Shapes of the Land Levels 1-2

Shapes of the Land introduces emergent readers to the natural shapes found in Earth's landscapes. With a clear, simple text structure and full-page visuals, students explore landforms such as mountains, bays, rivers, and canyons. Familiar vocabulary is carefully paired with less familiar words like canyon and bay, helping children extend their understanding of natural features while learning to recognise and categorise shapes. The book supports visual literacy through its picture glossary and provides opportunities for oral language development as children describe what they see. It also links to the broader theme from the anchor book Discovering My World, encouraging students to connect personal experience with scientific observation. This is an ideal early reader text for building awareness of the natural world and introducing geography concepts in a way that is accessible and engaging.

Educational Benefits:

• Builds early geography knowledge through simple descriptions of landforms.
• Supports vocabulary growth with a mix of familiar and new words.
• Encourages shape recognition in natural settings, linking literacy and numeracy.
• Develops oral language and descriptive skills through shared reading discussions.

Classroom Ideas:

• Use playdough or sand trays to model landforms mentioned in the book.
• Go on a shape hunt outdoors and match natural features to those in the text.
• Create a class collage or mural showing different land shapes.
• Encourage students to draw or photograph local landforms and label them.

Safety & Information:

• Suitable for ages 4+
• Book dimensions: 20cm x 15cm; 8 pages
• No small parts; ideal for classroom read-aloud or small group learning