New
New
Year 9

Fieldwork: Presenting air pollution data

I can present qualitative and quantitative air pollution data.

New
New
Year 9

Fieldwork: Presenting air pollution data

I can present qualitative and quantitative air pollution data.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Qualitative data can be presented in interesting ways, such as word clouds and proportional speech bubbles.
  2. Choropleth shading on a map can be used to show the level of air pollution.
  3. Emoji icons can be used to show the strength of agreement or favourability.

Keywords

  • Qualitative data - data that is made up of words

  • Quantitative data - data that is made up of numbers

  • Choropleth shading - a form of shading that uses one colour where the greatest density of something is shown by the darkest shade of that colour

  • Social shading - using colour conventions in data presentation to represent certain ideas

Common misconception

The colours geographers use in their data presentation are always randomly chosen.

The colours geographers use are often associated with social conventions such as red being negative and green being positive.


To help you plan your year 9 geography lesson on: Fieldwork: Presenting air pollution data, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

To better grasp the concept of choropleth shading, show students applied examples that they may see regularly such as rainfall maps in weather forecasts.
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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

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to their definitions:

Correct Answer:Anthropocene,A period where human activity has a major impact on Earth

A period where human activity has a major impact on Earth

Correct Answer:Carbon emissions,The release of CO₂ into the air from burning fuels

The release of CO₂ into the air from burning fuels

Correct Answer:Biodiversity,The variety of living species in an area

The variety of living species in an area

Q2.
Cutting down forests reduces , which is vital for absorbing carbon dioxide.

Correct Answer: biodiversity

Q3.
Why is the loss of biodiversity a concern?

It creates more cities
Correct answer: It makes ecosystems weaker and less able to recover
It increases tourism
It speeds up farming

Q4.
Which of these is an example of human impact on the atmosphere?

Volcanic eruption
Correct answer: Burning fossil fuels for transport
Solar flares
Tides changing

Q5.
What is meant by 'carbon footprint'?

The area where coal is mined
Correct answer: The amount of carbon a person or activity produces
The weight of a car engine
A map of forested land

Q6.
Why is the term 'Anthropocene' useful to geographers?

It helps explain ancient history
It only relates to geology
It proves climate change isn't real
Correct answer: It highlights how humans are changing Earth’s systems

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to their definitions:

Correct Answer:Qualitative data,Data that is made up of words

Data that is made up of words

Correct Answer:Quantitative data,Data that is made up of numbers

Data that is made up of numbers

Correct Answer:Choropleth shading,Darker colour shows greater density of something

Darker colour shows greater density of something

Correct Answer:Social shading,Using colours based on shared ideas (e.g. red = bad)

Using colours based on shared ideas (e.g. red = bad)

Q2.
Which of these is a qualitative form of data?

Temperature readings
Correct answer: Descriptions of how polluted the air smells
Bar chart of air quality
Table of carbon levels

Q3.
Why do geographers use both qualitative and quantitative data?

To only collect numerical facts
Correct answer: To gain a full picture using numbers and opinions
To reduce the amount of data
To make their work easier

Q4.
Why might geographers choose red to represent high pollution on a map?

Red is a random colour
Red is the easiest colour to print
Correct answer: Red is commonly seen as a warning or danger colour
Red is the colour of the sky