Oh, we do like to be beside the seaside! As an island nation, Britain has a wealth of diverse coastal landscapes to study. From gently undulating sand dunes to the stark cliffs of Dover, the physical geography of Britain is as ever-changing as our island’s weather. This plan also allows for a little local study as part of your coasts geography topic.  

In this unit, we will learn:

• the names and locations of coastal features
• how erosion shapes our coasts
• how these forces of erosion have impacted humanity, or how humanity has attempted to tame them

KS2 geography curriculum

Under the heading of ‘locational knowledge’, the KS2 geography curriculum states that we should teach pupils to:

• name and locate counties and cities of the United Kingdom, geographical regions and their identifying human and physical characteristics, key topographical features (including hills, mountains, coasts and rivers), and land-use patterns; and understand how some of these aspects have changed over time.

Use this medium-term coasts geography plan to engage your pupils with this aspect of physical geography, and learn a bit more about your local area while you’re at it!

Matthew Lane is a primary teacher from Norfolk. Follow him on Twitter @MrMJLane and see more of his work at theteachinglane.co.uk

Similar resources

• Tectonic plates KS2 – Volcano, earthquake & tsunami planning
• Welsh in Patagonia – Write reports about this cultural link
• Glacier 3D model – Printable paper Icelandic glacier resource
• Christmas traditions around the world – Free schools PowerPoint
• Voytek the bear – WW2 animal hero story and KS2 resource pack