This Geography scheme of work video helps teachers guide pupils through an exploration of the physical geography and human uses of desert environments, using the Mojave Desert as a case study. Spread across two lessons, pupils will build an understanding of the unique landscapes found in deserts and the various ways in which these environments are inhabited and utilised.

The video introduces iconic physical features such as sand dunes, mushroom (pedestal) rocks, mesas, natural arches, salt flats, and the varied desert terrain—sandy, salty, and rocky—found in the Mojave. These features are explained through the lens of erosion, evaporation, and sediment movement. Teachers are then supported in helping pupils explore the human dimension of desert life, including how deserts like the Mojave support recreation (quad biking, rock climbing), tourism (Death Valley and Joshua Tree), settlement (from villages to cities like Las Vegas), and infrastructure (roads, schools, airstrips and ghost towns such as Rhyolite).

See more of our Year 5 and Year 6 Geography scheme of work.

• Geography, Year 5. Would you like to live in the desert?, Lesson 3: What physical features are found in a desert?
• Geography, Year 5. Would you like to live in the desert?, Lesson 4: How can people use deserts?