Author: Amanda McGarrigle

Geography—Term 4
Charles Darwin—The voyage of the Beagle -
The Galapagos Islands

Background Information
Pupils should extend their knowledge and understanding beyond the local area to include the United Kingdom and Europe, North and South America. This will include the location and characteristics of a range of the world’s most significant human and physical features.
They should develop their use of geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to enhance their locational and place knowledge.
The HMS Beagle set sail on her voyage in 1831. The Beagle’s voyage lasted for 5 years. Darwin travelled to South America and reached the Galapagos islands., where he made new discoveries.

In this unit the children will…
Use maps, atlases and globes to locate the world’s countries, focusing on Europe, concentrating on the key physical characteristics, such as the geography of the Galapagos Islands
Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region of the UK, a region in Europe and within North or South America
Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography

By the end of this unit….
All children will:
develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both terrestrial and marine – including their defining physical and human characteristics and how these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes
understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world
Be competent in the geographical skills needed to:
collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes
interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.
Some children will:
understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time

The children will explore:
Using maps, atlases and globes to locate the Galapagos Islands. Equador, South America
Where is Down House, the former home of Charles Darwin?
The voyage of the HMS Beagle
The climate of Galapagos Islands
The physical features of Galapagos Islands

Key Vocabulary
Physical geographical features, human geographical features, climate, habitats
The Galapagos Islands—Equador, south America
Plymouth, Cape Town