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Year 6 - Geography

Mapping the coast

Coasts: what happens where the land meets the sea?

Unit Summary

This unit explores how coastal landscapes form and change. Pupils learn about erosion, habitats and human activity at the coast, and investigate how coastal environments are used, protected and managed in the face of ongoing change.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to use maps and other sources to recognise, locate and describe a range of coastal features in the UK.

Key Notes

  • Maps can help us identify different human and physical features of coasts.
  • The UK has a lot of coastlines as it includes one large island, part of another, and thousands of smaller islands.
  • The UK coastline has a great diversity of features. This means that the land can be used in many different ways.
  • Almost all of the UK coastlines can be walked.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • human features: A human feature is something that humans have made or built.
  • physical features: A physical feature is natural and has not been formed or made by humans.
  • land use: Land use is the function or purpose of a particular area.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Pupils may think that cliffs and headlands are the same thing or that all cliffs are headlands.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

Maps can help us identify different human and physical features of coasts. The UK has a lot of coastlines as it includes one large island, part of another, and thousands of smaller islands.

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

A human feature is something that humans have made or built.

3. Correct this common geography misunderstanding.

Mistake: Pupils may think that cliffs and headlands are the same thing or that all cliffs are headlands. Correction: A headland is surrounded on three sides by water. Headlands can consist of cliffs, but cliffs can be found on coastlines that are not headlands. So it is true to say that not all cliffs are headlands, therefore cliffs and headlands are not the same.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 6 Geography guide library.