Uses the Top Trump format to get children to make cards about Christmas. I tend to encourage a range of secular and religious figures - and a range of categories; present giving powers, ability to fly and relevance in the Christmas story

Uses an OS map of Dorset for students to locate coastal features. After watching the short video, students identify coastal features (to ensure that they know which is which there is a matching activity). Students then glue in the OS map of Lulworth Cove area and match photographs to the map. They can choose one feature and explain how it was formed as an extension. Our school is on the coast so you may need to adapt some activities to wherever you are in the country. Please leave a review.

Introduction to volcanoes and earthquakes - what is the structure of the earth. Uses BBC2's How the Earth was formed and students use worksheet and instructions in presentation to make their own cross section of the earth. A very nice activity, if I do say so myself.

Following lessons on erosion and weathering, and coastal landforms and before an assessment, students wrote scripts about the formation of stacks and stumps. They then used playdoh to make models, which they filmed using start stop animation to make movies. The results were amazing (and their understanding really thorough!).

Uses the case study of Ventnor on the Isle of Wight to develop an understanding of the different methods of hard engineering, with exam question plenary from AQA Geography B.

A sheet that can be copied onto A3 that looks at how tourism has changed and ecotourism.

A set of dominoes for students to have definitions of some key words associated with erosion and weathering on the coast.

Two lessons to encourage students to make comparisons between earthquakes - one in an LEDC and one in an MEDC. Start by with a quiz to identify Nepal, followed with an annotated photograph and DARTs activity. Then using San Francisco 1989 (or choose a different one. I wanted a lot of damage but significantly lower death toll and different effects e.g. fires). Starter - half class answer questions about San Francisco photo and half (including any absentees) look at Nepal. Students then complete an extended answering (using Point, Evidence, Explanation structure) to explain why the effects of earthquakes vary between countries - could use it as an assessment? Please leave a review

I've been trying to develop students skills at writing extended answers that explain, using PEE. To help with the feedback, I've been developing stickers that students can understand and hopefully act upon next time!

I always start units of work with a booklet that says what we're learning about, a space for setting targets, space to review learning, opportunity for an effort level, keywords for the topic. Please feel free to adapt for your own use. I bookend them with two stars and a wish so that exercise books end up with 'chapters', which helps me keep my books organised. Please leave a review.

A nice easy way of children reviewing their learning. Suitable for the end of a lesson or half term. Two versions, one to encourage feedback on how their teacher can help them.

I had so many photos of the seasons I decided to use them. Encourages the children to think about the seasons in the UK and how they change. It's worth getting them to realise that not all countries have 4 distinct seasons. Perhaps a nice homework to get them to find out about seasons in other countries?

Arlington West is a temporary memorial to soldiers fallen in Irag? Contains images, You Tube link and questions

An introduction to Geography for Year 7 - students are introduced to the concept of human and physical geography, using photos around our school (you could substitute your own). Students then divide a page in half and draw examples of human and physical geography. A nice early lesson with a pleasing outcome.

The new orders for Geography state 'communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.' Therefore I have been giving extended questions this year; this is one of them. This followed several lessons on; erosion and weathering, coastal features (including finding on an OS map) and formation of stacks & stumps (including making them out of playdoh to make movies!). Planning sheet and success criteria included.

A powerpoint and card sort to encourage students to think about the source of one key (depending on your opinion of course) Christmas Dinner. Focuses on Henry Hall who was the first commercial cranberry grower in the USA. Suggest you might use with my resource - Where did my Christmas Dinner come from? Please comment as this is an updated version.

The aim of this lesson was for students to see that not all deserts are hot and sandy. Students start by naming deserts that they know, before distributing an information strip with one desert per student. Students then need to complete their table by finding students who have a desert that is a different type to their own. I was pleased with how well it worked. Children then completed a map about where some of these deserts are located (not included)

Keyword dominoes to ensure your students know their keywords.

An introduction for Year 7 (can be used with other year groups) to encourage the students to think about their place in the world. Uses a series of concentric circles for students to make their own personal geography; smallest circle is their house, followed by settlement, county, country, continent and then finally in the largest circle, the world. Produces an excellent outcome, and a useful point of reference for future lessons. Includes; powerpoint lesson to follow Worksheet for student to make their own personal geography. Speeded up video of how to make

This lesson is designed to encourage students to think about where our food comes from and how far it has travelled. Students need food cards which have a photo of food on one side and what it is/where it comes from on the reverse (photocopy food cards sheets back to back and cut up in envelopes) so that they can design their own menu. There is a wide variety of foods with enough choices for all diets and any cards can be omitted for religious reasons. They then map where the food came from and measure the distance travelled to work out the total number of food miles. Results are often very surprising! Resources: Food cards which have a photo of food on one side and what it is/where it comes from on the reverse (photocopy food cards sheets back to back and cut up in envelopes) Royalty free map Presentation for lesson with extension tasks Table to record food miles