Key Stage 3 geography · Human geography

KS3 natural resources: a guide for parents

Natural resources are the materials and energy from the planet that people use, from water and soil to timber, metals and fossil fuels. In Key Stage 3, students learn how resources are classified, where they come from, who uses them and what the costs and benefits of using them are. They are then asked to make and justify decisions about their use, which makes this a good topic for practising balanced, evidence-based writing.

The use of natural resources, explained

A natural resource is anything from the natural environment that people use. Geographers usually split resources into renewable and non-renewable. Renewable resources, such as wind, sunshine, moving water and well-managed forests and fish stocks, are replaced naturally within a human lifetime. Non-renewable resources, including coal, oil, natural gas and metal ores, took millions of years to form and will run out, or become too costly to extract, if we keep using them. Students also meet the idea that some “renewable” resources can still be used up if they are taken faster than they can recover, as with overfished seas.

Energy is the example most schools spend longest on. Students learn how fossil fuels formed from ancient plants and animals, why burning them releases carbon dioxide, and how a mix of sources produces the electricity used at home. They look at renewable options such as wind, solar, hydro-electric and tidal power, and at nuclear power, which is low in carbon dioxide emissions but not renewable because it relies on mined uranium, and which creates radioactive waste that must be stored safely. No source has no downsides, and students are taught to name both advantages and disadvantages.

Water, food and minerals are studied in the same way. Water seems unlimited in the UK, but it is unevenly spread, and a growing population and dry summers put pressure on supply. Soil is lost through erosion when land is over-farmed. Metals such as copper and the lithium used in batteries are mined in a small number of places, so supply can depend on politics and transport as well as geology. The key ideas are extraction (taking the resource), processing and transport, and each stage has costs for people and the environment.

The central idea is sustainability: meeting today’s needs without reducing the ability of future generations to meet theirs. Students look at ways to move towards it, including cutting waste, reusing and recycling materials, improving energy efficiency, replacing fossil fuels with renewables and setting quotas on fishing. They also learn that resource use is linked to natural systems, because the water cycle, the way soils form and the way forests absorb carbon dioxide are what keep many resources available. Disturb the system and the resource itself can change.

As elsewhere in the curriculum, schools choose their own detailed examples at different scales, for example a coalfield, an offshore wind farm, a reservoir, a mine or a fishery. Ask your teenager which ones they have studied. The strongest answers use a named example to back up each point and end with a judgement about whether the benefits outweigh the costs, not just a list of both.

Words your child will hear

Renewable resource: A resource that is replaced naturally in a short time, such as wind or well-managed timber.
Non-renewable resource: A resource that cannot be replaced within a human lifetime, such as coal, oil and gas.
Fossil fuel: A fuel formed over millions of years from the remains of living things, which releases carbon dioxide when burned.
Extraction: Taking a resource out of the ground or sea, by mining, drilling or fishing.
Sustainable: Using resources in a way that allows them to last for future generations.
Energy mix: The combination of different sources used to generate a country’s energy.
Conservation: Protecting and managing resources and habitats so that they are not wasted or lost.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 3 says:

Pupils should be taught to understand, through the use of detailed place-based exemplars at a variety of scales, the key processes in physical and human geography
Human geography relating to: population and urbanisation; international development; economic activity in the primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary sectors; and the use of natural resources
Pupils should be taught to understand how human and physical processes interact to influence and change landscapes, environments and the climate; and how human activity relies on the effective functioning of natural systems

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

A model answer: making a justified decision

A coastal region needs more electricity. Compare building an offshore wind farm with a gas-fired power station and recommend one.

Say what each is. Wind farms turn kinetic energy from moving air into electricity and use a renewable resource. A gas power station burns natural gas, a fossil fuel, which is non-renewable.
Weigh up the wind farm. Advantages: no carbon dioxide is produced when generating, the fuel is free and will not run out, and building and servicing the turbines creates local jobs. Disadvantages: output varies with the weather, so there are calm days with little electricity, construction is expensive, and turbines can affect seabirds and the look of the sea.
Weigh up the gas station. Advantages: it can be switched on whenever demand is high and is cheaper to build. Disadvantages: burning gas releases carbon dioxide, which adds to climate change, and the gas must be extracted and transported, possibly from another country. The resource will eventually run out.
Compare against criteria, such as reliability, cost, effect on climate, effect on wildlife and long-term supply, rather than just writing two lists. Say which criterion matters most and why.
Reach a judgement and show you have considered limits. For example, recommend the wind farm because it is sustainable in the long term, but add that some back-up supply or electricity storage will be needed for still days.

I would recommend the offshore wind farm. It produces electricity without releasing carbon dioxide and relies on a resource that will not run out, whereas gas is non-renewable and adds to climate change. Its main weakness is that wind speeds vary, so the region would need back-up supply or storage on calm days. For long-term sustainability the wind farm is the better choice, though its cost and its effect on seabirds should be managed carefully.

Common mistakes and how to help

Believing renewable energy has no environmental impact

“Clean” and “green” are used so often that students assume there are no costs.

What helps: Name the real impacts: wind turbines affect birds and landscapes, dams change river habitats, and solar panels need mined materials. The difference is usually in the scale of long-term harm, not that there is none.

Thinking non-renewable resources will suddenly “run out”

The phrase suggests a single day when the supply ends.

What helps: Explain that resources tend to become harder and more expensive to extract, with the cheapest and easiest sources used first. Prices, technology and discoveries all change when a resource effectively runs short.

Mixing up renewable with sustainable

The words sound alike, and many students use them interchangeably.

What helps: Renewable describes the resource; sustainable describes how it is used. Timber is renewable, but cutting a forest faster than it regrows is not sustainable.

Writing only pros and cons without reaching a decision

Lists feel safe, and students are not sure which side to pick.

What helps: Practise ending every answer with “overall” or “I would recommend”, followed by one reason and one limitation. A reasoned judgement scores much better than a neutral summary.

How to help at home

Read the meter together. Look at your gas or electricity use over a few weeks and discuss what changes it, such as heating, cooking or lighting. Ask where that energy comes from and how a household could use less.
Trace the resources in a product. Take a phone, a trainer or a tin of food and discuss which materials went into it and where they might have been extracted. Resources used in everyday items are a good base for a place-based example.
Track the household water. Estimate how many times a day each person uses water at home, and brainstorm safe, low-cost ways to waste less, such as taking shorter showers or turning off taps. Link it to why water supply is a resource question even in the UK.
Hold a family decision debate. Pick a local issue, such as a new wind farm, a quarry or a reservoir, and argue each side before voting. Insist that everyone finishes with a judgement and a limitation, as in the worked example.
Sort the bin. Look at what the household throws away and what could be reused or recycled. Talk about which of these materials are made from non-renewable resources, to show why reducing waste is a resource strategy.

Builds on

Key Stage 2: Climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts
Key Stage 2: Rivers and the water cycle
Key Stage 2: Mountains
Key Stage 2: Volcanoes and earthquakes
Key Stage 2: Settlements and land use
Key Stage 2: Economic activity and trade
Key Stage 2: Natural resources