During key stage 3, pupils learn about a wide range of places, people and environments at different scales (local, regional, national, international and global) and how they are interdependent on each other. They carry out geographical enquiry inside and outside the classroom, collecting and analysing written and statistical evidence, and developing their own opinions. They use a wide range of geographical skills and resources such as maps, aerial photographs, satellite images and ICT.
Children are taught about:
- different places
- patterns in natural and human environments and what causes them
- how environments change
- the ways in which environments can be looked after and managed sustainably
Pupils study two countries (one economically developed and one that is less developed) through ten themes:
- Weather and Climate
The difference between them, and why and how they differ from place to place. - Ecosystems
The diverse conditions that allow different types of animals and plants to live in harmony together, and how that balance can be upset. - Populations
Where people live, and how and why populations change in size. - Settlements
How and why settlements change and the effects of these changes. - Economic Activity
How and why the locations of activities such as tourism and farming change, and the effects of these changes. - Development
How places develop and how this affects the people who live there. - Environmental Issues
The ways in which environments may be improved or damaged, and how people try to manage them sustainably. - Resource Issues
How people use and manage natural resources such as water and oil, and how this affects the environment. - Tectonic Processes
How and why volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur, and how they affect people and landscapes. - Geomorphological Processes
The effects of ice and water on landscapes, along with the causes and effects of hazards such as landslides and floods.
At the end of Key Stage 3 (age 14), most children are able to:
- describe and explain some of the ways that the natural and human worlds interact with each other
- understand how places are dependent upon each other
- understand how natural and human processes lead to changes in places
- understand how the opinions and views of different groups of people may make them react in different ways to the same issue
- ask relevant questions and organise their own investigations
- present their findings clearly
- base their conclusions on evidence
