Y3/4 (A): Where does our food come from?
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Unit outcomes
Pupils who are secure will be able to:
- Identify that different foods grow in different biomes and say why.
- Explain which food has the most significant negative impact on the environment.
- Consider a change people can make to reduce the negative impact of food production.
- Describe the intentions around trading responsibly.
- Explain that food imports can be both helpful and harmful.
- Describe the journey of a cocoa bean.
- Locate countries on a blank world map using an atlas.
- Use a scale bar correctly to measure approximate distances.
- Collect data through an interview process.
- Analyse interview responses to answer an enquiry question.
- Discuss any trends in data collected.
Lesson 5 involves fieldwork on the school grounds. It is important to risk-assess the proposed route taking into account any relevant school risk assessment policies and procedures. Refer to the Before the lesson section in Lesson 5 to prepare for this lesson. Please be aware this lesson may take longer than 1 hour.
Lesson 2 requires a device (one each).
Suggested prior learning
Y3/4 (A): Why are rainforests important to us?
Get startedLessons
Y3/4 (A): Lesson 1: How can our food choices impact the environment?
- To explain the impact of food choices on the environment.
Y3/4 (A): Lesson 2: What does it mean to trade responsibly?
- To understand the importance of trading responsibly.
Y3/4 (A): Lesson 3: How do we get our chocolate?
- To describe the journey of a cocoa bean.
Y3/4 (A): Lesson 4: Where does our food come from?
- To map and calculate the distance food has travelled.
Y3/4 (A): Lesson 5: Are our school dinners locally sourced?
- To design and use data collection methods to find where our food comes from.
Y3/4 (A): Lesson 6: Is it better to buy local or imported food?
- To discuss the advantages and disadvantages of buying both locally and imported food.
Related content
Unit resources

Knowledge organiser: Geography – Y4 Where does our food come from?
Aimed at pupils, two pages providing key facts and definitions from the unit 'Where does our food come from?'.

Vocabulary display – Geography Y4: Where does our food come from?
A display version of the vocabulary from the unit ‘Where does our food come from?’.
Cross-curricular opportunities
English: Spoken language, reading, writing – composition
Science: Living things and their habitats, properties and changes of materials
Mathematics: Measurement, statistics
British values: Individual liberty, democracy
Design and technology
Computing
RSE/PSHE