This Geography scheme of work video supports teachers in helping pupils explore the positive and negative impacts of living near a volcano, using Mount Etna in Sicily as a case study. It introduces both historical context, and present-day realities of volcanic monitoring and life in volcanic regions.

Teachers are guided through how to present the destructive consequences of an eruption: loss of life, damage to farmland and ecosystems, air and water pollution, and indirect effects such as earthquakes or tsunamis. At the same time, the video highlights the benefits of volcanic environments. The lesson encourages balanced discussion and critical thinking, prompting pupils to consider why people stay in these areas—looking beyond choice to factors such as financial barriers, family ties, and economic reliance on the local landscape.

This video is part of Kapow Primary’s Geography: Mountains teacher videos and helps children contextualise their knowledge of volcanoes through real-world human geography.

See more our Year 3 and Year 4 Geography scheme of work.

• Geography, Year 3, Why do people live near volcanoes?, Lesson 4: What are the effects of a volcanic eruption?
• Geography, Y3/4 (A), Why do people live near volcanoes?, Y3/4 (A): Lesson 4: What are the effects of a volcanic eruption?