Geography

TERM 1

Mastering Geography:

In this unit students will be introduced to a range of practical skills needed within geography, which will be applied to Ordinance Survey Maps.

Students will learn how to read four and six figure grid references, describe features of a landscape using symbols and contour lines and calculate scale and distance accurately.

They will also have the opportunity to use Geographical Information Systems to plot data onto maps.

TERM 2

Hot and Cold Environments:

In this unit students will investigate two contrasting environments, a desert and tundra, in our world.

They will use geographical skills to compare climate, animal and plant adaptations and the opportunities and challenges people face living within them.

TERM 3

Coastal Landscapes:

In this unit students will learn about a variety of coastal landscapes around the United Kingdom.

They will know what features exist and how the coastline is shaped and changed by coastal processes.

TERM 1

Looking After Our World:

In this unit students will look broadly at ecosystems that exists in our world and then focus on how sustainability is a key modern day issue.

This includes learning how to live a more sustainable lifestyle and understanding the effects that waste and pollution can have on people and the environment.

TERM 2

Urban Challenges:

In this unit students will focus on the megacities of the world.

They will investigate how these cities can hold millionaires and slumming areas.

Students will engage with projects that have shaped and changed UK cities and think ahead of what could be different in the future.

TERM 3

Weather and Climate Change:

In this unit students will study the weather systems of the UK and focus on key weather events in history.

They will understand how they occurred, the impacts they had, and what responses the countries had to do in order to recover from the event.

TERM 1

Rivers and Skills:

In this unit students will be introduced to the journey of a river, understanding the processes which occur to shape a valley from start to finish.

Students will learn about the landforms which exist along a river course and how flooding is becoming a hazard to many parts of our world.

TERM 2

Globalisation:

In this unit students will understand how the world has become increasingly connected and influenced by each other.

Students will focus on different types of industry and the role of Transnational Cooperation’s. They will also understand how the development gap can be closed.

TERM 3

Tectonic Hazards:

In this unit students will study a variety of tectonic events which have occurred around the world.

Students will understand the causes, effects and responses of different countries and compare these events.

Students will engage in debates over how to prepare, protect and plan for future hazards.

TERM 1

Natural Hazards:

This unit is concerned with tectonic hazards, climate change and tropical storms.

Students will study about how earthquakes and volcanic eruptions cause devastation to parts of our world and how countries respond and handle these events.

TERM 2

Urban Issues and Challenges:

This unit is concerned with human processes, systems and outcomes and how these change both spatially and temporally.

They are studied in a variety of places and at a range of scales and must include places in various states of development, such as higher income countries (HICs), lower income countries (LICs) and newly emerging economies (NEEs)

TERM 3

Physical Landscapes – Rivers and Coasts:

This unit is concerned with the changing landscapes of the UK. Students will study the processes which shape rivers and coastal areas and identify different landforms that exist there.

Fieldwork:

This unit involves undergoing the planning, preparation and implantation of fieldwork required for GCSE Geography.

Students will learn about the risks involved, equipment and methods needs to undertake and analyse their results to make conclusions and consider improvements.

Students will complete two days of fieldwork as follows;

• Human environment – City based study.
• Physical environment – River based study.

TERM 1

Living World:

This unit involves understanding how global ecosystems operate and where they are located.

Students will understand the role of different food chain/web components and how these can impact an ecosystem.

Students will focus on the tropical rainforest ecosystem as a case study.

Cold Environments:

This unit involves a focus on the tundra and polar environments of the world.

Students will learn about the climate, plant and animal adaptations and the challenges and opportunities faced by people living in these environments.

Resource Management:

This unit involves a focus on the resources which are needed around the world and how they are spread.

Students will focus on the need for water and how this is ensured for most areas of the world and how it is problematic for some.

TERM 2

Cold Environments:

This unit involves a focus on the tundra and polar environments of the world.

Students will learn about the climate, plant and animal adaptations and the challenges and opportunities faced by people living in these environments.

TERM 3

Revision of all units/components:

In this term, students will be revising all topics and components for both GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature.

Topics Include:

• English Language Component 1 – fiction reading and writing
• English Language Component 2 – non-fiction reading and writing
• English Literature Component 1 – Shakespeare and Poetry Anthology
• English Literature Component 2 – ‘An Inspector Calls’, ‘A Christmas Carol’ and unseen poetry.

Key skills being developed:

• Revision of core language reading skills: retrieval, inference, analysis, evaluation and comparison.
• Revision of PAF, plan, DEAF and LINKS approach for reading questions.
• Revision of all core writing styles: creative writing, letters, speeches, articles, reviews, reports.
• Revision of how to improve writing through the use of sentences for effect, word choice, setting and character descriptions, use of tone, tenses and basic literacy skills.
• Relevant contexts, plots, characters, themes for all literature texts.
• Language analysis.
• Key subject terminology for effective analysis
• Exam practice: how to approach and improve responses.