History · Year 1 · Our School and Local Area · Summer Term

The Changing Landscape of Our Area

Using old maps and photographs to observe how the physical landscape of the local area has transformed.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: History - Local history
• KS1: History - Changes within living memory

About This Topic

The Changing Landscape of Our Area guides Year 1 pupils to compare old maps and photographs with current local views, spotting shifts in buildings, roads, fields, and natural features. Children answer key questions such as 'What looks different from old pictures?' and 'What was here before that is gone now?', building skills in observation and simple historical comparison. This fits KS1 History standards on local history and changes within living memory, using the Summer Term unit on Our School and Local Area to root learning in familiar places.

Pupils sequence basic changes, like 'farmland became houses', and predict future landscapes through discussion. They practice descriptive language for evidence, such as 'more cars now' or 'trees grew taller', while developing spatial awareness from maps. These steps introduce time as non-static, linking personal stories from family to wider changes.

Active learning excels with this topic because children handle real photographs and trace maps themselves. Pairing images with site visits or collaborative timelines turns passive viewing into discovery, helping pupils internalise change over time and boosting confidence in sharing ideas.

Key Questions

1. What do you notice about how our local area looks different from old pictures?
2. How has the land in our area changed , what was there before that is not there now?
3. What do you think our local area might look like in the future?

Learning Objectives

• Compare historical maps and photographs to identify specific changes in the local landscape.
• Classify features that have disappeared or appeared in the local area over time.
• Explain how the local landscape has transformed using evidence from visual sources.
• Predict potential future changes to the local area based on observed historical trends.

Before You Start

Identifying Common Objects and Places

Why: Students need to be able to recognize familiar objects and places in their immediate environment before they can compare them to historical representations.

Basic Sequencing of Events

Why: Understanding that things happen in order helps students grasp the concept of change over time, even if it's just 'before' and 'after'.

Key Vocabulary

Landscape	The visible features of an area of land, including its physical forms, like hills and rivers, and human-made elements, such as buildings and roads.
Photograph	A picture taken with a camera, which can show us what places looked like in the past.
Map	A drawing or plan of an area that shows features like roads, buildings, and rivers, helping us understand how a place is laid out.
Feature	A distinctive attribute or aspect of something, such as a building, a park, or a river, that makes it recognizable.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Our local area has always looked exactly the same.

What to Teach Instead

Young pupils often see their surroundings as fixed; side-by-side photo comparisons in pairs provide clear visual evidence of change. Discussing 'before and after' helps them adjust ideas, with group sharing reinforcing the evidence.

Common Misconception

All landscape changes happen very quickly, like overnight.

What to Teach Instead

Children may think transformations are instant; sequencing photos on timelines during small group work shows gradual shifts over years. Talking about family memories ties evidence to real time spans, clarifying pace through active manipulation.

Common Misconception

We can predict the future landscape perfectly.

What to Teach Instead

Pupils might believe future looks identical to now; collaborative drawing activities reveal uncertainty based on patterns. Whole class voting on predictions encourages reasoning from evidence, building tentative thinking skills.

Active Learning Ideas

Photo Hunt Pairs: Then and Now

Pair pupils with laminated old and new photos of local sites like the school or park. They circle differences with dry-erase markers and note one change each. Pairs share one finding with the class, building a shared list on the board.

30 min·Pairs

Map Trace Small Groups: Spot the Changes

Give groups old maps with transparent overlays. Pupils trace current features like roads or buildings, then compare to identify losses or gains in green spaces. Groups present one key change with reasons why it happened.

45 min·Small Groups

Future Map Whole Class: Predict and Draw

After comparisons, model drawing a future map on the board. Pupils add ideas like new playgrounds, then draw their own versions to display. Class votes on most likely changes and discusses.

40 min·Whole Class

Local Walk Individual: Photo Match

Each child gets a photo of a nearby site. On a short supervised walk, they match it to the real place and sketch one change observed. Back in class, share sketches in a circle.

50 min·Individual

Real-World Connections

• Local historians and archivists use old maps and photographs to document the history of towns and cities, helping communities understand their heritage. They might work for local museums or councils, preserving records for future generations.
• Urban planners and architects study historical changes in an area to inform decisions about new developments. They consider how past changes, like the growth of suburbs or the building of new roads, have shaped the environment and how future designs can best serve the community.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

Provide each student with a simple worksheet. Ask them to draw one thing they see in their local area now that they did not see in an old photograph shown in class. Then, ask them to write one sentence about what used to be there instead.

Discussion Prompt

Show two images of the same local street, one from 50 years ago and one from today. Ask students: 'What is the biggest difference you notice between these two pictures?' and 'Why do you think this change happened?' Record their ideas on a chart.

Quick Check

During a walk around the school grounds or a familiar local park, ask students to point to one feature that they think is new and one feature that they think has been there for a long time. Ask them to explain their reasoning.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where to source old maps and photos for Year 1 local history?

Contact local libraries, museums, or historical societies for free scans of old Ordnance Survey maps and photos; many have online archives like Britain from Above. Ask parents for family albums of school or street views from 20-50 years ago. Schools often hold archived images; laminate for reuse to keep costs low and handling safe.

What skills do Year 1 pupils gain from studying local landscape changes?

Pupils build observation by spotting differences in images, simple chronology through sequencing changes, and prediction via future sketches. They use precise vocabulary like 'demolished' or 'expanded', gain spatial skills from maps, and practice evidence-based talk, all foundational for KS1 History progression.

How can active learning help Year 1 pupils understand landscape changes?

Active approaches like tracing maps in groups or matching photos on local walks make changes visible and personal, countering assumptions of permanence. Children manipulate artifacts, discuss findings peer-to-peer, and create predictions, which deepen retention and spark questions. This hands-on method suits Year 1 attention spans, turning abstract time into concrete experiences over 30-45 minute sessions.

How to assess understanding of local area changes in Year 1?

Observe during pair talks for use of comparison language, check annotated maps for accurate differences noted, and review future drawings for reasoned predictions. Use simple exit tickets like 'One change I saw' or class timelines co-built. Share pupil comments in parent newsletters to celebrate progress and extend home links.