Geography

KS3 Geography

The Importance of Geography

The study of geography stimulates an interest in and a sense of wonder about places. It helps young people make sense of a complex and dynamically changing world. It explains where places are, how places and landscapes are formed, how people and their environment interact, and how a diverse range of economies, societies and environments are interconnected. It builds on pupils’ own experiences to investigate places at all scales, from the personal to the global.

Geographical enquiry encourages questioning, investigation and critical thinking about issues affecting the world and people’s lives, now and in the future. Fieldwork is an essential element of this. Pupils learn to think spatially and use maps, visual images and new technologies, including geographical information systems (GIS), to obtain, present and analyse information. Geography inspires pupils to become global citizens by exploring their own place in the world, their values and their responsibilities to other people, to the environment and to the sustainability of the planet.

The study of geography should include:

1. a variety of scales, from personal, local, regional, national, international and continental, to global
2. a range of investigations, focusing on places, themes or issues
3. the location of places and environments
4. key aspects of the UK, including its changing human and physical geography, current issues and its place in the world today
5. different parts of the world in their wider settings and contexts, including the European Union and regions or countries in different states of development
6. physical geography, physical processes and natural landscapes
7. human geography, built and managed environments and human processes
8. interactions between people and their environments, including causes and consequences of these interactions, and how to plan for and manage their future impact.

At the end of KS3 students are given a National Curriculum Level, click here for more information.