English National Curriculum - Geography

1. Why are our oceans important?

Mission Objectives

Name and locate the 5 oceans of the world

Describe the key features of an ocean

Explain why oceans are vital for life on Earth

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Rocket Words Quiz

Rocket Words Quiz

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Assessment Quiz

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Find all the rocket words in the grid

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Keywords

Words and meanings to learn

current

the movement of the ocean or sea from one location to another

ocean

a large expanse of saltwater

global conveyor belt

a constantly moving system (current) in the ocean driven by temperature and salt

sea

a small body of saltwater where the land and ocean meet

marine life

all the plants and animals that live in the ocean, from tiny plankton to massive whales

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Katie Barrie


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Clare Faulkner

Clare is an experienced primary teacher with extensive experience across the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. She has a strong background in curriculum design and development, contributing to programmes across EYFS, Key Stage 1, and Key Stage 2, ensuring they are engaging, inclusive, and pedagogically effective.

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Matthew Willsher

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Emma Wilding

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Through her curriculum leadership, Emma has supported schools in preparing for successful Ofsted inspections, ensuring that subjects are well structured and effectively implemented. She is dedicated to designing learning experiences that spark curiosity and help pupils make meaningful connections between the past, the present, and the wider world.

Required Resources

Resources: Pens and pencils, coloured paper for publishing poems

Starter Handout: A world map is provided for pupils to label the seven continents and five oceans.

Teacher tool: Picture cards for the physical task of showing ocean currents are provided.

Support Handout (1): A list of key vocabulary from the lesson to use within the poem is provided.

Core Handout (2): A scaffold for the pupils to write their OCEANS acrostic poems is provided.

Challenge Handout (4): An image of the global ocean conveyor belt is provided, along with space for pupils to explain what the conveyor belt is and how it is vital for oceanic life and beyond. Pupils can use the support handout to help with vocabulary if needed. 

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