Student Book
Lesson plan Unit 1 What is a geographer? pages 2–3
Lesson 1.1 What is a geographer?
About the lesson This is a ‘create a need to know’ lesson for Unit 1, and in fact is a ‘create a
need to know’ for the whole Progress in Geography course. It has been
designed to engage and spark pupil curiosity. This lesson links directly to
Lesson 1.10, which is a review lesson for the unit. The overarching learning
for the unit is provided at the beginning of the spread.
This lesson introduces the whole KS3 course to pupils, in particular, what it
is to be a geographer, and the use of enquiry questions to investigate
people and places. In providing a definition of a good geographer on page 3
of the Student Book, the three bullet points are actually the progression
strands for the course. The key elements of the book are also introduced:
the vision statement flap, the introductory page 1, the use of geographical
data such as OS maps, the activities to make sense of the data, and the
enquiry questions.
The final lesson of the course on pages 360–361 concludes the whole
course. As a review, it uses the same overarching learning objectives as
this lesson, to support reflection about what has been learnt and how this
provides a foundation for progress at GCSE.
Prior learning This unit assesses prior learning from Key Stages 1 and 2, as a transitional
assessment to the course. It assesses knowledge of continents and oceans
of the world.
Overarching What it means to be a geographer
learning for the To ask geographical questions
unit To conduct geographical enquiries
Key aspects of studying people and places
How to use geographical data, including maps
Key physical world, human world, environmental world, forests
geographical
terminology
Command words create, describe, name
Linked activity Student Book pages 2–3
sheets Lesson presentation 1.1
Activity worksheet 1.1a general: Using enquiry questions to describe a
place (1)
Activity worksheet 1.1b general: Using enquiry questions to describe a
place (2)
Activity worksheet 1.1c support: How can I be a good geographer?
Activity worksheet 1.1d stretch: Being a geographer
Interactive 1.1 Fjallsjökull glacier
1.1 Homework: What is a geographer?
Progress in Geography: Key Stage 3 Second Edition Boost © Hodder & Stoughton Limited 2024 1
Student Book
Lesson plan Unit 1 What is a geographer? pages 2–3
Teaching the lesson
Episode Teaching guide and supporting Answers to student activity Time
resources questions
1 Create a need to know: 5 mins
To consider what a geographer is.
Geography helps you make sense of
the physical world, what our planet is
like, the work of rivers and ice; the
human world, how and where people
live and earn a living; the
environmental world, habitats, such
as mountains, forests, oceans, how
they develop and change.
Introduce the overarching learning for
this unit.
Use the images on the spread to lead
a discussion about what pupils think
geography is about.
Introduce the lesson with a video clip
showing what it means to be a
geographer. There are several on the
Geographical Association’s website:
www.geography.org.uk/GA-Manifesto-
for-geography For example:
https://vimeo.com/250593759
2 Learning objective: Activity 1 20 mins
What it means to be a geographer a) A geographer investigates and
understands the physical, human
Two of the authors of Progress in
and environmental aspects of the
Geography explain what a geographer
world in which we live. They
is and how this is progressed through
develop locational knowledge of
the book.
where places are in the world and
Progress in Geography Hodder ask questions and use a wide
Education includes a video outlining range of geographical data to
the book series and the vision to investigate places.
becoming a geographer 0–2.21
b) Pupils’ own posters.
www.hoddereducation.co.uk/progress-
in-geography Activity 2
Pupils are introduced to the vision The physical world, the human
statement flap for the course to world and the environmental
consider what a geographer does. world.
Activity 1 b): Pupils create their own Activity 3
poster to show their understanding of
a) Pupils may say the image
this idea.
Progress in Geography: Key Stage 3 Second Edition Boost © Hodder & Stoughton Limited 2024 2
Student Book
Lesson plan Unit 1 What is a geographer? pages 2–3
Activity 2: Pupils identify the three shows the world as made up of
aspects of geography. lots of different elements.
Activity 3: Pupils use the front cover of b) Pupils may say they feel
the book to apply their understanding interested by the cover, that they
of what geographers study. want to look at it and investigate
it further.
c) Aspects of the physical world –
rivers, coast, snowcapped
mountains, volcanoes, clouds.
Aspects of the human world –
cities, shanty towns, arable and
pastoral farms, wind turbines,
cargo ships. Aspects of the
environmental world – mountains,
forests, oceans.
3 Learning objective: Activity 4 20 mins
To ask geographical questions Pupils may describe Photo B.
Introduce pupils to enquiry and how Where is this place? Fjallsjokull
the Student Book is designed to glacier, Iceland.
embed enquiry throughout.
What is it like? Deserted,
Introduce the enquiry questions in beautiful, ice, cold.
Image C.
Why is it like this? Cold
Activity 4: Pupils answer these temperatures all year round
questions to make sense of Photo B. creating ice – glacier.
How is it changing ? Ice is
melting – warmer temperatures
here.
Who is affected by the changes?
Melting could flood areas; water
can be used for drinking, the
glacier could become smaller.
How do I feel about it? Like the
man looking at it – I think this is a
beautiful place.
4 Learning objective: Activity 5 10 mins
To name the continents and 1 North America
oceans of the world. 2 Europe
3 Asia
Explain the importance of developing
4 Africa
a locational knowledge of the world,
5 South America
using introductory page 1 sharing one
6 Australasia
of the progression strands of the
7 Antarctica
course – Know like a geographer.
8 Atlantic Ocean
Use the contents pages of the Student 9 Pacific Ocean
Book to show the areas of the world 10 Indian Ocean
Progress in Geography: Key Stage 3 Second Edition Boost © Hodder & Stoughton Limited 2024 3
Student Book
Lesson plan Unit 1 What is a geographer? pages 2–3
they will focus on throughout the 11 Southern Ocean
course.
Explain that they should already know
the world’s continents and oceans
from primary school geography.
Activity 5: Use this to access if pupils
have this basic locational knowledge.
Plenary Learning objective: 5 mins
Recap on the overarching
objectives for the whole unit.
Use the contents page of the Student
Book, introduction page 1 and the
vision statement flap to show how the
course is designed to support pupils’
development as geographers.
Introduce the Stretch and challenge
task to demonstrate to pupils the
significance of the subject in terms of
world events on a daily basis.
www.bbc.co.uk/news
Begin next lesson with pupils sharing
their findings.
Progress in Geography: Key Stage 3 Second Edition Boost © Hodder & Stoughton Limited 2024 4
