Subject Information - Geography

VISION/AIM

The Geography department wants all students to make sense of the world’s contrasting environments (Human/ Physical) at both local and global scales. This includes knowledge of natural features on earth and how these processes interact with diverse socio-economic structures, cultures and histories.

The Geography department at FHES is enthusiastic and passionate about what our subject can offer our students and we are driven to achieve the highest standards. Our KS3 curriculum is broad, ambitious and covers a wide range of topics to foster students' curiosity and passion through exploration and investigation. We have carefully selected and sequenced the KS3 curriculum so that it supports students to make links between the topics they study across the 5 years through our subjects key threads. The curriculum is designed to progressively increase the level of challenge so that students' skills develop over time and acquire a depth of knowledge. All students are equipped with graphical, analytical and statistical skills to decipher and understand the complexities of the Earth, but also the literacy skills needed  to communicate their geographical thinking.

We are proud that geography is included in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) and that our subject enables students to become well rounded learners with many transferable skills. Geography opens the door to further education and a qualification in geography is considered desirable by many employers. We are committed to ensuring all students enjoy their time studying geography and want to support them in recognising their significance in the world. We seek to be responsive to the learning needs of every student and are inclusive to all. We believe that geography is an important subject for every young person to study, enabling them to learn about their diverse and exciting home here on earth.

Resources and support materials can be found on Google Classroom.

Please contact the curriculum Leader, Miss V Bell, for further information: vbell@fhes.org.uk

 

CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

 

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

Year 7
  • Introduction to Geography
    • Discover what Geography is and learn key map skills.
  • Ecosystems
    • Examine what an ecosystem is and their key characteristics.
  • Ecosystems School site field work; putting into practise our core geographical skills to discover whether FHES has a diverse ecosystem.
  • Settlements - urban and rural
    • Explore the different types of settlement and the factors that influence them.
  • Global development
    • Discover what factors influence development through a case study of Ghana.

 
  • Weather and climate/ climate change
    • Discover how to measure the weather and find out how it forms.
    • Examine how our global climate is changing.
  • Microclimate School site field work; putting into practise our core geographical skills to discover whether FHES has a microclimate.
  • Oceans
    • Discover what makes our five oceans important and how people rely on them.

Year 8
  • Africa’s biomes
    • Discover the range of ecosystems that span this vast and diverse continent through a range of case study examples.
  • Tectonic hazards      
    • Examine the structure of the Earth in order to understand how earthquakes and volcanoes are formed.
    • Discover how people live alongside tectonic hazards.
  • Urbanisation
    • Discover what opportunities and challenges urbanisation can cause in high and low income countries.
  • Coastal Landscapes 
    • Explore the UK’s unique coastline and landforms to find out why we should protect it.
  • Coastal regeneration fieldwork (1 Day trip off school site)
    • Using our geographical skills to examine whether there is a need for regeneration in a coastal location.
  • Tourism in the UK
    • Discover the different types of tourism that exist in the UK and the opportunities it provides.

Year 9
  • Cold environments
    • Discover what constitutes a cold environment and the opportunities and challenges that exist there through a case study of Antarctica.
  • Globalisation          
    • Examine what globalisation is and the opportunities and challenges that come from our global economy.
  • River landscapes
    • Discover the key features of rivers and their processes both in the UK and in other countries across the globe.
  • Extreme weather
    • Discover the range of atmospheric hazards which can exist and the impacts they have through case study examples in the USA.
  • Resource Management
    • Examine the range of opportunities and challenges in accessing food, water and energy globally.
  • Issue evaluation: Should a new cruise liner port be built in the Cayman Islands?
    • Use our geographical knowledge and skills to examine the case study in order to answer the question.

Year 10

● Topic 1: Hazardous Earth

● Topic 2: Development dynamics

Students cover GCSE Assessment Objectives.

● Topic 3: Challenges of an urbanising world

● Topic 4: The UK’s evolving physical landscape – including sub-topics 4A: Coastal change and conflict and 4B: River processes and pressures.

Students cover GCSE Assessment Objectives

● Topic 5: The UK’s evolving human landscape – including a Case Study - Dynamic UK cities.

Students cover GCSE Assessment Objectives

Year 11

● Topic 6: Geographical investigations – including one physical fieldwork investigation and one human fieldwork investigation linked to Topics 4 and 5.

● Topic 7: People and the biosphere

Students cover GCSE Assessment Objectives.
  • Topic 8: Forests under threat

● Topic 9: Consuming energy resources

  • Revision

Students cover GCSE Assessment Objectives.

 

 

KEY SKILLS

Key Skills

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Cartographic
  • Complete a range of simple OS map skills (symbols, 4 and 6 figure grid references, read contour lines, measure scale and distances, longitude and latitude coordinates)
  • Continue to practise skills embedded last year with models and scaffolds.
  • Use map skills to interpret problems and inform decision in order to construct arguments.
  • Continue to practise skills embedded in previous years with prompts and less scaffolds.

Graphical
  • Interpret, create and complete: Line graphs / Climate graphs / Pie charts / Choropleth maps /population pyramids.
  • Create sketch maps / sketches from photos and annotate.
  • New skills: Interpret, create and complete: Radar graphs /  Land use transect.
  • New skills: Interpret, create and complete: Flow line /Isoline maps / Dot dispersions /Pictograms /Proportional symbols /Scatter graphs and lines of best fit.

Statistical

  • Calculate simple statistics: Example: Mean / Range
  • Calculate simple statistics: Example: Mean / Range / Median / Mode / Percentage increase and decrease 
  • Calculate simple statistics Example: Mean / Range / Median / Mode / Percentage increase and decrease

Literacy
  • Simple use of subject specific vocabulary - eg defining and identifying key terms.
  • Describe locations graphs, characteristics of different locations.
  • Label and annotate photos and figures.
  • Explain impacts.
  • Use data, statistics  and specific case study examples to support written explanations.

 
  • Use more challenging subject specific e vocabulary - eg defining, identifying and including them in their written work.
  • Compare and contrast to form an opinion.
  • Oracy: debate arguments for and against.
  • Subject specific vocabulary embedded and used written work.
  • Describe graphs, maps and figures and interpret data to make links to  the knock on social, economic and environmental impacts.
  • Use data within written work to support arguments.
  • Discuss / evaluate/ assess / too what extent.
  • Counter argue points to consider limitations.
  • Oracy: debate arguments for and against and pose counter arguments.

Field work

  • Two simple physical geography  investigations. Data collected on school grounds.
  • Answer a simple hypothesis question, use simple data collection techniques to form a conclusion.
  • One simple human geography  investigation. Data collected outside of school.
  • Answer a simple hypothesis question. Use a wider range of data collection techniques to form a conclusion.
  • Use investigation data to Identify a solution and design a proposal.

No field work completed this year.

 

GCSE Assessment Objectives / Skills

Year 10

Year 11

AO1:  Demonstrate knowledge of locations, places, processes, environments and different scales

  • Show knowledge of places and locations by using specific examples, quote statistics and data about different locations within their written work.
  • Independently use case study examples within written work without a model or prompt.

AO2:  Demonstrate geographic understanding of:

 ● concepts and how they are used in relation to places, environments and processes

● the inter-relationships between places, environments and processes

  • Students are able to identify and explain different social, economic and environmental impacts across a range of different topics.
  • Subject specific tier three vocabulary embedded and used written work automatically.

 
  • Independently develop points to explain the knock on social, economic and environmental impacts.
  • Independently complete all practise questions without a model, prompt or scaffold.
  • Independently use subject specific tier three vocabulary in all written work.

 

AO3:   Apply knowledge and understanding to interpret, analyse and evaluate geographical information and issues and to make judgements
  • Level of challenges increases as students begin to assess the extent / justify the social economic and environmental opportunities and challenges in different locations.
  • Express the scale of impacts (small /large) to identify to what extent the problems or opportunities really are opportunities or challenges.

 
  • Independently develop points to justify and express the scale of impacts in different locations.
  • Independently counter argue points.

 

 

AO4:   Select, adapt and use a variety of skills and techniques to investigate questions and issues and communicate findings
  • Continue to use previous years graphical skills with a prompt but no scaffolds in order to interpret, create and complete a range of graphs.
  • Calculate statistics from data with prompt. Example: Mean / Range / Median / Mode / Percentage increase and decrease/ Interquartile range/ Percentiles.
  • Continue to practise cartographic skills embedded in previous years.
  • Independently complete all statistical, graphical and cartographic skills with no model or scaffold.

 

Field work

  • Two investigations, one human geography and one physical geography fieldwork enquiry. Data collected outside of school using a range of techniques.
  • Create cross profiles and transect to present data.
  • Describe, explain and justify all aspects of both investigations.
  • Independently answer questions on elements from both of their GCSE field work without a model, prompt or scaffold.

 

 

GCSE GEOGRAPHY EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

Edexcel B

Paper 1

Global Geographical Issues

● Topic 1: Hazardous Earth

● Topic 2: Development dynamics

● Topic 3: Challenges of an urbanising world

Paper 2

UK Geographical Issues

● Topic 4: The UK’s evolving physical landscape – including sub-topics 4A: Coastal change and conflict and 4B: River processes and pressures.

● Topic 5: The UK’s evolving human landscape – including a Case Study - Dynamic UK cities.

● Topic 6: Geographical investigations – including one physical fieldwork investigation and one human fieldwork investigation linked to Topics 4 and 5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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