Geography
Key Stage 3
Aims
Geography offers opportunities for pupils to:
- investigate a wide range of people, places and environments at different scales around the world;
- study geographical patterns and processes and how political, economic, social and environmental factors affect contemporary geographical issues;
- investigate how places and environments are interdependent;
- carry out geographical enquiry, including identifying geographical questions and developing their own opinions;
- carry out geographical investigations inside and outside the classroom;
- use a range of investigative and problem-solving skills and resources, including different types of maps and atlases, satellite images, aerial photographs, texts and ICT.
Topics at Key Stage 3
|
Year 8 |
Watery World |
African Adventures |
Extreme Environments |
Fragile Environments |
People all over the world |
Feeding the Planet |
|
Year 9 |
Tourists, Tourists, Everywhere |
Crime and Community |
Explosive Geography |
Issues of Global Concern |
Geography and Sport |
Passport to the world |
Fieldwork is undertaken in year 8, where students study a local river in the Peak District and visit a local farm. We have been fortunate to have explorers demonstrate to our students the extreme conditions in which they have worked.
In year 9 students carry out local tourist surveys in Castleton, crime surveys in the local area and each year look at topical global issues. Our School police officer gives talks to students about crime prevention. Towards summer term we move to look at sporting issues – the Olympics; World Cup; Grand Prix; Wimbledon.
Key Stage 4
This is a new course from September 2009.
This course follows a modular structure:
Unit 1: Managing Places in the 21st Century
Section A: The Coastal Environment
With over four billion people living in coastal areas and numbers growing rapidly the need to understand and appreciate the issues involved in managing these areas is critical. Coastal areas are one of the most dynamic global environments and are being constantly re-shaped by both natural processes and the demands of economic development. With the increasing threat of rising sea levels the demand for the sustainable management of coastal areas will become even more critical.
Section B: The Urban Environment
The world is becoming increasingly urban – it is estimated that by 2020 over 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas. In developing countries large numbers of people are moving to core urban-industrial areas in the hope of improving their quality of life. In developed countries many urban areas have gone through a period of economic decline; the challenge in these areas is often about improving socio-economic conditions and addressing environmental issues.
Unit 2: Hostile World
Section A: Living with Natural Hazards
Many people now live in hostile areas of the world. Areas close to plate boundaries and areas that suffer from tropical storms or wildfires can pose dangers for the people who live there. They have to be able to understand the causes and effects of these hazards in order to prepare for and respond to them.
Section B: The Challenge of Extreme Environments
Due to increasing population pressure and demand for resources, more people are living in extreme environments. They have to face the challenge of adapting to and managing these inhospitable yet fragile areas.
Unit 3: Investigating the Shrinking World
Section A: Investigating the Globalisation of Industry
Companies organise and locate all over the world as industry becomes increasingly globalised. This change has impacts on people and places and requires careful management in order to ensure that it is sustainable.
The global nature of modern industry has led to changes in the development gap.
Section B: Investigating Global Tourism
Tourism is a rapidly growing industry. Increased opportunities to travel mean that many people have become global consumers of tourism. This growth has impacts on people and places and requires careful management in order to ensure that it is sustainable. The global nature of the modern tourist industry has led to changes in the development gap.
Unit 4: Local Investigation including Fieldwork and Geographical Issue Investigation
Task One: Local Investigation including Fieldwork (15% of the full GCSE)
Task Two: Geographical Issue Investigation (10% of the full GCSE)
Students are assessed on either Section A or Section B in Units 1, 2 and 3.
This will be assessed by means of controlled assessment. Candidates will work prepared under controlled conditions based on a tasks provided by the examination board.
