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Geography Curriculum 2023/24

KS3 Year 7

Autumn

Awe & Wonder: Pupils are introduced to a variety of map skills, which they will build upon throughout their geographical journey. Skills such as grid references, relief and scale are taught whilst also investigating the Wonders of the World, from Machu Pichu to the Colosseum.

Geography of Conflict: Conflicts across the world are studied during this unit, beginning with piracy in Somalia, moving on to blood diamonds in Sierra Leone and ending with war in the Middle East. Pupils will investigate a range of reasons for global conflict, along with their impacts and potential solutions.

Spring

Biomes: With the help of Disney, pupils will learn about a wide range of biomes in locations all around the world. They will look at the geographical location, climate, plants and animals in each biome, along with the changes in these biomes due to human activity.

Tectonic Hazards: This unit provides pupils with the foundation knowledge of a GCSE topic, which will support them should they choose to stay with the subject in Year 9 and beyond. Pupils will investigate the causes and impacts of recent earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis which shook the world.

Summer

Rivers: With a focus on the UK, pupils will look at various geographical features in and around   rivers. For example, they will be taught how waterfalls form, how the water cycle works and the way human activity can impact the environment in and around rivers.

Glaciation: Using their knowledge from the previous rivers topic, pupils will explore how ad why glaciers form, the landforms they create and the effects of human activity on remaining glaciers.

 

KS3 Year 8

Autumn

Development: Pupils begin the year looking at development of countries across the world. They will investigate why some countries are rich when others are in poverty, how world-famous businesses are impacting countries across the globe and what can be done to help those countries most in need.

Climate Change: Arguably one of the world’s largest environmental issues will be focused on in detail. Pupils will spend time looking at the causes and impacts of climate change, as well as the solutions to it provided by different countries and international figures. They will look at the opinions of activists such as Greta Thunberg and will take part in the ‘Fact or Fiction?’ debate within their class groups.

 

Spring

Africa: The first half of the spring term will be spent looking at various different geographical aspects of the African continent. Human topics such as development within the African nations will be followed by physical topics such as the different biomes in Africa, the issue of desertification and plant and animal adaptations across the continent.

Nigeria: Pupils will study Nigeria in detail, investigating the reasons for its importance, population changes and the impact of large, global companies such as Shell oil. This gives them an insight into a globally important country, which is also the subject of a unit studied at GCSE.

 

Summer

Urbanisation: Pupils will learn about the concept of urbanisation, the issues caused by it and the solutions to it. They will look at various geographical examples, from slums in India to sustainable cities in the Middle East.

Fieldwork: Pupils will build on key geographical skills taught to them in Year 7, whilst carrying out fieldwork on the school site. Pupils will carry out fieldwork from start to finish, collecting and analysing their own data, before writing up their results to prepare them for GCSE, should they choose to carry on with Geography in to Year 9.

 

KS4 Year 9

Autumn

Tectonic Hazards: Pupils will begin their GCSE course by studying the structure of the Earth and the formation and movement of tectonic plates. They will cover the formation and impact of both volcanoes and earthquakes, looking at in-depth case studies such as the Chile and Nepal earthquakes to enhance their understanding. Pupils will gain an understanding of how to protect people from the impacts of tectonic hazards and the implications this may have on those countries affected.

Weather Hazards: This topic explores the different types of weather hazards experienced both in the UK and across the world. It looks at where they can be found across the world and the reasons for this. There is a focus on the formation and impacts of tropical storms and also different methods used to reduce those impacts.

 

Spring

The Living World: Pupils will study the characteristics of many biomes across the world, looking at rainforests and deserts in detail. They will study the impacts of humans on these two different environments, as well as the physical structures of them and the characteristics of plants and animals native to them.

Coasts: Pupils will investigate the formation of a variety of different features on the UK coastline relating them to real-life examples such as Durdle Door and Old Harry Rocks. They will also judge for themselves whether the coastal management strategies in place in Lyme Regis are effective in protecting the town.

Summer

Rivers: During this topic, the processes and key features of UK rivers will be covered. Pupils will also look at the relationship between UK waterways and humans, focusing on recent case studies such as the Banbury floods.

Physical Geography Revision: Pupils will be taught a variety of different revision techniques, as well as how to effectively revise in preparation for their mock exam. They will practise these skills whilst working through the topics in the physical paper. Lessons will be tailored to the knowledge gaps and needs of individual classes to ensure students’ revision time is maximised.

KS4 Year 10

Autumn

The Urban World: Pupils will explore human processes and systems and how they interact and change. With a focus on Rio de Janeiro, they will investigate the social, economic and environmental opportunities and challenges for the population.

Urban Change: With a focus on Bristol, this unit explores the social and economic impacts of migration, the reasons behind the regeneration of some of Bristol’s neighbourhoods and the improved social opportunities for the local people.

Spring

The Development Gap: In this unit, pupils will investigate the distribution of wealth and resources across the world. They will be taught how population growth is monitored across the globally, as well as the impact of uneven development on some of the world’s poorest nations.

Nigeria: This unit covers both human and physical geographical issues across Nigeria. Pupils will investigate the impacts of transnational corporations, the changing employment structure, the     various different biomes and their impact on the country, to name but a few.

Summer

The Changing UK Economy: Looking at various case studies from across the UK, pupils will investigate how the industrial structure of the UK has changed, in addition to the impacts of improvements made to the UK’s transport system.

The Challenge of Resource Management: This unit gives pupils and understanding of the changing demands for food, water and energy and their importance with regard to human development. They will study the production of energy in particular, looking at the increasing demand for and conflict surrounding the resource. 

KS4 Year 11

Autumn

Urban Change: With a focus on Bristol, this unit explores the social and economic impacts of migration, the reasons behind the regeneration of some of Bristol’s neighbourhoods and the improved social opportunities for the local people.

Nigeria: This unit covers both human and physical geographical issues across Nigeria. Pupils will investigate the impacts of transnational corporations, the changing employment structure, the various different biomes and their impact on the country, to name but a few.

The Changing UK Economy: Looking at various case studies from across the UK, pupils will investigate how the industrial structure of the UK has changed, in addition to the impacts of improvements made to the UK’s transport system.

Spring

Fieldwork Techniques and Skills: Pupils will learn how to conduct a geographical enquiry and subsequently undertake a fieldwork day, where they will practise a variety of data collection  techniques. Back in the classroom they will learn how to present their data and analyse it, in preparation for the Paper 3 exam.

Paper 3 Pre-Release: A copy of the pre-release material will be given to the pupils. They will study it in lessons and the content will be taught in detail, prior to being given a clean copy in the exam.

Summer

Human and Physical Revision: The summer term will be spent revising for the GCSE exams. Lessons will be tailored by individual teachers, according to the identified knowledge gaps in their classes.

Revision lessons will be interspersed with practise exam questions, a walking-talking mock and lessons which are focused on the breakdown of exam questions and command words.