Geography · Year 4

Active learning ideas

Inside Our Planet

Take your pupils on an incredible journey to the centre of the Earth! These activities help to peel back the layers of our planet, revealing the hot, dynamic world that exists right beneath our feet.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• The National Curriculum in England: Geography programmes of study: Key Stage 2 - describe and understand key aspects of physical geography, including: volcanoes and earthquakes

• 30–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Maker Learning
• 45 min · Individual

Play-Dough Planet

Pupils use different colours of play-dough to create a cross-section model of the Earth. They build the planet from the inside out, starting with a small ball for the inner core and adding subsequent layers for the outer core, mantle, and crust.

Explain the role of each of the Earth's four main layers.

Facilitation Tip

Provide a guide showing the relative thickness of each layer to help pupils make their models more accurate.

What to look for

Pupils complete a 'label the layers' diagram of the Earth. This can be done individually or in pairs to check for understanding of the names and order of the layers.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Maker Learning
• 30 min · Pairs

Hard-Boiled Earth

Use a hard-boiled egg as an analogy for the Earth's structure. The shell represents the thin crust, the egg white is the mantle, and the yolk represents the core. Pupils can carefully crack the shell to simulate tectonic plates.

Compare the characteristics of the Earth's crust and mantle.

Facilitation Tip

Ensure you have enough eggs for each pair and discuss the limitations of the model, for example, the yolk is one part, not two.

What to look for

Pupils create a short non-chronological report or a poster about the Earth's layers, including at least one key fact for each layer.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Maker Learning
• 50 min · Individual

Earth's Layers Foldable

Pupils create a foldable paper craft that opens to reveal the four layers of the Earth. On each flap, they can write the name of the layer and a key fact about its composition or state of matter.

Identify the state of matter of the inner and outer core.

Facilitation Tip

Pre-crease the paper for pupils who may struggle with folding to ensure they can focus on the geographical content.

What to look for

Pupils use a 'two stars and a wish' format to review their own model of the Earth, identifying two things they did well and one thing they could improve.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with simple, relatable analogies like a peach or a hard-boiled egg to introduce the concept of a layered planet. Use hands-on modelling activities to help pupils grasp the abstract ideas of scale and composition. Throughout the lessons, consistently use the key vocabulary to build familiarity and reinforce learning.

After engaging with this topic, pupils will be able to confidently name the Earth's four layers and describe their key features, such as whether they are solid or liquid.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• The Earth's crust is very thick.

  The crust is the thinnest of all the Earth's layers. It is more like the skin of an apple in comparison to the rest of the fruit.

• The mantle is a sea of liquid lava.

  The mantle is mostly solid rock, but it is so hot it can flow very slowly, like treacle. The lava we see from volcanoes comes from small pockets of melted rock in the upper mantle.

• The Earth is hollow inside.

  The Earth is completely filled with layers of rock and metal. These layers get denser and hotter the closer you get to the centre.

• The core is just one single part.

  The core is made of two distinct parts: a liquid outer core made of molten iron and nickel, and a solid inner core made of the same metals, which is solid due to immense pressure.

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Methods used in this brief

• Maker Learning