Geography at key stage 3 (Year 9)

Unit 23: Local action, global effects
Section 3: What is a national park?

Objectives

Children should learn:

to select and use secondary sources of evidence
to select and use appropriate techniques to present evidence
to identify how conflicting demands on the environment arise
how and why attempts are made to plan and manage environments
to evaluate different strategies used to manage an area
to evaluate the effect on the environment of the use of a resource
to identify the effects of environmental planning and management on people, places and environments

Activities

Outcomes

Children:

How do people use national parks? What conflicts of interest result from their use?

Invite pupils to suggest a definition of a national park and then define it correctly. Involve pupils in a mapping exercise to record the locations and names of all national parks, motorways and conurbations in England and Wales. Discuss patterns and relationships evident. Focus in particular on the Peak District or the Yorkshire Dales national parks.
Ask pupils to use OS maps, photographs and narrative to match land, leisure and employment uses in the Peak District. Help them identify the distinctive landscape features of the White Peak (limestone) and the Dark Peak (millstone grit).
Ask pupils to plan a walk for a group of geography students to see different landscape features in the area. Mark these, noting what they would see at different locations.
Ask pupils to use a range of resources including employment statistics to determine the main employment opportunities within the Peak District National Park, eg farming, quarrying, tourism. Compare these with the employment data for the park's residents - account for the differences and try to establish the problems which ensue.

What is a 'honeypot' site? How might the pressures on national parks be managed?

Conduct a case study of a 'honeypot' site (Dovedale in the Peak District or Malham in the Yorkshire Dales), through carrying out a cost-benefit analysis. Identify the attractions and the pressures of tourism on the site. Use newspaper articles on Dovedale or Malham to assess the impact that being a honeypot has on an area.
Ask pupils to put forward a plan which allows people to access the area but also makes suggestions about reducing their impact.

produce a map of Britain's national parks showing important links to motorways and conurbations
identify landscape features from photographs and maps of different scales
carry out a cost-benefit analysis exercise to assess impact
identify and explain different views, opinions and solutions to employment and development issues in national parks
discuss the complexity of decision making
describe the work, roles and responsibilities of different local, national and environmental agencies

Points to note

Citizenship: this activity provides pupils with an opportunity to learn about central and local government, and the public services they offer.
A similar cost-benefit analysis exercise is shown in unit 8 'Coastal environments'.
Unit 13 'Limestone landscapes of England' provides an opportunity for pupils to consider the impact of quarrying in a national park. If unit 13 has not been studied previously, the impact of quarrying may be considered here, instead of tourism.
Key skills: links with working with others, where pupils work on a one-to-one or group basis and plan with others what needs to be done, confirm their understanding of the objectives, their responsibilities and working arrangements, and carry out tasks and review progress.

Sections in this unit

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This unit is divided into sections. Each section contains a sequence of activities with related objectives and outcomes. You can view this unit by moving through the sections or print/download the whole unit.


	1. What leisure activities are located on and by the river?
	2. How are rivers used and misused by people?
	3. What is a national park?
	4. Why is Antarctica a fragile environment?