Name _________________________________________________________

You are going to assess pupil descriptions for the different images of the South Downs National Park.

For each image complete the name of the place in column 1.

After the description is read out, complete columns 2–4. Grade the use of geographical words and thequality of the description from 5 (excellent) to 1 (weak).

When all the descriptions have been read out choose three places you would like to visit and rank them1, 2, 3 in column 5.

In the final column choose the six images that you think should be included in a leaflet about SouthDowns National Park. Try to choose a range of images that represent the variety of areas in the SouthDowns National Park.

Activity sheet 1:

What do you think?

Place Type oflandscape (e.g.village, ancientplace, coastal,woodland)

Use ofgeographical

words

Quality ofdescription

I would like tovisit this place

This imageshould be

included in aleaflet

• The South Downs became a National Park onthe 31 March 2010 making it the newestNational Park and the tenth in England to bedesignated.

• Covering an area of over 1600 squarekilometres, and stretching from Hampshire toEast Sussex, the South Downs National Park isthe sixth largest National Park in the UK. Thoselarger include Cairngorms, Lake District, LochLomond and the Trossachs, Snowdonia and theYorkshire Dales

• South Downs National Park is the only NationalPark which contains a complete National Trailwithin the Park boundaries. The famous SouthDowns Way stretches the entire 160km lengthof the Park, from Winchester in Hampshire tothe white cliffs of Beachy Head nearEastbourne.

• The South Downs National Park differs greatlyfrom all the other UK National Parks in that ithas the largest population living within it, withover 108,000 residents.

• The Park includes the towns of Petersfield,Midhurst and Lewes. Many people visit the areafrom the nearby coastal towns and cities suchas Brighton, Chichester and Eastbourne. Londonis less than an hour away.

• Approximately 85% of the land within the SouthDowns National Park is agricultural, 14% is non-agricultural and 1% is urban.

• The Park’s geology combines the greensandsand clays of the Weald with the chalk of thedownlands.

• The geology provides the foundation for largetracts of internationally important ancientwoodlands, open heathland and the famousrolling downlands that lead to the iconic, sheercliffs at Seven Sisters and Beachy Head.

• The South Downs National Park contains over3000km of footpaths and bridleways.

• The highest point in the South Downs NationalPark is Blackdown. At 280m it is also thehighest hill in county of Sussex.

National parks

• Britain’s 15 National Parks are large areas of spectacular landscape that include mountains,meadows, moorlands, woods, coasts and wetlands.

• Known as ‘Britain’s breathing spaces’, National Parks are areas of countryside that are protectedby law so that everyone can visit and enjoy.

• National Parks are not owned by the nation or managed only for their wildlife; they are mostlyfarmed landscapes where people live, work and shape the landscape.

The South Downs NationalPark: fact sheet

Scale and distanceWhat is the scale of your map? ________________

This means that 1km on the ground is representedby ___________cm on the map.

Find the area your map shows on the large wallmap. How is the scale different? ________________

__________________________________________

Find two churches on your map extract. What typeof churches are they? Draw a sketch to show whatthe symbols look like. Use the scale to work out thedistance between the two churches in a straight line.

Height and reliefWhat is the highest point on your map above sealevel? _____________________________________

What sign tells you this? _____________________

Find the steepest slope in your map. How can youtell it is steep? _____________________________

SettlementGive the name of a settlement on your map__________________________________________

Is it a town or village? _______________________

What facilities does it have? For example, does ithave a post office, church, pub? ________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

Give the four figure grid reference of thesettlement ________________________________

What is the most important road that leads to thesettlement? What colour is it? Has it got a number?____________________________________________________________________________________

Is there another way to get to the settlement?__________________________________________

__________________________________________

Land use and tourismWhat are the different ways that land is used onyour map? For example, woodland, farmland, marsh__________________________________________

__________________________________________

What activities are there for tourists to do on yourmap?____________________________________________________________________________________

Swap your sheet with someone else in your classusing the same map extract as you and get them tomark your answers.

Activity sheet 2:

Mastering your map

Name _________________________________________________________

To answer these questions you will need to use the key and the scale on your map.

Distance:__________________________________

Name of walk:

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

Name of starting point:

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

Starting point grid reference:

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

Length of walk: _____________ km

Time needed to complete walk: ___________________

Points of interest on the walk

1. Name: ____________________________________

Grid reference: _____________________________

2. Name: ____________________________________

Grid reference: _____________________________

3. Name: ____________________________________

Grid reference: _____________________________

Facilities passed: _______________________________

This walk is suitable for

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

People would enjoy this walk because

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

You could spot, touch or collect these things during

this walk:

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

You could hear these sounds during the walk:

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

You would need to take the following items with you

on this walk:

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

Activity sheet 3:

Walk this way

Name _________________________________________________________

Key question: How do the rocks beneath our feetshape the South Downs National Park?

Evidence for examination: Ten key images, geologymap, OS wall map, rock samples.

1. Look at the geology map. What are the three typesof rock found in the South Downs National Park?

1. ________________________________________

2. ________________________________________

3. ________________________________________

2. Describe where the different types of rock are foundin the South Downs National Park. Give directions(north, south, east, west) and place names. Whichrock covers the largest area?

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

3. Which rock makes up the South Downs themselves?

_____________________________________________

4. Sometimes rocks are exposed, but more often theyare hidden below soil, vegetation, buildings and roads.Look at the ten key images. Which images give you aclue as to the rock type in that place? What rockscan you see evidence of?

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

5. Study the samples of the three types of rock found inthe South Downs National Park. Describe how theylook and feel.

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

6. Look at the geological timeline of the South Downsand give the age of the three main types of rock thatmake up the South Downs National Park.

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

7. What other evidence would you like to see to helpyou find out more about the rocks of the SouthDowns National Park and how they shape the land?

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

Activity sheet 4:

Landscape detectives!

Name _________________________________________________________

Geological timeline for the South Downs area

ChalkChalk

Upper GreensandUpper Greensand

Lower GreensandLower GreensandGault ClayGault Clay

Weald ClayWeald Clay

Chalk

Upper Greensand

Lower GreensandGault Clay

Weald Clay

Geologicaltime

Quaternary Era

Tert

iary

Era

Cre

tace

ous

Peri

od

Erosion of the rocksby rivers

Mountain building andthe rocks uplifted andfolded to form a dome

Rock formation

Some upliftand erosion

Millions ofyears ago

4

20

50

65

75

97100

115

125

Rock types Events

125 million years ago the south ofEngland was covered with a shallow

freshwater lake. Rivers flowing into thelake carried vast amounts of clay or mud

which built up on the lake bed.

Over millions of years the layers of claybuilt up to form the soft Weald clay.

110 million years ago the land sank andwas covered by sea. Thick layers of sandwere deposited. During periods whenthe sea currents were calmer, clay and

mud were deposited.

The layers of sand formed the hardgreensand (sandstone), with thin layers

of Gault clay in the middle.

97 million years ago the sea becametropical and shallow, supporting corals

and sea creatures.

Soft rocks such as clay wear away muchfaster than harder rocks like chalk and

greensand.

Skeletons of sea creatures weredeposited on the seabed. Chalk wasformed as they were squeezed and

eventually fossilised.

The low flat valley floors are where thesoft clay has been worn away.

20 million years ago the African andEuropean tectonic plates moved

towards each other and collided. As therocks were pushed up they created

mountain ranges including the Himalayasand the Alps.

The dome now looks like a boiled eggthat has had its top removed. The Northand South Downs are all that remains ofthe chalk layer that once covered the

whole area.

The rocks of south-east England werepushed up into a huge dome by the

earth movements.

The combination of the three rocks hascreated the very special landscape of the

South Downs.

The top of the rock dome was crackedby earthquakes.

The dome’s chalk top became very weakwhere it was cracked, and was worn

away by the work of rivers to reveal theolder sandstone and clay.

Activity sheet 5:

Shaping the South DownsNational Park

Cut out the cards and sort them into time order.

Use the information you have gathered from the cards and your work as a landscape detective to tell thegeological story of the South Downs National Park, explaining what each diagram shows.

Activity sheet 6:

Time travelling in the SouthDowns National Park

Name _________________________________________________________

Warm Sea

ChalkUpper GreensandGaunt ClayLower Greensand

ChalkUpper GreensandGaunt ClayLower GreensandWealden ClayOlder rocks

South

Dow

ns

The W

eald

Nor

th D

owns

Activity sheet 7:

Knowledge cards

Chalk downlandChalk downland is the name for the area of chalkhills. There are three different habitats found on thechalk hills: chalk grassland, chalk heath and scrub land.

Chalk grassland is covered in short, springy grass.Lots of different animals and plants are found heresuch as orchids and wildflowers which attract insectssuch as rare blue butterflies. The chalky soil is thin.Farmers graze their animals on this land to keep thegrass short and to stop other unwanted plants takingover.

Chalk heath has heather growing on it. This isbecause the soil is more acidic and not so good forgrowing other plants on.

Scrub land has bushes such as hawthorn, blackthornand gorse growing on it. Lots of different plants andanimals live here. Farmers have to look after theseareas to make sure the bushes do not spread toomuch.

HeathlandHeathland is the name for areas where heather is themain type of plant. Heather is a slow-growing,evergreen, woody plant that grows on acidic sandy orpeaty soils. Other plants found on heathland includegorses, fine grasses and mosses.

Heathland develops on sandy soil but not on chalk.The rock below heathland is Greensand, which issandstone.

Heathland is very special. Lots of different plants,insects, birds and reptiles live here. Many of these arevery rare, so it is important to look after heathlandsto ensure these creatures don’t become extinct.

WoodlandsWoodlands are areas where trees are the main typeof plant found there. There are a few different types ofwoodland on the South Downs. Woodland grows onall types of soil. Different species of trees are found ondifferent soils.

Mixed woodlands are where there is a mix of trees,such as oak and ash. Oak trees like deep soils, whileash trees are often found on thinner chalky soil.

Coniferous woodlands may have one type ofconiferous tree (such as in yew, pine or spruce ) or bemixed coniferous forests. Coniferous trees areevergreen, and most have been specially planted fortheir wood. Since they have been planted they can befound on many different soils.

Some trees, such as hazel and chesnut, grow newstems from the stump or roots if they are cut down atthe bottom.This is called coppicing, and woods wherethis is done are called coppices. After the older treeshavebeen cut down, lots of new stems grow up thatcan be used for making charcoal, firewood and fences.

Ancient woodland are woods that are at least400years old. Half of the woodland on the SouthDowns is ancient woodland. Because the woodland isso old it is at risk of dying out so in some placesancient woodlands are being increased by cuttingdown the conifers that were planted previously andreplacing them with trees that grow naturally in thearea

Activity sheet 7:

Knowledge cards

WetlandsWetlands are places that are wet for most of the year.This includes ponds, lakes and water meadows. Theyare found on low-lying ground, usually with clay soils.

Water meadows are wet grasslands. These areeither formed naturally by regular winter flooding ofland in a river valley or are flooded on purpose byfarmers. In the spring and summer, the meadows aregrazed on by animals such as sheep and cattle, ormown for hay. In the winter the meadows are floodedto protect the grass. When the water dries up in thespring, the grass grows well and is good food for thefarmer’s animals.

Carr is the name for wet woodlands. Alder trees arethe main plants found here, but they can also containwillow and birch.

Coastal and marine habitatsCoastal and marine habitats include cliff tops andedges, wave-cut platforms, beaches and salt marshes.These provide homes for a variety of plants andanimals that can tolerate the salty conditions.

The chalk rock and the sea are very important incoastal and marine habitats, as the sea wears away thebottom of the chalk hills, forming cliffs. In some placesthe cliffs are wearing away quickly. Cliff faces are full ofledges that birds love. Kittiwakes and other seagullshave very noisy colonies in the spring.

The rocky beach areas below the cliffs are calledwave-cut platforms. This is where the cliffs used to bebut have been worn away by the sea. The wave-cutplatform is often covered at high tide and uncoveredat low tide. Limpets are found in rock pools. When thetide is in they graze on the green algae on theboulders. Sea anemones and shrimps are other animalsthat can be found in the rock pools.

Pebble beaches are made up of a rock called flint. Thepebbles are often called shingle.

Arable farmlandArable farmland is the name for areas that are used byfarmers to grow crops. Fields are planted once a yearwith crops such as wheat, barley or oilseed rape.

Wheat and barley are types of grasses. We canmake foods such as bread from them. Oilseed rapeis has bright yellow flowers which are usually seenfrom late April onwards. Oilseed rape is grown toproduce oil for cooking.

Arable farmland is very common across the SouthDowns, especially on the flatter areas. This is becausethe flatter areas are more easily and safely workedwith modern farm machinery. The soils on the SouthDowns are usually described as being very ‘light’. Thismeans that the soil is easy to plough, so planting cropsis easy. The chalk rock below the soil lets water soakaway so crops aren’t flooded very often.

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Geology map of the SouthDowns National Park

South Downs National Park logo