Geography · Year 6 · Local Studies: Our Place in the World · Summer Term

Historical Land Use Change

Students will research how land use in their local area has changed over time using historical maps and photographs.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS2: Geography - Geographical Skills and Fieldwork
• KS2: Geography - Land Use

About This Topic

Historical land use change invites Year 6 students to explore transformations in their local area, from farmland to housing estates or factories to parks, using historical Ordnance Survey maps, aerial photographs, and oral histories. They identify patterns such as urban expansion or rural decline and analyse key drivers like industrial revolution, post-war housing booms, or modern green belt policies. This work aligns with KS2 geographical skills and fieldwork, emphasising place knowledge and human-environment interactions.

Students compare past and present land uses through overlays and timelines, then predict future changes based on local development plans and trends like sustainable transport. These activities foster skills in evidence interpretation, spatial analysis, and forward-thinking, essential for understanding sustainability and community planning.

Active learning shines here because students handle authentic artefacts during fieldwork walks or collaborative map-matching tasks. Local relevance sparks curiosity, while group discussions on predictions encourage evidence-based arguments and empathy for past communities. Hands-on methods make abstract changes concrete, boosting retention and critical thinking.

Key Questions

1. Explain the key factors that have driven land use change in our local area.
2. Compare historical land use patterns with current ones.
3. Predict future land use changes based on current trends and local plans.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze historical maps and photographs to identify specific changes in land use within their local area.
• Compare and contrast historical land use patterns with current ones, citing evidence from maps and images.
• Explain the key human and physical factors that have driven observed land use changes in their locality.
• Predict potential future land use changes in their local area based on current trends and local development plans.

Before You Start

Reading and Interpreting Maps

Why: Students need to be able to understand map keys, symbols, and scale to effectively use historical maps.

Local Human Geography

Why: Familiarity with different types of human settlements and activities (housing, industry, agriculture) is necessary to identify land use.

Key Vocabulary

Land Use	The way land is used by humans, such as for housing, agriculture, industry, or recreation.
Urbanization	The process of towns and cities growing larger as more people move from rural areas to live and work in them.
Rural Decline	The process where rural areas lose population, businesses, and services, often leading to changes in land use like farm consolidation or derelict buildings.
Green Belt	An area of undeveloped land around a city or town that is protected to prevent urban sprawl and preserve natural landscapes.
Historical Map	A map created in the past that shows geographical features and human settlements as they existed at that time.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Land use changes only because of population growth.

What to Teach Instead

Multiple factors like economic shifts, policy decisions, and technology drive changes. Group map analysis helps students spot evidence for varied causes, such as factory closures from globalisation. Peer teaching reinforces comprehensive understanding.

Common Misconception

All historical land uses were better than today.

What to Teach Instead

Past uses had benefits and drawbacks, like intensive farming causing soil loss. Fieldwork comparisons reveal trade-offs, and debates encourage balanced views. Active sharing of photos builds nuanced perspectives.

Common Misconception

Land use changes happen too slowly to predict.

What to Teach Instead

Trends like urban sprawl accelerate with planning. Timeline activities show patterns over decades, while prediction tasks use data to forecast, helping students see change as dynamic and manageable.

Active Learning Ideas

Stations Rotation: Map Timeline Stations

Prepare stations with historical maps from different eras, modern Google Earth overlays, and photo pairs. Students rotate in groups, annotating changes on templates, noting drivers like road building. Conclude with a class timeline share-out.

45 min·Small Groups

Fieldwork Walk: Layered Local History

Lead a school-ground or nearby walk with printed historical maps. Pairs use clipboards to photograph current features, overlay past uses mentally, and record changes. Back in class, compile into a digital story map.

60 min·Pairs

Prediction Debate: Future Land Use Scenarios

Provide local council plans; small groups create posters arguing for or against changes like new housing. Present to whole class, voting on most convincing evidence-based prediction.

50 min·Small Groups

Individual Research: Family Land Stories

Students interview family or locals about past land uses, sketch changes, and add to class display. Share findings in a gallery walk.

30 min·Individual

Real-World Connections

• Local council planning departments, such as the one in Manchester, use historical land use data and current maps to inform decisions about where new housing, businesses, or green spaces can be developed.
• Urban planners and historical geographers use these types of analyses to understand the long-term impact of decisions like the post-war expansion of suburbs or the decline of industrial areas in cities like Birmingham.
• Community groups and heritage societies often research historical land use to advocate for the preservation of local landmarks or to understand the evolution of their neighborhood's character.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

Provide students with a small section of a historical map and a current map of the same area. Ask them to write down two specific land use changes they observe and one reason why that change might have occurred.

Discussion Prompt

Pose the question: 'If you were a planner for our town in 50 years, what is one land use change you would try to encourage and why, based on what we've learned about past changes?' Facilitate a brief class discussion where students share their ideas and justifications.

Quick Check

During map comparison activities, circulate and ask students to point to an example of a specific land use (e.g., a former factory, a new housing estate) on both the historical and current maps. Ask: 'What was this area used for before, and what is it used for now?'

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I source historical maps for local land use studies?

Use free resources like Ordnance Survey historic maps via National Library of Scotland or Francis Frith photo archives. Local libraries or council websites offer parish maps and aerial photos from 1940s onwards. Digitise selections for overlays in Google Earth to make comparisons accessible for all students.

How does active learning enhance historical land use change lessons?

Active approaches like map stations and fieldwork walks engage students kinesthetically with real evidence, turning passive reading into discovery. Collaborative predictions build argumentation skills as groups defend ideas with data. Local ties increase motivation, leading to deeper retention of geographical skills and empathy for community evolution, far beyond textbook summaries.

How to differentiate for varying abilities in land use research?

Provide scaffolded map keys for lower ability groups, while challenging others with primary sources like council minutes. Pair stronger readers with visual learners for interviews. Use success criteria checklists to guide all, ensuring inclusive participation and personalised extension through digital timelines.

How to link land use change to other curriculum areas?

Connect to history via industrial revolution impacts, maths through area calculations of changed zones, and PSHE with debates on sustainable futures. Science ties in via habitat loss effects on ecosystems. Cross-curricular projects like writing persuasive letters to planners reinforce literacy while embedding geographical enquiry.