Study Hub

Study Guides

This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.

Back to Study HubBrowse Year 1 Geography Guides

Year 1 - Geography

Mapping our journey to school

Local area: where do we live?

Unit Summary

This unit investigates the area around school and home by identifying local features, exploring buildings, using simple maps, collecting data on how we travel to school, and describing familiar routes using basic geographical vocabulary.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to make a map of your journey to school showing the buildings and places you pass on the route.

Key Notes

  • Geographers make maps to show journeys, e.g. their route to school.
  • Map-makers use symbols and colours to show information and sometimes maps need a key.
  • The routes most walked or travelled may show the same buildings and landmarks.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • route: A route shows the starting point and end point of a journey, sometimes with stops in between.
  • symbols: A symbol is used to show an important landmark, place, feature or area of a map, diagram or drawing.
  • detail: A detail is a particular piece of information about something.
  • large-scale map: A large-scale map shows a small area on a map in a great amount of detail.
  • street map: A street map is a map of an area showing the locations and names of all the roads and some buildings.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • All symbols on the map key are universal.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this geography topic using two clear key points.

Geographers make maps to show journeys, e.g. their route to school. Map-makers use symbols and colours to show information and sometimes maps need a key.

2. Define this geography term and use it in an example. 'route'

A route shows the starting point and end point of a journey, sometimes with stops in between.

3. Correct this common geography misunderstanding.

Mistake: All symbols on the map key are universal. Correction: Some map keys use different symbols for different places. It's important to check the key to make sure you know each symbol means on that particular map as it might mean something different to what you are used to.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 1 Geography guide library.