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      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can understand how coastal erosion affects people’s lives.

      Key learning points

      1. The coastline is eroded by the actions of the wind, waves and human activity.
      2. Erosion can create landforms such as caves, arches and sea stacks.
      3. Hard rock is eroded slowly and creates headlands, soft rock erodes quickly and creates bays.
      4. Maps can be used to identify headlands and bays formed by hard and soft rock.

      Keywords

      • Waves - Waves are the movements of energy across water.

      • Erosion - Erosion is the process of Earth’s surface, e.g. rock or soil, being worn away and transported from its original site.

      • Geology - The geology of an area is its physical structure and what rocks and minerals exist there.

      Common misconception

      Children may believe that waves are cause by tides.

      Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon . Waves are caused by wind blowing over the sea.

      Teacher tip

      To help children understand the importance of geology on coasts, you could provide some hard rocks, like granite, and softer rocks, like boulder clay, for children to feel and experiment with.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Which of these is a physical coastal feature?

      pier
      Correct answer: mudflat
      lighthouse
      port

      Q2.
      Which of these is a human coastal feature?

      estuary
      spit
      saltmarsh
      Correct answer: port

      Q3.
      A place with ‘point’ or ‘head’ in its name will probably be a

      Correct Answer: headland

      Q4.
      Which coastal feature is usually found in a deep water bay or estuary next to flat land?

      pier
      lighthouse
      Correct answer: container port

      Q5.
      Coastal land would be used for tourism when there is:

      Correct answer: attractive or unique physical features such as beaches
      a deep water bay or estuary next to flat land
      a large stretch of protected inland water with lots of sheltered, deep-water

      Q6.
      Bays can form natural that can be used as a safe place for fishing boats.

      piers
      lighthouses
      Correct answer: harbours

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      the movements of energy across water.

      Correct answer: Waves are
      Erosion is
      Geology is

      Q2.
      is the process of Earth’s surface, e.g. rock or soil, being worn away and transported from its original site.

      Correct answer: Erosion
      Transportation
      Deposition

      Q3.
      Waves are formed by

      the gravitational pull of the moon
      the movement of boats
      Correct answer: the wind blowing over the surface of the sea

      Q4.
      The size of the wave depends upon:

      Correct answer: the strength of the wind
      the distance from the equator
      Correct answer: the length of time the wind has been blowing
      Correct answer: the depth of the water

      Q5.
      Which two of these factors create large waves?

      Correct answer: the strength of the wind
      the temperature of the wind
      the spin of Earth
      Correct answer: the length of time the wind has been blowing

      Q6.
      Erosion by waves can create features such as along a coastline.

      Correct answer: caves and arches
      caves and beaches
      beaches and arches

      To help you plan your 6 geography lesson on: Coastal erosion, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...