KS3 Geography › Anthropocene: What is the impact of humans on the world?

What is the Anthropocene?

Geologists divide Earth's history into named chunks, and we're officially still in the Holocene. Some scientists argue that's wrong — that humans have changed the planet enough to have started a new epoch. Others voted against it. The argument is really about what counts as evidence.

KS3 Geography · Year 7–9 · Free worksheet with answers

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What you'll be able to do after this lesson

These are the points the worksheet questions are built around.

Explain how geological time is divided into eons, eras, periods and epochs
Describe the Holocene and explain when it began
Explain what the Anthropocene is and where the word comes from
Describe the two proposed start dates — the Industrial Revolution and the Great Acceleration
Explain what geological evidence would be needed to define a new epoch
Explain why scientists disagree about whether the Anthropocene should be recognised

Free worksheet — 3 questions, 13 marks

One page with a full answer key. Enough to check the lesson landed, and to see how the questions are written before you buy anything.

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Every resource comes with a full answer key and marking guidance. Instant download, yours to keep, print as many copies as your class needs.

Full worksheet

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100 marks
Three sections of increasing difficulty
Word banks on every fill-in-the-blank
Complete answer key

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Extension pack

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Vocabulary matching
Challenge quiz
Case study
Teach It Back, with rubric

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Complete lesson pack

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Using this with a class

You're welcome to embed the video and link these resources in Google Classroom, Stile, Canvas, Compass or any other school platform. No need to ask.

Everything here is written to the KS3 curriculum for students aged 11–14. Print freely for the classes you teach.

The rest of this unit

Anthropocene: What is the impact of humans on the world?

Watch the whole KS3 Geography playlist on YouTube →