Geography · Year 2 · Our Local Area: Fieldwork and Maps · Summer Term

Mapping Our School Grounds

Creating a simple map of the school grounds, identifying key human and physical features.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: Geography - Geographical Skills and Fieldwork

About This Topic

Mapping our school grounds gives Year 2 children hands-on experience with basic cartography. They observe and draw simple maps of the school area, labelling human features such as playgrounds, paths, and buildings alongside physical features like trees, grass, and hills. This directly supports KS1 Geographical Skills and Fieldwork standards by building skills in observation, recording, and using positional language like near, far, left, and right.

In the Our Local Area unit, children compare their maps with peers, noting similarities and differences in representation. This process highlights how maps use symbols and keys to simplify complex spaces, fostering spatial awareness and geographical vocabulary. It also encourages questions about the local environment, linking human modifications to natural elements.

Active learning benefits this topic greatly. Fieldwork walks let children gather real data through senses and discussion, while collaborative map-making refines accuracy and builds confidence. These approaches make mapping memorable and relevant, as children see their own school transformed into a symbolic plan.

Key Questions

1. Can you draw a simple map of the school and label the main areas?
2. What are the human features made by people in your school grounds?
3. How is your map the same as or different from your friend's map?

Learning Objectives

• Create a simple map of the school grounds, accurately representing at least three key physical features and three key human features.
• Identify and label at least five human features and three physical features present on the school grounds using appropriate map symbols.
• Compare their own map of the school grounds with a peer's map, articulating two similarities and two differences in their representations.
• Use positional language, such as 'next to', 'behind', and 'in front of', to describe the location of features on their school map.

Before You Start

Exploring Our Classroom

Why: Students need prior experience in observing and describing a familiar space before mapping a larger area like the school grounds.

Basic Shapes and Drawing

Why: The ability to recognize and draw simple shapes is fundamental for creating map symbols and representing features.

Key Vocabulary

Map	A drawing of an area, such as a room or a school, showing where things are. Maps use symbols to represent real places.
Symbol	A small picture or shape used on a map to represent something else, like a tree, a building, or a path.
Key	A part of a map that explains what each symbol means. It helps you understand the map.
Physical features	Natural parts of the landscape, like trees, grass, or hills. These are things that were not made by people.
Human features	Things that have been built or made by people, such as buildings, paths, playgrounds, or fences.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Maps are photographs from above.

What to Teach Instead

Maps use symbols and simplified shapes, not detailed images. Fieldwork observation helps children select key features, while peer reviews during map-sharing reveal how everyone prioritises differently, building understanding of representation.

Common Misconception

Only buildings count as human features.

What to Teach Instead

Human features include paths, benches, and goalposts made or changed by people. Group hunts distinguish these from natural physical features like soil or plants, clarifying categories through hands-on labelling.

Common Misconception

Every map must face the same way.

What to Teach Instead

Maps show orientation based on the drawer, often with a north arrow. Comparing rotated partner maps in pairs shows multiple valid views, aided by physical reorientation activities.

Active Learning Ideas

Fieldwork Walk: Feature Hunt

Organise a class walk around the school grounds. Children use clipboards to sketch quick outlines and note five human and five physical features. Back indoors, they draw full maps with a key.

40 min·Whole Class

Pairs: Symbol Matching Game

Provide photos of school features and symbol cards. Pairs match symbols to photos, then add them to their personal maps. Discuss why simple shapes represent real objects.

25 min·Pairs

Small Groups: Large Map Mural

Groups contribute drawn sections of the school grounds to a large shared map on mural paper. They negotiate placements and add a class key. Present to the whole class.

50 min·Small Groups

Individual: Map Comparison

Children draw their map, then swap with a partner to spot differences. They add missing features and explain choices verbally.

20 min·Individual

Real-World Connections

• Urban planners use maps to design new neighborhoods, deciding where to place parks (physical features) and roads or houses (human features) to create functional communities.
• Cartographers, map makers, create detailed maps for navigation, tourism, and emergency services. They must decide which features are important to include and how to represent them clearly using symbols and keys.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

As students draw their maps, circulate and ask: 'Can you point to a physical feature on your map and tell me what it is?' and 'Show me a human feature you have drawn and explain its symbol.'

Peer Assessment

Have students swap maps with a partner. Ask them to find one thing they like about their partner's map and one thing that could be clearer. They should write this feedback on a sticky note and attach it to the map.

Exit Ticket

Provide students with a small card. Ask them to draw one symbol for a feature in the school grounds and write its name and what it represents in the key.

Frequently Asked Questions

What human and physical features should Year 2 children identify on school maps?

Human features include playgrounds, paths, buildings, and bike racks created or altered by people. Physical features cover trees, grass, flower beds, and slopes shaped by nature. Guide observations with checklists during walks, prompting children to classify and label, which reinforces vocabulary and observation skills across 10-15 common items.

How do you introduce map keys in Year 2?

Start with familiar symbols like a tree for greenery or square for buildings. Children invent their own keys after fieldwork sketches, then standardise in groups. This builds from personal creativity to shared conventions, with examples from simple atlases to show real-world use.

How does active learning help with mapping skills?

Active approaches like guided walks and collaborative map-building engage children physically and socially. They observe directly, discuss features with peers, and iterate drafts, turning passive drawing into exploratory problem-solving. This boosts retention, as evidenced by improved accuracy in comparisons, and makes geography feel immediate and purposeful.

How to assess Year 2 school grounds maps?

Check for labelled human/physical features, basic orientation, and a key. Use success criteria co-created with children, like including five of each feature type. Peer feedback sessions reveal understanding, while photos of maps track progress over the unit.