Lesson video

Hello, welcome to today's lesson.

This is a geography lesson, and my name is Ms. Roberts.

I'll be your teacher today.

Together, we are going to learn about London as a capital city.

We are going to explore what happens in a capital city, and you are going to get to see some of London's most famous landmarks today.

I'm very excited to get started.

Are you? Let's go.

By the end of the lesson today, you will be able to explain what is special about a capital city, and you will be able to locate, name, and describe some of London's most significant landmarks.

First, I'm going to share with you some key words that we will be using in this lesson.

Soon, you'll be able to use these words yourself to talk about London.

The first key word for today is parliament.

Can you say parliament? Good job.

Parliament is the group of people who make laws for the country we live in.

The next key word for today is government.

Can you say government? Well done.

That can be a little tricky, that one, can't it? The government is the group of people who are in charge of running the country.

Government is part of parliament.

Our third key word today is a verb, and this verb is commute.

Can you say commute? Lovely.

Well done.

To commute is when you travel quite a long distance between your home and where you work, so this isn't the same as walking down the road or taking a short, 10-minute journey.

This is actually quite a significant journey that you take every day.

The last key word for today, you have already heard, this is landmark.

Can you say landmark? Well done.

Landmarks are features in the landscape that have a particular meaning attached to them.

For example, you can use landmarks to help give directions.

Great, well done for listening to all that information.

Let's make a start now on the lesson.

There will be two parts to this lesson today.

In the first part of the lesson, we are going to investigate the question what happens in a capital city? In the second part of the lesson, we will be thinking about significant places in London.

Let's make a start now and investigate what happens in a capital city.

The capital city is the most important city in any country.

It is so important because of the different things that happen there that do not happen in any of the other cities in a country.

London is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom.

London is the place where the government of the United Kingdom is based.

When many politicians meet together in a large group and have discussions, this is called parliament.

The government is a large group of elected people called politicians, and they're the people that make important decisions about life in the United Kingdom.

This is a photograph of the building where the government meets.

Let's find out a little about that building now.

The government headquarters is found on the banks of the River Thames.

It's in a part of London called the city of Westminster.

The building is called the Palace of Westminster.

It is also known as the Houses of Parliament.

This is the building where parliament takes place and important decisions are made.

Take a look at these three photographs, which all show London landmarks.

The landmark in picture A is called the Palace of Westminster.

The landmark in picture B is called the Shard.

The landmark in picture C is called the Gherkin.

I want to know which of those landmarks is the place where parliament meets.

Have a think now and make your choice.

Are you ready? Which landmark did you choose? The answer is option A, the Palace of Westminster.

The Palace of Westminster is the building where parliament meets, and that is found in the city of Westminster on the banks of the River Thames.

The people that sit in parliament and the people that form the government are called politicians.

They all work in the Palace of Westminster.

Let's find out a little more about them.

Many politicians travel into the city to work every day from their homes that are outside of the city.

This is called commuting.

Do you remember that verb from our keywords earlier? It's not just politicians that commute.

Thousands of people commute into the city of London for work every single day.

Commuting doesn't just happen in London.

It happens in cities all over the United Kingdom.

Do you know anybody who commutes to your local town or city for work? Sophia says that she commutes to school by bus, and people can commute either by bus, by driving, by taking the train, or even by cycling.

Let's find out what else makes a capital city very important.

Millions of tourists enjoy visiting London every year.

They visit because it is the capital city and it has an amazing history.

It has lots of exciting attractions.

It also has lots of events that happen there, such as sports events or going to the theatre or going to big musical concerts.

The attraction in the photograph is called the London Eye.

The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel.

Inside the glass pod that you can see, people are taken very high up, and they get to have an amazing view of all the iconic buildings in the city of London.

Let's have a check on our learning so far.

I'm going to read you two descriptions of two people who are travelling to London.

I want you to decide which person is a tourist and which person is a commuter.

Listen carefully.

The first person is Jo.

Jo can't wait for her trip to the London eye to get a bird's eye view of London and the River Thames.

She's very excited about being so high up.

Our second person is Hal.

Hal leaves home at 7:00 AM to catch a bus and then a train into London to work.

It's a very long journey, but he listens to a funny podcast along the way.

Who do you think is the tourist and who do you think is the commuter? Make your choice now.

Let's see the answers together.

The tourist is Jo.

We know this because she is enjoying a trip to London.

A trip is another word for a holiday or a visit.

The commuter is Hal, and we know this because Hal talks about how he is travelling to work.

Well done.

Let's try another activity now about what happens in a capital city.

I'm going to read two sentences.

You need to decide how certain you are about whether they are correct or incorrect.

You can choose to say that you are sure the sentence is correct, or that you think the sentence is correct.

You may choose to say that you think the sentence is incorrect, or you may be sure that a sentence is incorrect.

Listen carefully to the sentences.

Sentence A says that the government works from the capital city.

Sentence B says that commuting is driving to work from home every day.

Pause the video now while you decide how certain you are about whether the sentences are correct or incorrect.

You can talk to a partner for extra support.

Have you finished? Well done.

I'm going to share my answers with you now.

Sentence A, the government works from the capital city.

Earlier in this lesson, we saw a big building called the Palace of Westminster, and that building is on the banks of the River Thames, which is in London, and that is the building where the government works.

So I am going to say that I am sure that that sentence is correct.

Tick.

Sentence B, Commuting is driving to work from home every day.

Hmm, now, we need to think very carefully about this sentence.

Commuting is to do with travelling to work, so maybe this is correct.

Let's look closely.

Commuting is driving to work from home every day, but earlier Sophia told us that she commutes to school by bus, and we read about Hal, who commutes to work on a bus and on a train.

So commuting is not just driving, is it? Commuting is using all sorts of transport to travel from home to work.

So I've decided to say that I am sure that sentence B is incorrect.

Good work, everyone.

We are going to move along now into the second part of today's lesson.

Now, we are going to see some of the most significant places in London.

These are all London landmarks.

Let's go.

Cities like London have many famous landmarks.

A landmark can be a building, a statue, or any other construction, and it can also be a natural feature.

Landmarks can be very old or they can be very modern.

Sometimes, landmarks commemorate an important historical event or a special place, and they can often attract lots and lots of visitors.

That's true, Alex.

Alex is reminding us here that many places have landmarks.

It's not just the capital city.

Any place from a small village through to a huge city like London can have landmarks.

They're not just found in the capital city.

One of the most famous landmarks in London is called Buckingham Palace.

This is a photograph of Buckingham Palace.

It is one of the palaces that are owned by the British royal family.

It is used for large and important royal events, like dinners or galas and parties.

Another famous London landmark is called The Tower of London, and you can see the Tower of London in this photograph.

The Tower of London is a historic castle, and it's right in the middle of the city of London.

It's more than 900 years old.

At the Tower of London, the crown jewels are on display, and many tourists queue for hours to see the dazzling treasures, which include things like the King's crown.

The River Thames runs through the city of London, and the river itself is also a landmark.

That's because it is so important and so historic.

Tourists who visit often take boat trips or go for riverside walks along the banks of this famous river.

You've heard a lot about London landmarks there, so let's use that knowledge to answer a question.

This is a true or false situation.

I will read you a sentence and I want you to decide if you believe it is true or it is false.

Listen carefully.

London only has landmarks because it is the capital city.

Is that true or is that false? Think now and then make your choice.

Have you decided? Okay, I would like you to give me a thumbs up if you think it is true, and a thumbs down if you think it is false.

Have you got thumbs up? No? Me neither.

This is false, thumbs down.

It is not true to say that London only has landmarks because it is the capital city.

Hmm, but we can't just make statements like this unless we can explain how we know, so I'm going to read you two more sentences and I want you to decide which of these two sentences is the most helpful explanation in this situation.

Listen carefully.

Sentence A says that London is a very historic city and that it has lots of visitors.

Sentence B says that other places that are not the capital city, or not even a city, can have landmarks too.

Which of those two sentences is the most helpful explanation here? You can talk this through with a partner for extra support if you want to.

Have you chosen? Good.

I chose option B here.

Option B tells us that other places that are not the capital city can also have landmarks.

This explains how we know it is false to say that London only has landmarks because it's the capital city.

That's just not true.

We can find landmarks anywhere.

London has them, where I live has them, and I'm sure that where you live has them too.

You've had some great ideas.

Now, we are going to do an activity about those London landmarks.

For this activity, you can work with a partner or in a small group.

You can see some photographs of London landmarks.

The photographs here show the River Thames with the London Eye.

There is also a tourist boat trip on the river.

The middle photograph is Buckingham Palace, and the third photograph is the Tower of London.

With your partner or in your group, I'd like you to talk about what makes each of these a special place that tourists enjoy visiting.

You can also talk about other landmarks in London that you know about.

Pause the video now while you chat to your partner.

Are you ready? You have some great ideas, and some of the Oak Academy children would like to share their ideas with us now as well.

Sam is talking about the Tower of London.

Sam says that the Tower of London is where the crown jewels are kept, and she would love to see the King's crown.

Lucas is talking about Buckingham palace.

He says he'd love to see where the King lives.

Alex is talking about the Thames, and he says that there isn't a river where he lives, so it would be amazing to go on a boat trip on the Thames and see all the famous buildings along the way.

You have done very well and listened to a lot of information today, so let's have a quick review of everything we have covered in this lesson.

We now know that the capital city is the most important city in a country.

The headquarters of the government is found in the capital city.

We also know that the government are the people who make important decisions.

When the government meets, this is called parliament.

We have discovered that many people visit the capital city, as well as live there.

People also commute to the city every day for work, or to visit for special reasons or events, and we know that landmarks are significant places that attract visitors.

London landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, and the River Thames.

I really enjoyed learning about all those London landmarks today.

I hope you found them interesting too.

I'll see you next time for another geography lesson about the City of London.

Bye for now.