In Key Stage 3 geography, learning deepens and children continue to investigate a wide range of people, places and environments. They start to learn about the geographical patterns and processes and the political, economic, social and environmental factors affecting people and places.

They also learn about the interdependence between places and environments and carry out geographical enquiry inside and outside the classroom. They may ask geographical questions such as, “How and why is this landscape changing?”, “What is the impact of the changes?” and “How do different people feel about this?”

Your child will collect and analyse statistical evidence to answer such questions and be encouraged to develop a personal opinion. They will also use a wide range of geographical skills and resources, such as maps, satellite images and ICT to answer questions.

Your child’s geographical vocabulary will also be extended (using terms such as ‘drainage basin’ and ‘urban regeneration’) and they will have a greater awareness of the location of places and environments studied and in the news.

Lesson examples

Here are some examples of what teachers cover in class:

• Year 7 pupils put together a questionnaire in order to find out what people’s journeys are like to and from school. They present their findings in a variety of bar graphs and a map. They then evaluate the reliability of their findings.
   
• Year 8 pupils put together a report, in the style of a newspaper article, covering a natural hazard of their choice. Earlier, the class had prepared for the task by brainstorming their geographical knowledge.
   
• Pupils in year 9 create cartoons to show the impact of tourism on developing countries by using limited drawing and painting materials – no ballpoint pens, pencils or felt tips.

Help your child at home

• Use music, films and soaps as sources of geographical information to help your child understand and develop a sense of place and to be aware of topical issues. It will enable them to explore patterns and processes, interaction between people and places, environmental issues, and socio-economic and physical differences.
   
• Encourage your child to consider how technology changes the way we interact with the environment and each other. How do social networking sites enable global communities to interact? What effect might this have on people in the developing world?
   
• Use postcards, posters and pictures to discuss other places. Think about where the image was taken. Are there any people in the image? What might their lives be like? What are they doing? What might they be saying? What objects are in the image, and what are they for? What is the environment like?