Geography

We study a range of fascinating physical and human topics throughout Key Stage 3 Geography. Each September, we begin the academic year by entering the Royal Geographical Society “Young Geographer of the Year” award where students create a poster on a topic chosen by the society.

In Year 7, our topics include Risky World, Our Interconnected World, Rain or Shine and a Water Issue evaluation/debate. These topics include lessons about real life earthquakes and flood events, as well as discussions on globalisation and water insecurity. Students also take part in a microclimate investigation around school.

In Year 8, our topics include How our World Works, Population, Uncertain World and a Tropical Rainforest issue evaluation/debate. Students explore China’s one child policy, the global plastic problem, climate change and tsunamis.

In Year 9, our topics include Tropical Storms, Development and Aid, The Geography of Stuff, Ice and Snow and Unpredictable World. Students will learn about the causes, impacts and management of Hurricane Katrina, the development of Dubai, ice ages, glaciation and the pros and cons of Aid.

Key stage 3 Geography is about developing young Geographers who are interested and passionate about the natural world and our relationship with the Earth. We hope to inspire lifelong learning and a love for the environment, as well as empathy for those who are suffering in the world. The knowledge and skills learned in Key Stage 3 Geography will aid students well into our GCSE course.

This exciting and relevant course studies a balance of physical and human themes and investigates the link between them. Students will travel the world from their classroom, exploring case studies in the United Kingdom (UK), higher income countries (HICs), newly emerging economies (NEEs) and lower income countries (LICs). Topics of study include climate change, poverty, deprivation, global shifts in economic power and the challenge of sustainable resource use. Students are also encouraged to understand their role in society, by considering different viewpoints, values and attitudes.

In Year 10, our topics include the Challenge of Natural Hazards, the Challenge of Resource Management, The Living World and Urban Issues & Challenges. These lessons include topics such as tropical storms, earthquakes, climate change and the increasing risk of extreme weather in the UK . We also discuss the future of world energy supplies, such as fracking & sustainable energy. We study how plants & animals adapt to the conditions in tropical rainforests & hot deserts. We compare the challenges & opportunities facing people living in Mumbai (India) and London.

In Year 11, our topics include Physical Landscapes in the UK and The Changing Economic World. We study coastal & river landforms such as waterfalls & sand dunes and also management schemes to combat coastal erosion & river flooding. We conduct two geographical enquiries in Seahouses. We issue the AQA pre-release booklet after Easter & then debate the problem ready to make a decision in the exam.

Our new specification excites students’ minds, challenge perceptions and stimulate their investigative and analytical skills. It reflects the world today. All of this helps students with the knowledge, skills and enthusiasm sought by higher education and employers. Geography is an important academic subject which is highly regarded by both universities and employers.

In Year 12, our topics include Changing Places which focuses on people’s engagement with places, their experience of them and the qualities they ascribe to them, all of which are of fundamental importance in their lives. Hazards focuses on the lithosphere and the atmosphere, which intermittently but regularly present natural hazards to human populations, often in dramatic and sometimes catastrophic fashion. Coastal Systems & Landscapes focuses on coastal zones, which are dynamic environments in which landscapes develop by the interaction of winds, waves, currents and terrestrial and marine sediments.

In Year 13, our topics include Water & Carbon Cycles which focuses on the major stores of water and carbon at or near the Earth’s surface and the dynamic cyclical relationships associated with them. Global Systems & Global Governance focuses on globalisation – the economic, political and social changes associated with technological and other driving forces which have been a key feature of our global economy and society in recent decades.Resource Security focuses on the large-scale exploitation of unevenly distributed natural resources, which is one of the defining features of the present era. Students are also tasked with producing a 4000 word individual geographical enquiry on a topic of their choice.

Key Stage 3

Students sit ‘Big Writes’ to test extended writing skills and mid/end of year tests.

GCSE

Students are assessed at the end of each topic, but each subsequent test will then contain questions from previous topics. The questions will be : definitions, multiple choice, mathematical calculations, mapwork, data response & 9 mark essays, including SPaG tags.

Students need to carry out fieldwork & analyse a pre-release issue evaluation document for Paper 3.

Paper 1:Living with the Physical Environment (1 ½ hours) the Challenge of Natural Hazards, Living World & Physical Landscape in the UK. – 35% of the course

Paper 2: Challenges in the Human Environment (1 ½ hours) Urban Issues & Challenges, Changing Economic World & Challenge of Resource Management – 35 % of the course

Paper 3:Geographical Applications (1 ¼ hours) – 30% of the course

A Level

Assessments will be based on past paper questions & could be any of the following styles: definitions & multiple choice (4 marks), analysis of data (6 or 9 marks) and/or 20 mark essay questions.

Paper 1: Physical Geography (2 ½ hours) Water & Carbon Cycles, Coastal Systems & Landscapes, Hazards. – 40% of the course.

Paper 2: Human Geography (2 ½ hours) Global Systems & Global Governance, Changing Places & Resource Security. – 40% of the course

Geographical fieldwork investigation: Students complete an individual investigation of 4000 words which must include data collected in the field. – 20% of the course.

AQA

Guidance on how to revise Geography & how to access resources are shared with students & parents prior to Key Stage 3 mid/ end of year assessments & GCSE mock exams.

Tools that students can use to revise include:

• GCSE Assessment folder containing past exam papers & end of unit tests from year 10 & 11 – student’s own.

• GCSE Case study booklet for Human Geography – produced by the school

• GCSE Case study booklet for Physical Geography – produced by the school

• GCSE Physical landscapes & processes booklet – produced by the school

• GCSE case study presentation with Youtube links – produced by the school

• All GCSE students have a CGP revision guide they keep at home.

• GCSE Bitesize Geography.(www.bbc.com/bitesize).

• www.coolgeography.co.uk for case studies.

• Kerboodle for a copy of our GCSE textbook, research documents on specific topics GeoActive (for GCSE & more able KS3) and Geofile (for A level). (www.kerboodle.com). Students should be issued with a username & password for Kerboodle.

• TV documentaries & channels such as National Geographic.

• Past exam papers, copies of the specification & exemplar A Level projects can be found on the exam board website. www.aqa.org.uk

People with a geography degree are very employable,they have one of the lowest unemployment rates on leaving university. This is due to the wide range of skills acquired – debating, decision- making, problem solving, map skills,fieldwork & data collection,report writing, analysing data,teamwork & communication. We promote both numeracy & literacy. We are an arts & science subject. We help you gain a world view & have cultural sensitivity.

Jobs involving Geography include:

Surveyor

Architect

Planner

Doctor

Vet

Hazard management

Weather forecaster

Farmer

Military

Business manager

Outdoor education

Tourism

Estate agent

Land management

ICT – geospatial data

Conservation

Social worker

Journalist

Ms L Smith – Head of Department

Mr A Smith – KS3 coordinator

Mrs A Harrison

Mr C Adams

Mrs J Patten