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Geography

Geography

Subject Leader: Mr Philip Keating

“We aim to develop deeper applied learning through the use of REAL in our lessons. Geography aims to develop knowledge, skills, concepts, values and attitudes through an approach that sees Geography as an integral part of the whole school curriculum. Geography offers a unique importance and perspective in equipping pupils with key attributes needed for later life.”

By the end of KS3, students should

  1. Understand and study a range of processes in a range of geographical locations to equip them with the knowledge to understand how we impact the world and how it impacts us.
  2. Know the importance of geography in understanding the development of civilization and countries.
  3. Have studied and learnt from a range of past events (case studies) that highlight key geographical concepts.

By the end of KS4, students will

  1. 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).
  2. Be encouraged to understand their role in society, by considering different viewpoints, values and attitudes through a range of topics of study including climate change, poverty, deprivation, global shifts in economic power and the challenge of sustainable resource use.
Key Stage 3 Roadmap
Year 7 Topics Year 8 Topics
Term 1 - What is Geography Term 1 - Globalisation
Term 2 - Glaciation Term 2 - Tectonics
Term 3 - Paradise Lost Term 3 - Are there still Superpowers?
Term 4 - Physical Landscapes (coasts) Term 4 and 5 - Prisoners of Geography
Term 5 - Weather and Climate Term 6 - What will make us extinct?
Term 6 - Africa  
Overview

Assessment

Pupils complete an assessment in class once a half-term.  Therefore, they will be assessed 6 times over the course of the year.  These assessments are marked and awarded a level with detailed feedback provided for the pupils to reflect upon and used to improve their level for the next assessment. The assessments will have a structured and consistent approach so that students know what to expect and to reduce exam anxiety. In addition, pupils are also set one assignment per half-term for homework to complete in order to help support their in class progression and develop research and independence skills. There will also be a variety of peer and self-marked work pieces throughout the year.

At the end of the year pupils will complete an end of year exam which will test their understanding of all the topics covered over the course of the full year.

Homework

Homework is set half-termly and students will have to complete three tasks from a bank of choices.  It is expected that each task should take approximately thirty to forty minutes to complete.

Pupils and parents can access this from home. Pupils will also record that homework has been set and the due date in their planners. A choice of homework will be offered. This will include:

  • A task to consolidate learning from the lesson
  • A task to extend the learning form the lesson
  • A task to broaden the learning beyond what has been covered in the lesson
  • Creative and collaborative tasks

How Parents and Carers Can Support

  • Encourage your child to ask teachers for help if there are any difficulties
  • Check that homework is being done
  • Help your child understand keywords
  • Check spellings
  • Help your child research topics when needed
  • Help prepare revision resources and tests to check understanding
  • Encourage the use of any additional resources for information, for example the library, the Internet etc

Additional Support Available/Useful Links

Websites

Reading List

  • Prisoners of Geography
  • What's Where on Earth: Our World As You've Never Seen It Before
  • No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference: Greta Thunberg

Key Stage 4 Roadmap

Year 9 Topics Year 10 Topics Year 11 Topics
Term 1 - Geographical Skills Term 1 - Urban Issues and Challenges (Rio) Terms 1-3 - Revision and Mock preparation
Term 2 - Natural hazards - Tectonics Term 2 - Urban Issues and Challenges (Bristol) Term 4 onwards - Paper 3 and exam techniques
Term 3 - Natural hazards - Weather Term 3 - Ecosystems  
Term 4 - The Challenge of Resource Management Term 4 and 5 - The Changing Economic World (Development)  
Term 5 - Physical Landscapes in the UK: Coasts Term 6 - The changing Economic World (Nigeria and the UK)  
Term 6 - Physical Landscapes in the UK: Rivers    

Overview

Exam Board and syllabus code

AQA GCSE Geography

Content

The GCSE will involve 3 papers that pupils will sit at the end of the course in Year 11.  There is no coursework or controlled assessment for GCSE Geography.

Paper 1: Living with the physical environment

Section A – Natural Hazards

  • Natural hazards pose major risks to people and property
  • The effects and management of tectonic hazards
  • The effects and management of atmospheric hazards and climate change

Section B – The Living World

  • What are ecosystems?
  • Characteristics and management of Tropical Rainforests
  • Characteristics and management of Hot Deserts

Section C – Physical Landscapes in the UK

  • Diverse landscapes in the UK
  • Coastal landforms, processes and management
  • River landforms, processes and management

How it is assessed

Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes

88 marks (including 3 marks for spelling, punctuation, grammar and specialist terminology (SPaG)) 35% of GCSE

Questions

Section A: answer all questions (33 marks)

Section B: answer all questions (25 marks)

Section C: answer any two questions from questions 3, 4 and 5 (30 marks)

Question types: multiple-choice, short answer, levels of response, extended prose

Paper 2: Challenges in the Human Environment

Section A – Urban Issues and Challenges

  • - What is Urbanisation?
  • - What are the opportunities and challenges of living in an LIC/NEE?
  • - What are the opportunities and challenges of living in a UK city?
  • - How can we make cities more sustainable?

Section B – The Changing Economic World

  • How do we measure development and why does development vary globally?
  • How does rapid economic development growth in LIC’s and NEE’s lead to significant social, environmental and cultural change?
  • How have major changes in the economy of the UK affected, and continue to affect, employment patterns and regional growth?

Section C – The Challenge of Resource Management

  • Why are food, water and energy fundamental to human development?
  • Why is the changing demand and provision of resources in the UK creating opportunities and challenges?
  • How can resource insecurity lead to conflict?

How it's assessed

Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes 88 marks (including 3 marks for SPaG) 35% of GCSE

Questions

Section A: answer all questions (33 marks)

Section B: answer all questions (30 marks)

Section C: answer question 3 and one from questions 4, 5 or 6 (25 marks)

Question types: multiple-choice, short answer, levels of response, extended prose

Paper 3: Issues Evaluation and Fieldwork

Section A – Issues Evaluation

  • This section contributes a critical thinking and problem solving element to the assessment structure. The assessment will provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate geographical skills and applied knowledge and understanding by looking at a particular issue(s) derived from the specification using secondary sources

Section B – Fieldwork

  • Understand the use of fieldwork materials from an unfamiliar context
  • Understand how individual enquiry works. For these questions students will have to identify the titles of their individual enquiries.

How it's assessed

Written exam: 1 hour 15 minutes 76 marks (including 6 marks for SPaG) 30% of GCSE

Pre-release resources booklet made available 12 weeks before Paper 3 exam

Questions

Section A: answer all questions (37 marks)

Section B: answer all questions (39 marks)

Question types: multiple-choice, short answer, levels of response, extended prose

Assessment

Pupils will be assessed once every half-term through a formal and comprehensive assessment completed in class. The assessment questions will be entirely based on GCSE questions to help them develop, understand and embed the exam skills they will need to use in Year 10, Year 11 and the final examinations. These will be marked, awarded a level and pupils will be provided with detailed feedback in order to help them improve their grades. They will also be given opportunities to redraft and improve their assessments using success criteria to help them understand the next steps needed to progress in geography.

Homework:

How Parents and Carers Can Support

  • Encourage your child to ask teachers for help if there are any difficulties.
  • Check that homework is being done.
  • Help your child understand keywords.
  • Check spellings.
  • Help your child research topics when needed.
  • Help prepare revision resources and tests to check understanding.
  • Encourage the use of any additional resources for information, for example the library, the Internet etc
  • Encourage pupils to engage with their issues personal learning checklists (PLC’s) which guide students on what they need to know for each unit.

Additional Support Available/Useful Links

Websites

Textbooks - Revision Books

  • GCSE 9-1 Geography AQA Revision Guide (with Online Ed) Product code: GAR45 ISBN: 9781782946106
  • GCSE Geography AQA: Revision Bundle Product code: GACUB41
  • GCSE Geography AQA Student Book (GCSE Geography AQA 2016) ISBN-10 0198366612