Value of cold environments
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how cold environments are at risk from economic development and how they can be protected.
Key learning points
- Cold environments are at risk from economic development.
- Cold environments are valuable as wilderness areas and these fragile environments should be protected.
- Strategies are used to balance economic development and conservation in cold environments.
Keywords
Sustainable - using resources in a way that means future generations will still be able to use them in the same way
Biodiversity - a measure of how many different species live in an ecosystem
Conservation - protection and management of natural resources to prevent damage and maintain biodiversity
Common misconception
The only valuable resource in cold environments is timber.
Many valuable resources are found in cold environments (albeit difficult to access), such as fossil fuels and minerals. Timber in polar and tundra regions is not found there. These are treeless areas. Timber is found further south in the taiga biome.
Teacher tip
Use GIS tools to analyse areas that have been mined and their impact on the environment. Students could map tundra or polar areas, identify regions most affected by mining or fossil fuel extraction and correlate them with changes in local biodiversity.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Where are cold environments typically found on Earth?
Q2.What is permafrost?
Q3.Which of the following best describes a cold environment?
Q4.What is one way that humans adapt to living in cold environments?
Q5.What is one environmental risk of developing in cold environments?
Q6.Which of the following is a characteristic of tundra regions?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.What does the term sustainable mean?
Q2.Which of the following best describes biodiversity?
Q3.What economic activity is common in cold environments?
Q4.What is a major risk of resource exploitation in cold environments?
To help you plan your 10 geography lesson on: Value of cold environments, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 geography lesson on: Value of cold environments, 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 4 geography lessons from the Cold environments unit, dive into the full secondary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.