Lesson Plan

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Lesson Plan
Grade: Date: 18/01/2026
Subject: Geography
Lesson Topic: The concept of a hierarchy of urban areas in a country
Learning Objective/s:
  • Describe the concept of an urban hierarchy and its significance in national spatial organization.
  • Explain the factors that determine the rank of urban centres (population, services, economy, transport, political status, history).
  • Compare different types of urban systems (primacy, polycentric, dual‑city) and discuss their implications for regional development.
Materials Needed:
  • Projector or interactive whiteboard
  • PowerPoint/Google Slides presentation with hierarchy diagram
  • Printed handouts of the urban‑hierarchy table
  • World map or country case‑study maps
  • Markers and chart paper for group activity
  • Exit‑ticket slips
 Introduction:
Begin with a quick image of a city skyline and ask students to name the services they see. Link this to prior learning about population size and economic functions. State that by the end of the lesson they will be able to explain how and why cities are ranked in a national hierarchy.
Lesson Structure:
  1. Do‑now (5'): Students list three services they think only large cities provide.
  2. Mini‑lecture with slides (10'): Define urban hierarchy, primacy, polycentric and functional hierarchy.
  3. Table analysis activity (15'): In pairs, examine the provided hierarchy table and identify key differences between levels.
  4. Group discussion (10'): Compare primacy, polycentric and dual‑city systems using world examples.
  5. Diagram creation (10'): Groups draw a pyramid diagram showing the hierarchy and annotate factors influencing rank.
  6. Check for understanding (5'): Quick quiz via Kahoot or show of hands on key concepts.
Conclusion:
Recap the main reasons cities occupy different positions in the hierarchy and how this shapes regional development. Students complete an exit ticket stating one factor that could shift a city’s rank. Assign homework to research their local town’s place in the national hierarchy and prepare a short summary.