Topic: What are the types of land surface?

Supplementary material for use in lessons in the group of natural sciences (nature, biology, chemistry, geography, physics), additional classes, science clubs. It can serve as a resource for expanding knowledge, preparing students for science competitions.

Author: Zyta Sendecka

Target group

Students of the 4th grade of an elementary school and 5th (geography).

Core curriculum

4th grade

II. Orientation in the field. The student:
6) reads the information from the plan and map using the legend

VI. The natural environment of the nearest area. The student:

2) recognizes the main forms of topography in the immediate vicinity of the school and place of residence

5th grade – geography

I. Map of Poland: general, landscape, tourist (printed and digital), map scale, map signs, map content. The student:

1) applies the map legend to read information and the map scale to calculate distances between selected objects;

2) identifies elements of the Polish landscape on the map.

The general aim of education

The students describe the relief and provide characteristics of lowlands, uplands and mountains.

Criteria of success

• you describe the terrain;

• you specify the characteristics of lowlands, uplands and mountains;

• you different upper, medium and high.

Key competences

• communication in the mother tongue; 

• communication in foreign languages;

• mathematical competence and basic competences in science and technology; 

• digital competence; 

• learning to learn; 

Methods / forms of work

Conversation and work with text.

Individual work and work in pairs.

Teaching aids

• abstract;

• interactive or traditional board;

• tablets/computers;

• the contour map of Poland with the main geographical regions signed.

Lesson plan overview (Process)

Introduction

1. The teacher gives the topic and the goals of the lesson in a language understandable for the student, and the criteria of success.

Realization

1. The teacher asks the students to carefully look at the hypsometric map of Poland for three minutes (the teacher displays it from the abstract). Then, the teacher turns off the screen and gives each student the contour map of Poland with the main geographical regions signed, and asks them to reproduce the distribution of colours they saw earlier on the map.

2. The students compare their coloured maps in pairs, the teacher displays the hypsometric map of Poland one more time, and asks the students to display on the board those maps that are similar to the target map.

3. The teacher asks the chosen student to read from the map the names of selected three geographical regions signed on the green part of the map. The teacher writes the names in the column in green colour. Another student reads three lands on the yellow part (the teacher creates another yellow column of names), and the next ones - on the orange and red parts (the third red column of names is made). The last student - reads the lands on the blue part (the fourth column with blue names is made).

4. The teacher asks the students to try to give titles to the columns.

5. The teacher plays a film „Interaktywna mapa hipsometryczna - CKZiU nr 2 Racibórz” (movie found on the Internet) and asks the students to answer the question concerning the meaning of the colours on the map.

6. The teacher turns off the screen again, gives each student the contour map of Poland with the main geographical regions signed, and asks them to apply appropriate colours to it.

7. The teacher asks the students to use the abstract to find an explanation of the term: „hypsometric map”.

8. The teacher asks the students to use the abstract to write in the notebooks the definition of lowlands, uplands and mountains. After completing the task, the teacher displays the graphic from the abstract. The students name the indicated form of relief and compare their definition with the given one.

9. Then, the students do interactive exercises indicated by the teacher. 1 and 3.

Summary

The teacher asks the students to do the selected interactive exercise by themselves.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

What are the types of land surface?

There are maps on which elevation is marked not only by contour lines, but also by colours. When you look at a map like this you will note that some areas are marked with different shades of green. The map will also have some yellow and red areas. Why is that? This is a representation of the lay of the land in different parts of our country and of the elevation above the sea level.

When you ride your bike you will easily notice that the ride gets harder when you go uphill and easier when you go downhill. We already know that certain maps have contour lines connecting points with the same elevation. On a hypsometric map colour is used for an area located between two contours. Hypsometric map’s legend always contains information about the range of elevation denoted by each colour. Based on true altitude and lay of the land three main types of terrain may be distinguished: lowlands, uplands and mountains.

Lowlands are areas of true altitude between 0 and 300 m above the sea level and flat, undulating or hilly terrain. Relative altitude differences in lowlands are hardly ever greater than 60 m. On hypsometric maps different shades of green are used for lowlands. Lowlands vary; they may be flat or hilly.

Uplands are areas that fulfil two conditions:

• their true altitude must be above 300 m above the sea level,

• relative altitude differences are smaller than 300 m. The terrain in uplands is usually more varied than in lowlands – it may be flat, but usually it is undulating or hilly (e.g. Świętokrzyskie Mountains are classified as uplands!) The boundary between lowlands and uplands is blurred, usually the transition between the two is gradual.

Mountains are areas with true altitude above 300 m above the sea level and relative altitude differences above 300 m. Mountains are subdivided into low, medium and tall.

On the hypsometric maps the mountains are marked with orange, red and brown, depending on their height. The hypsometric maps use blue tones to mark water bodies. The darker the color – the deeper the water body.

• The terrain units are distinguished on the basis of their altitude and differences in relative heights.

• Lowlands are areas with an altitude of up to 300 m above sea level.

• Uplands are areas with altitudes above 300 m above sea level. and relative heights not exceeding 300 m.

• Mountains are areas with altitudes above 300 m above sea level and differences in relative heights above 300 m.