Physical geography and development
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how physical geography influences development.
Key learning points
- Physical geography can help or hinder development.
- Relief, natural resources, natural hazards, climate and location may all be barriers to development.
- Countries can overcome physical barriers to development in a variety of ways.
- HICs are often more able to overcome physical barriers than LICs due to having more financial resources.
Keywords
Relief - the physical shape of the land in an area, including its height and steepness
Natural resources - materials or substances occurring in nature, such as minerals, water, forests, and fossil fuels
Landlocked - a country with no coastline
Natural hazards - extreme natural events that have the potential to cause harm to people, property, and the environment
Climate - an average of weather conditions (e.g. rain, sun, wind) in a place taken over a long period of time (usually 30 years or more)
Common misconception
Economic development can be fully explained by physical geography.
Physical geography is one factor in influencing a country’s development. Other factors such as history and politics often have a greater influence.
Teacher tip
The practice task in learning cycle 2 could be made into a much larger activity where the pupils do significant research into each country and then make more extensive suggestions based on their context.
Equipment
atlases
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the meaning of inequality?
Q2.What does ‘development’ mean in geography?
Q3.Which measure is often used to compare wealth between countries?
Q4.What is physical geography?
Q5.What is human geography?
Q6.How has global wealth changed over the past 100 years?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.How can physical geography impact a country's development?
Q2.Which physical factor can make trade and development easier?
Q3.Can economic development be fully explained by physical geography?
Q4.What is one way countries can overcome physical geography challenges?
To help you plan your 8 geography lesson on: Physical geography and development, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 geography lesson on: Physical geography and development, 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 Global inequalities and development: how does life vary around the world? unit, dive into the full secondary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.