Geography · Year 2

Active learning ideas

Mapping Our School Grounds

Active learning turns abstract map symbols into tangible objects children can touch, move, and label. By walking the school grounds and handling real symbols, students see how cartography simplifies the world around them into clear, usable tools.

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

• 20–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Experiential Learning
• 40 min · Whole Class

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.

Can you draw a simple map of the school and label the main areas?

Facilitation Tip

During the Fieldwork Walk, pause at each feature and ask children to name it aloud before they draw, reinforcing observation and vocabulary.

What to look for

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.'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Experiential Learning
• 25 min · Pairs

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.

What are the human features made by people in your school grounds?

Facilitation Tip

For the Symbol Matching Game, model how to match one symbol at a time and encourage children to verbalise why a symbol fits a feature.

What to look for

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.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Experiential Learning
• 50 min · Small Groups

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.

How is your map the same as or different from your friend's map?

Facilitation Tip

When creating the Large Map Mural, assign each small group one colour for their section to avoid colour overload and confusion.

What to look for

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.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Experiential Learning
• 20 min · Individual

Individual: Map Comparison

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

Can you draw a simple map of the school and label the main areas?

Facilitation Tip

During the Map Comparison task, ask children to rotate their maps physically to see how orientation changes perspective.

What to look for

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.'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should emphasise that maps are tools for solving problems, not perfect pictures. Use frequent opportunities for children to compare their work with others, as this reveals that maps are shaped by purpose and perspective. Avoid rushing to correct errors; instead, use peer discussion to uncover misunderstandings and guide students toward clearer representations.

Children will show they understand by correctly labelling human and physical features, using simple symbols, and explaining how their map represents the school. They will also demonstrate collaboration during group tasks and clear communication when giving feedback on peers' work.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Fieldwork Walk, watch for children drawing detailed pictures of features instead of using simple shapes or symbols.

  Model how to draw a simplified symbol for each feature as you walk, such as a rectangle for a building or a curved line for a path, and ask children to practise these symbols on scrap paper before finalising their maps.

• During the Symbol Matching Game, watch for children assuming only buildings count as human features.

  Include symbols for paths, benches, goalposts, and bins in the matching cards. Ask children to sort the symbols into human and physical piles before matching them to features during the walk.

• During the Large Map Mural, watch for children insisting their map must face the same way as their partner’s map.

  Provide a small arrow cut-out for each group to attach to their section of the mural, showing the direction of north. Ask groups to rotate their sections to see how different orientations still represent the same space.

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Methods used in this brief

• Experiential Learning