Geographical Skills and Fieldwork

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Enquiry questions

What can we discover about our local area through geographical enquiry?

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Concepts

This study delivers 1 primary concept and 2 secondary concepts.

Primary concept: Ordnance Survey Maps and Grid References (GE-KS2-C005)

Type: Skill | Teaching weight: 2/6

Ordnance Survey (OS) maps are detailed topographic maps of Great Britain produced to standard conventions, using a national grid reference system, contour lines to represent relief, and a comprehensive set of conventional symbols. Four-figure grid references identify a 1km grid square; six-figure grid references identify a 100m square within that. The OS map is the primary tool for geographical fieldwork and navigation in the UK context, and the skills required to use it effectively - reading symbols, using grid references, interpreting contours - are core geographical competencies at KS2.

Teaching guidance: Teach grid references systematically: 'along the corridor and up the stairs' as a mnemonic for reading eastings before northings. Practice with familiar local OS maps before unfamiliar ones. Teach contour interpretation by connecting the map to photographs and the real landscape. Build proficiency progressively: four-figure references before six-figure. Use the OS map symbol key and test recognition of common symbols. Plan routes using OS maps, calculating distances using scale. Combine with fieldwork by using OS maps in the local area. Key vocabulary: Ordnance Survey, grid reference, easting, northing, contour, elevation, symbol, key, scale, relief, topographic, national grid, four-figure, six-figure, spot height Common misconceptions: Pupils consistently confuse the order of grid references, giving northings before eastings. The 'along the corridor and up the stairs' mnemonic helps, but consistent practice is essential. Contour interpretation is challenging; many pupils cannot readily visualise three-dimensional relief from two-dimensional contour lines. Building up from simple cross-sections and physical models helps. Pupils may not understand that the scale bar means different things at different zoom levels.

Differentiation

Model response (Entry): That symbol means a church with a tower.

Model response (Developing): At grid reference 2347 there is a church with a spire. I found it by going along to 23 and then up to 47.

Model response (Expected): The school is at grid reference 234471. The contour lines are close together to the north, showing a steep hill. To the south, the contour lines are spread apart, showing flatter ground near the river. The school is at about 50 metres above sea level.

Model response (Greater Depth): I would follow the footpath that goes around the south side of the hill because the contour lines are more spread out there — a gentler slope. The direct route goes through closely packed contour lines, which means very steep climbing. My route is about 3km, which I estimated by comparing it to the scale bar. The village is in the valley because that's where the river and flat farmland are.

Secondary concept: River Systems and the Water Cycle (GE-KS2-C003)

Type: Knowledge | Teaching weight: 2/6

A river system comprises a river and all its tributaries, flowing through a drainage basin from source to mouth. Rivers shape the landscape through the processes of erosion, transportation and deposition, creating characteristic landforms including valleys, meanders, ox-bow lakes, deltas and floodplains. The water cycle describes the continuous movement of water between ocean, atmosphere, land and rivers through processes of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, run-off and infiltration. At KS2, pupils develop understanding of both river processes and the wider hydrological cycle that sustains freshwater systems.

Differentiation

Secondary concept: Settlement and Economic Geography (GE-KS2-C004)

Type: Knowledge | Teaching weight: 2/6

Settlements are places where people live and work, ranging from small hamlets to megacities. Their location, growth and character are shaped by physical factors (water supply, defensibility, flat land, resources) and human factors (trade routes, industry, government decisions). Economic activity is classified into sectors: primary (extracting raw materials), secondary (manufacturing), tertiary (services) and quaternary (knowledge-based). The distribution of natural resources including food, minerals, energy and water shapes economic activity and trade between places at global scales. At KS2, pupils develop conceptual frameworks for understanding why places are where they are and how economies work.

Differentiation

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Thinking lens: Evidence and Argument (primary)

Key question: What is the evidence, how reliable is it, and what conclusions can it support? Why this lens fits: Interpreting OS map symbols, contours and grid references to describe or navigate a landscape requires treating the map as evidential data and making reasoned spatial arguments about what the landscape must look like based on that evidence. Question stems for KS2:

What evidence supports this claim?

Is this a fact or an opinion? How can you tell?

Is this strong evidence or weak evidence? Why?

Can you structure your argument: claim, evidence, reasoning?

Secondary lens: Scale, Proportion and Quantity — Understanding map scale, contour intervals and six-figure grid references involves proportional reasoning — translating distances and heights from map to reality and back — which is the quantitative core of this cluster's cognitive demand.

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Session structure: Fieldwork

Fieldwork

Learning through direct observation and data collection in the field (or simulated field environment). Includes preparation and planning, systematic data collection using fieldwork techniques, data processing and presentation, analysis of findings, and a conclusion that addresses the enquiry question.

preparation → field_data_collection → processing → analysis → conclusion Assessment: Fieldwork report including methodology, data presentation using appropriate techniques (maps, graphs, tables, photographs), analysis of patterns, and conclusion with evaluation of data reliability. Teacher note: Use the FIELDWORK template: prepare pupils for outdoor data collection with clear instructions and safety guidance. Guide them to use simple equipment such as clipboards, tally charts, thermometers, or maps. Help them organise their data back in the classroom and describe what they found. Encourage pupils to say what their fieldwork results tell them about the place or question. KS2 question stems:

What will we look for and record when we go outside?

How will you keep your data organised?

What did your fieldwork data tell you about this place?

Was there anything that surprised you?

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Study scope

Scale: Local Themes: geographical skills, fieldwork, map skills, data collection and analysis Map types: os map, satellite image, thematic map, aerial photo Data sources: Primary data collected by pupils, Ordnance Survey, Digimap for Schools, Google Earth Fieldwork potential: This is the fieldwork study itself. Pupils conduct geographical enquiry in the local area: environmental quality surveys, traffic counts, land use mapping, river measurements, or microclimate investigations using sketch maps, tally charts, and digital technologies. Assessment guidance: Can pupils use an OS map to locate features using grid references? Can they collect, present, and interpret primary data? Can they draw a conclusion based on their fieldwork evidence?

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Locations

Local Fieldwork Area (United Kingdom, Europe, locality, local)

Development context: HIC Suggested exemplars: School grounds, Local river, Town centre, Nearby coast, Urban transect Key physical features: Determined by fieldwork location Key human features: Determined by fieldwork location

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Why this study matters

Geographical skills and fieldwork are a statutory KS2 requirement that should be embedded across all topic studies, not taught as a standalone unit. However, dedicated skills teaching ensures pupils develop competence with OS maps, grid references, compass directions, and digital mapping tools before applying them in fieldwork contexts.

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Sequencing

Follows: Our Local Area

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Pitfalls to avoid

Teaching map skills in isolation from real geographical contexts — always connect to the places pupils are studying

Treating fieldwork as a single annual event rather than an embedded practice across the year

Focusing only on data collection without teaching pupils to analyse, present, and draw conclusions from their data

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Success criteria

Pupils can:

Use 4-figure and 6-figure grid references to locate features on an OS map

Collect primary data using at least 2 fieldwork techniques

Present data using appropriate methods (tally chart, bar graph, sketch map)

Draw a conclusion supported by evidence from fieldwork data

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Cross-curricular opportunities

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Geographical skills (KS2)

These disciplinary skills should be woven through teaching, not taught in isolation:

Using maps, atlases, globes and digital mapping — Extending atlas and map use to locate countries and describe the features studied across the curriculum, and beginning to use digital and computer mapping tools — including online satellite maps — to access geographical information in a range of formats.

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) — Using GIS software and online digital mapping platforms to view spatial data in layered formats, query and filter data by geographical attributes, and produce analytical outputs that communicate geographical patterns and relationships.

Using aerial photographs and making simple maps — Interpreting aerial photographs and plan-perspective images to recognise landmarks and physical and human features, and translating these observations into a simple hand-drawn map with a basic symbol key.

Fieldwork: data collection and presentation — Conducting fieldwork in the local environment and beyond, collecting primary data through direct observation and measurement, and presenting findings using a range of methods including sketch maps, annotated plans, bar and line graphs, and digital technologies.

Fieldwork in contrasting locations — Planning and carrying out fieldwork in at least two contrasting geographical settings — such as urban and rural, or coastal and inland — collecting and recording primary data systematically and drawing evidence-based geographical conclusions from the results.

Geographical enquiry — Asking geographical questions, selecting appropriate methods to investigate them, gathering primary and secondary information, and organising findings into a structured response that demonstrates geographical thinking.

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Vocabulary word mat

Prior knowledge (retrieval plan)

Pupils should already know the following from earlier units:

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Knowledge organiser

Key terms:

fieldwork

Ordnance Survey

grid reference

compass

scale

sketch map

plan

graph

digital technology

observe

measure

record

present

Core facts (expected standard):

Ordnance Survey Maps and Grid References: Using six-figure grid references to locate features precisely and interpreting contour lines to describe the relief of an area.

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Graph context

Node type: GeoStudy | Study ID: GS-GE-KS2-007 Concept IDs:

GE-KS2-C005: Ordnance Survey Maps and Grid References (primary)

GE-KS2-C003: River Systems and the Water Cycle

GE-KS2-C004: Settlement and Economic Geography

Cypher query:

``cypher

MATCH (ts:GeoStudy {study_id: 'GS-GE-KS2-007'})

-[:DELIVERS_VIA]->(c:Concept)

-[:HAS_DIFFICULTY_LEVEL]->(dl)

RETURN c.name, dl.label, dl.description

``

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Generated from the UK Curriculum Knowledge Graph — zero LLM generation.