Investigating features of the River Thames on maps and satellite photos

This lesson is part of Investigating Rivers, a unit designed for upper KS2 (Y4-6).

The presentation takes students on a journey from the source to the mouth of the River Thames. Starting at Thames Head, the source of the River Thames, students investigate maps and satellite photos and try to identify river features along the way. Other locations include Windsor Castle, the Isle of Dogs in London and the mouth of the river at Southend-on-Sea.

The writing-based activity challenges students to first label each map/satellite photo and then write a paragraph describing the location and river features they can see. It is differentiated two ways:

Easier – Students have maps/satellite photos and cloze procedure paragraphs to complete.
Harder – Students have maps/satellite photos, a wordbank and write their own paragraphs.

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