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Geography - People & the Environment

 
Building Newbury Bypass. Ref:NMR 15811/04 ©  Crown copyright.NMR 

Large Image

This photograph was taken in October 1997.  It is an aerial view of the Newbury by-pass, in Berkshire, under construction at Speen Moor Plantation. Work started in 1996 against much opposition and the road finally opened in 1998.


Teaching Idea


What can a photograph tell us about how people impact on the environment?

Ask pupils to look at the photograph of the Newbury Bypass being built. Ask them what it tells us about people and their environment. Use this question and the information in the teachers' notes below to start a discussion about the environmental impact of road schemes such as the Newbury Bypass.

What are the environmental impacts of building new roads? Why do we need them? You could divide the class into two teams, planners and 'eco-warriors'. Each team has to prepare a presentation about why the by-pass (use Newbury as an example or a scheme more relevant to your location) should or should not be built.

Teachers Notes: Motoring Facts


Learning Aims and Outcomes

  • Contribute to group and class discussion
  • Identify and use relevant information sources
  • Identify people who are affected by the environmental issue
  • Identify the rights and responsibilities of different groups within society, including themselves
  • Justify their opinions orally and/or in writing
  • Recognise their own values and opinions about the issues they are investigating


Prior Knowledge

  • A broad concept of what environmental issues are and how they might affect different people


Extended Learning and Useful Links