Year 3 Geography Scheme of Work
Year 3 geography marks the beginning of Key Stage 2 and a significantly more ambitious programme of study. Pupils now engage with the processes that shape physical landscapes — in particular the water cycle and river systems — alongside a deepening understanding of how humans choose and modify their environments. The shift from KS1 to KS2 geography is also marked by a greater emphasis on using and interpreting data, reading Ordnance Survey maps with four and six-figure grid references, and conducting structured, evidence-based fieldwork.
The four units across the year are designed to work together: understanding the water cycle makes rivers more comprehensible; understanding rivers makes settlement patterns clearer; and understanding settlement prepares pupils for the urban geography units that follow in Year 4. Teachers should look for opportunities to use the local area as a case study throughout — even if there is no major river nearby, there will be evidence of drainage, weathering, and land use that brings these concepts to life.
Expected prior knowledge
- ✓Ability to use four-point compass directions and read a simple map with a key.
- ✓Knowledge of basic weather patterns and an understanding that different places have different climates.
- ✓Experience of fieldwork in the local area including land use surveys and traffic counts.
- ✓Understanding of the difference between human and physical geographical features.
Units across the year
Six half-term units covering all strands of the KS2 Geography programme of study.
Rivers and the Water Cycle
- –Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography, including rivers.
- –Describe the water cycle including evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.
- –Understand the course of a river from source to mouth and the features associated with each stage.
- –Model the water cycle using a sealed plastic bag with water, placed in sunlight, to observe evaporation and condensation.
- –Create an annotated cross-section diagram of a river from source to mouth, labelling key features.
- –Study a major UK river (e.g. the Thames or Severn) using an atlas and trace its course from source to sea.
- –Investigate how rivers shape the land using a tray of sand and water to model erosion and deposition.
Settlements: Where People Live and Why
- –Understand human geography, including types of settlement and land use.
- –Explain why early settlements developed in particular locations.
- –Understand the differences between hamlet, village, town, and city.
- –Investigate why early settlements were built near rivers, on flat land, or at crossroads using a map activity.
- –Sort settlements by size from hamlet to megacity using photographs and population data.
- –Study the land use of a local settlement and identify residential, commercial, industrial, and recreational zones.
- –Design an ideal settlement, explaining the reasons for every locational choice.
Mountains and Uplands of the UK
- –Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography, including hills and mountains.
- –Locate the major mountain ranges of the UK on a map.
- –Understand how mountains are formed and how they shape local weather and land use.
- –Locate and label the major mountain ranges of the UK (Pennines, Cairngorms, Snowdonia, Lake District) on an outline map.
- –Use contour lines on an Ordnance Survey map to identify hills and mountains and describe the relief of an area.
- –Investigate why it is colder and wetter at higher altitudes and how this affects farming and settlement.
- –Compare life in an upland area (e.g. the Lake District) with life in a lowland area (e.g. East Anglia).
Fieldwork Skills: Investigating Our Local Geography
- –Use fieldwork to observe, measure, record, and present the human and physical features in the local area using a range of methods.
- –Use four-figure grid references, symbols, and keys to build knowledge of the United Kingdom.
- –Use Ordnance Survey maps and digital mapping tools to investigate the local area.
- –Introduce four-figure grid references using a large printed OS map of the local area.
- –Conduct a structured environmental quality survey along a transect through the local area.
- –Use a clinometer to measure slope angles and record data on a field sketch.
- –Present fieldwork findings as an annotated map with a written evaluation of what was discovered.
Progression into Year 4
In Year 4, pupils extend their physical geography knowledge to include the dramatic processes of tectonic activity — volcanoes and earthquakes — while also deepening their human geography through a European regional study and a more detailed investigation of settlements and land use patterns.
Individual lesson plans
Full lesson frameworks — learning objectives, vocabulary, lesson structure, and common misconceptions — for each unit in this scheme.
View all Year 3 Geography lesson plans →