Year 7 lesson introducing site and situation

1. How did settlements
start?

2. Why did humans settle down?

3. Learning Objectives
 To know and understand why humans began
to settle in places (agriculture, religion, conflict
etc)
 To know the difference between site and
situation
 To understand how these influence
settlements

4. What doesWhat does ‘Settlement’ mean?‘Settlement’ mean?
 On your own, list the words that you would
include in the definition
 Now share your words in pairs
 Share as a table and write a definition as a
table

5. Settlement
 A settlement is a place where groups of
people live.
 Settlements can range from small hamlets and
villages to huge cities such as London
 50% of the world’s population now live in
cities.

6. Site and situation
 A site is the actual place where a settlement
developed. It describes the physical nature of where
it is located.
 E.g. water supply, building materials, quality of soil,
climate, shelter and defence
 The situation of a settlement is the description of
the settlement in relation to surrounding features
such as other settlements and physical features
around it. The situation of a settlement is the most
important in determining whether it grows to

7. •Site
•Situation
•Function
•Shape
•Population
•Area
How can we describe settlements?

8. Settlement Sites
A
B
C
You are the chief of a small tribe who have migrated
from your homelands in the south due to war. You
have arrived in a new area but need to choose
between sites A, B and C for your new settlement.
Explain how you decided on your choice of site.

9. Reasons to
choose a
settlement site

10. Main types of site
 Dry point sites – built on higher, drier ground
to avoid flooding from rivers
 Wet point sites – built by rivers or springs to
improve access to water
 Defensive – built on a protective site e.g. steep
sided hills, surrounded by water
 Bridging point i.e. to cross a river where it’s
narrow enough
 Nodal point – centre of several
communications

11. Dry Point Sites
Settlements that have been built upon higher land
above the floodplain to protect them from flooding or
upon “islands” of higher, drier ground in an
otherwise marshy area. For example, Ely in
Cambridgeshire.
Wet Point Sites
Settlements that have been built by rivers or at
springs to improve their access to water. For
example, Kingston-Upon-Thames in Surrey.
Settlement Sites

12. Defence
Settlements that have been built on a site that
protects them from surrounding tribes. Such sites
may have been protected on three sides by water
(eg Durham) or on a hill with steep sides and
commanding views.
Gordes, France

13. Bridging Points
These settlements are located by a bridge on a
river. They might originally have been built by a
ford in the river. For example, Bedford in
Bedfordshire.
Nodal Points
These settlements are located where several
valleys (natural routes) meet to give a route centre.
Communications

14. Food supply
Settlements that were located on suitable land for
animal grazing and for growing crops.
Fuel supply
Settlements that were built by wooded areas or in
later times on coalfields. Fuel was vital for both
heating and cooking.
Which factors of location are still applicable today in
Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs)?
Resources

15. Settlements that were built in sheltered areas such as
valleys or in bays at coastal locations. Aspect (the
direction in which a settlement faces) was also an
important consideration. Settlements would be more
ideally located on south-facing slopes in the Northern
Hemisphere and on north-facing slopes in the Southern
Hemisphere. For example, in Britain, it was an
advantage to be sheltered from cold winds blowing
from the North, and to be facing South which meant
more sunlight.
Aspect and Shelter
Northern Hemisphere
sun is in the Southsettlements on
south-facing slopes
receive more heat
and sunlight
SN

16. B
A
C
D
E
Match the description of the
settlement sites to the
locations A to E on the map.
N
Bridging point
Defensive site
Wet point site
Dry point site
Nodal point

17. B
A
C
D
E
Match the description of the
settlement sites to the
locations A to E on the map.
N
Bridging point
Defensive site
Wet point site
Dry point site
Nodal point
Nodal point
Bridging point
Defensive site
Wet point site
Dry point site