What are the names of and key features of South American countries? - Presentation
Geography Resource Description
The geography curriculum for Key Stage 2 pupils in the United Kingdom includes a comprehensive study of South American countries. The educational focus is on locating these countries using maps and understanding their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, as well as major cities. Students are expected to familiarise themselves with the names of South American countries and explore Brazil's key features, including both human and physical aspects. They are also encouraged to learn about the variety of fruits and natural resources that are abundant in South American nations and to comprehend the term 'street children', which refers to homeless children who live and beg on the streets.
Year 5 students delve into the main features of South America, including the fertile lowlands known as the pampas, the cultural heritage of the Incas from Peru, and the biodiversity represented by creatures like the anaconda snake. The world's longest continental mountain range, the Andes, is also a significant geographical feature of the continent. Students are guided to use tools such as Google Earth to locate countries and places of interest, understand time zones, and learn about the varying climates across the continent and their impact on people's lives. The curriculum is designed to build on prior knowledge, such as recognisable cultural references from footballers to the Argentine Tango, and to develop geographical skills through activities like creating freehand maps with annotations and using graphs to record climate data.