Resource

Teaching Landscape Vocabulary

I needed to teach some landscape vocabulary to my students and the photocopied textbooks they were given by the school were too dull and drab. I wanted to show some vivid pictures, and some more interesting words. I made this Powerpoint presentation that mixes together lots of vocabulary for describing natural features, as well as human-made structures and settlements.

ESL Landscape Vocabulary from David Wills

After teaching this vocabulary, I have my students watch a short video. During the video, they should note down all the landscape features that they see. You could probably choose any relevant video, but since I’m from Scotland and my students are interested in my home country, I used this video:

From this particular video, my students noted the following vocabulary:

hills/mountains
lakes (I told them that technically, in Scotland, they’re called “lochs”)
lighthouse
sea/ocean
river/stream
cliff
beach
castle
island
bridge
valley

David S Wills

I am a writer, editor, and educator. I have written various books on mid-20th century American writers and a few on grammar and IELTS preparation. I have been in the education field since 2008 and have worked in various countries. I started this website to share some ideas and resources to help my fellow teachers.