In Year 2, we had an exciting geography lesson exploring the hot and cold areas around the world. We extended our learning further by understanding the link this had with the location of the equator and the North and South Poles.
The Equator
First, we thought back to our previous learning about the equator. We then recapped its location on the globe and world maps. As a class, we understood that although it is red on a map – in real life you can’t see it! On the globe, we used our enquiry skills to ask questions about the areas close to the equator. This helped us to understand that areas closer to the equator are usually hotter because the sun rays are more direct. These areas include places like Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia which are usually warm or even tropical.
Exploring the Poles
We then located the North and South Poles, where the climate is much colder. The children found locations in the North Pole, such as the Arctic, and the South Pole, including Antarctica. We noticed that due to being further away from the equator, these places get much less sunlight therefore are far colder, so cold in fact you can’t live in some regions. We compared these temperatures to what it is like in Bournemouth and some of the children were surprised to know that places can get much colder and greyer that it can in our winters!
Our learning
The children then created their own map of the hot and cold countries. Using a key and coloured pencils, they were successful in representing their learning visually on a map. We all agreed we’d much prefer to visit somewhere warm with lots of sunshine than somewhere freezing cold. Well done Year 2!
