University of London and University of Sussex.

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Suggested Why Comics? KS2 Geography Lesson Plan

Our work endeavours to combine literature, journalism and education. Visual story-telling engages audiences of all ages, backgrounds and levels of literacy. Approaching subjects like conflict and forced migration through the prism of personal narratives emotionally engages general readers and students alike. We have developed comics from research, policy papers and first hand testimonies for organisations such as these and many more. Each comic has reached millions of viewers, and many have been translated into multiple languages reaching diverse international stakeholders.

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