Year 5 Geography

Chapters to explore

Settlement locations can be influenced by water, transport, land, resources and history. Trade connects producers and consumers across places. A resource can have several uses, and decisions about it can benefit some people while creating costs for others.

Try it: Investigate why a settlement developed where it did using map and historical evidence.

A biome is a large region characterised by broad climate and living-community patterns. Habitats exist within biomes. Organisms and people interact with these environments. Avoid treating a whole biome as identical; local conditions vary.

Try it: Compare two biomes using climate, vegetation and human activity, with reliable sources.

Resources include materials, energy and useful environmental conditions. They are unevenly distributed and access depends on technology, infrastructure and decisions. A place can have a resource without everyone benefiting equally. Consider both uses and effects.

Try it: Trace one resource through an illustrated supply route.

A supply chain links stages of producing and delivering goods. Different stages may occur in different places. Transport, labour, resources and demand influence the chain. A price alone does not reveal every social or environmental effect.

Try it: Map a familiar product’s stages using reliable information.

Transport connects people, goods and services. Route choices depend on cost, geography, access and environmental effects. New routes can change settlements. Compare different users’ needs rather than assuming one mode suits every journey.

Try it: Compare two fictional transport options for a journey.

Waves and currents erode, transport and deposit material. Coastlines change over time. Human actions can alter these processes and affect nearby places. Coastal decisions involve trade-offs, so evidence from more than one location and time is useful.

Try it: Describe coastal change from reliable maps or photographs.

Flooding occurs when water covers land that is normally dry. Rainfall, river conditions, surfaces and land use can influence it. Risk management may use several measures, each with limits. Real safety decisions must follow local official guidance.

Try it: Study a published flood-management example with an adult.

A regional study connects physical and human geography. Ask how people use the environment and how conditions affect choices. Include different perspectives and current reliable evidence. Avoid treating people as passive examples of a climate or landscape.

Try it: Plan a regional enquiry with three evidence types.

A fieldwork plan needs a focused question, suitable sampling and a consistent safe method. Decide what to record before collecting. Respect privacy and the place. Explain how location, timing and sample size limit the conclusion.

Try it: Design a safe adult-led enquiry without collecting personal data.

Learning together

Each chapter brings together teaching, an example, practice and a practical discovery. Use the material with discussion and suitable offline activities. Choose a comfortable starting point and revisit explanations as needed.