How we use the ocean KS3 Geography

This lesson introduces students to the concept of ecosystem services, with a focus on the ocean environment. Students will explore the vital benefits that healthy ocean ecosystems provide to all humans, particularly coastal communities, and examine the impacts of climate change and resource exploitation on these services.

Key lesson components include:
Understanding the concept of ecosystem goods and services
Exploring specific ecosystem services provided by ocean environments
Investigating human impacts on ocean ecosystem services
Examining case studies of coastal communities affected by ecosystem degradation
Reflecting on the fairness and sustainability of ocean resource exploitation

The lesson incorporates engaging activities such as mind mapping, cause-and-effect diagramming, and group presentations. It aligns with the KS3 Geography curriculum, covering aspects of human-environment interactions, resource management, and sustainability.

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
Explain the concept of ecosystem goods and services, with a focus on the ocean
Discuss human impacts on ocean ecosystem services
Describe challenges faced by coastal communities due to ecosystem degradation
Reflect on the fairness and sustainability of ocean resource exploitation

This thought-provoking lesson encourages students to consider the interconnectedness of human well-being and ocean health, fostering critical thinking about environmental sustainability and social justice issues.

Curriculum links
Geography KS3
Understand how human and physical processes interact to influence and change landscapes, environments, and the climate
Economic activity
Locational knowledge of environmental regions
Cross-curricular connections
Science: Relationships in an ecosystem, environmental changes, and effects on living things