Population in cities
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain who lives in cities and why.
Key learning points
- Urban populations often have a larger share of people aged 18–40.
- Migration to cities is driven by employment and educational opportunities.
- Cities provide a wide range of leisure facilties which are also a draw for younger people.
- Natural increase is a key factor in the growth of urban populations.
- High population density puts pressure on infrastructure and services.
Keywords
Migration - the movement of people from one place to another
Natural increase - when birth rates are higher than death rates
Population density - the number of people living in a defined area, e.g. 300 people per square kilometre
Common misconception
Cities only grow because of migration.
While migration is a key factor, natural increase (more births than deaths) is often just as important - especially in cities with young populations.
Teacher tip
Use real-life city examples (like London, Manchester, or Lagos) to illustrate why people move to cities and how different age groups use urban spaces. This helps students connect abstract ideas (like migration or population density) to places they know or have heard of.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of these describes a city with high population density?
Q2.Which of these is usually a challenge for people living in cities?
Q3.Urban areas are often known for their high levels of density.
Q4.Which of the following is a benefit of living in a city?
Q5.A student says, “Life in all cities is the same.” What is a better understanding?
Q6.Which of these is a feature found in most modern cities?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Match the keywords to their definitions:
The movement of people from one place to another
When more people are born than die, so the population grows
The number of people living per square kilometre
Q2.Which of the following best explains why a city might grow in population?
Q3.A student says: “Cities only grow because people migrate to them.” What’s a more complete understanding?
Q4.Which of these could cause the population of a city to fall?
To help you plan your 8 geography lesson on: Population in cities, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 geography lesson on: Population in cities, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 geography lessons from the Cities: What are they like to live in? unit, dive into the full secondary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.