Geography

Year 8 Geography

Subject intent

In year 7 you learnt about the countries of the UK, its physical landscapes, weather and climate and the people of our islands.

The first unit of work in Year 8 is ‘Work, rest and play in the UK’.  You start with ‘The world of work’ in which you will look at the four employment sectors: primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary.  ‘Changing employment’ focusses on the number of people employed in these job sectors and how this has changed over time.  ‘Communications and transport’ looks at changes in the way the population communicates and travels around the UK.  In ‘How do we spend our free time?’ you will learn about how people in the UK use their leisure time.  ‘The geography of sport’ looks at how people in the UK watch sport or participate in sporting activities and how the football industry is a good example of the process of globalisation.  This topic ends with ‘Skills Focus: Decision-making exercises’, in which you will investigate whether Heathrow should have a third runway.

The second theme studied is ‘Challenges and opportunities in the UK’.  ‘Poverty in the UK’ looks at people living in poverty in the UK and the things being done to reduce homelessness and help those in poverty.  ‘Water supplies’ investigates our insufficient resources to meet the demand and how new reservoirs can be built to ensure water security, although this can be controversial.  ‘Waste management’ looks at ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ strategies to manage household waste.  ‘Air pollution’ has serious environmental, economic and social impacts in the UK.  You will investigate how the UK is trying to reduce car use by promoting cycling and public transport.  ‘Energy’ looks at how the UK’s energy production has changed over time and why the UK must find ways to use more renewable energy sources.  The topic concludes with ‘Skills Focus: GIS’, in which you will learn that geographical information systems are an important mapping tool for geographers.

Year 8 then shift focus from 'The geography of the United Kingdom' to ‘The geography of the wider world’.  This begins with ‘Our physical world’.  You will learn in ‘A world of extremes’ that latitude and longitude are used to locate aspects of global physical geography, such as mountains, rivers, seas and oceans.  In ‘Our underwater world’ you will investigate underwater landforms such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the Mariana Trench and the theory of plate tectonics.  You will then study ‘Earthquakes’, how the cause and location of earthquakes is largely determined by plate mechanisms and how earthquakes can trigger devastating tsunamis.  In ‘Volcanoes’ you will understand their distribution and the variety of hazards associated with volcanic eruptions.  You will then study ‘Global weather and climate’ in which you will learn about the pattern of global climate and how it reflects latitude, the distribution of land and sea and ocean currents.  Finally, you will study ‘Skills Focus: Comparing maps’ in which you will use maps to learn about how hurricanes can be accurately tracked and forecasts made to help prepare people.

The final unit of work in Year 8 is on the theme of ‘Our living world’.  In the ‘The story of bamboo’ you will learn about one of the world’s most versatile and sustainable plants.  ‘Where does my breakfast come from?’ is an investigation of staple food crops for people all over the world and their journey ‘from field to plate’.  In ‘Ecosystems – who is eating who?’ you will learn about the complex interrelationships between living organisms and the natural environment and how global ecosystems (biomes) reflect climate zones.  You will then investigate two biomes in depth; ‘The Mediterranean biome’ and ‘Coral reefs – rainforests of the seas’.  The term concludes with ‘Skills Focus: Maps and satellite photos – Russia’s biomes’ in which you will learn about the country’s range of biomes, from tundra in the far north to semi-desert in the far south.

Topic Breakdown

4 topics over the year:

1. Work, rest and play in the UK 
2. Challenges and opportunities in the UK 
3. Our physical world 
4. Our living world

You will be assessed using regular formative end-of-unit multiple choice tests and key term quizzes. Summative assessment papers will be sat at the end of each unit of work.

Geography full Scheme of Work - Year 8

Year 9 Geography

Subject intent

In year 8 you learnt about how people in the UK spend their working and leisure time and the challenges and opportunities facing the UK.  You then shifted focus from the UK to the geography of the wider world and studied plate tectonics, ecosystems, and biomes.

During Year 9 you will learn more about the theme of ‘The geography of the wider world’.  The first unit is ‘Our unequal world’.  In ‘Global development’ you will learn that some countries are rich, while others are poor.   You will look at how differences in levels of development can be measured using development indicators.  You will then study ‘Escaping inequality’ in which you will learn why some countries struggle to develop because of their location, their lack of natural resources or human capital, and their colonial history.  ‘Food inequality’ looks at why some countries have a lack of food security, leading to famine, whilst other countries have good food security, leading to overnutrition and obesity.  ‘Health inequality’ looks at people’s health and access to healthcare and how this varies around the world.  ‘The geography of chocolate’ investigates trade between countries and how it can be unfair, especially when HICs (high-income countries) buy from LICs (low income countries).  Lastly, you will look at ‘Skills Focus: Scattergraphs’ and learn how these graphs can be used show patterns between wealth and other development indicators.

The second topic is on the theme of ‘Focus on Africa’.  ‘What is Africa like?’ investigates the diversity of landscapes, biomes, populations and resources in the continent.  In ‘African populations’ you will learn about European colonisation and how African countries gained independence.  You will then study ‘The Sahara’ and why some areas of Africa are at risk from desertification.  This is followed by ‘Nigeria – a country of contrasts’ in which you will look at four different biomes: desert, rainforest, tropical savannah and semi-arid savannah.  ‘Opportunities and challenges in Nigeria’ looks at the economic, social and environmental outlook for the country.  The topic ends with ‘Skills Focus: Cross-sections’ in which you will learn how they can show the relief of land and its features.

The third topic studied in Y8 is on the theme ‘World cities’.  In ‘Urbanisation’ you will learn that the process occurs due to natural increase and rural–urban migration and that there are reasons why cities develop in particular places.  In ‘Rural-urban migration in China’ you will learn why this migration has occurred rapidly, with consequences for China’s rural and urban areas.  You will then study ‘Megacities’, the world’s largest cities which face a number of challenges and opportunities.  ‘Housing the poor: focus on India’ looks at how squatter settlements develop in LIC cities due to rapid urbanisation.  ‘Sustainable cities’ looks at why cities must become sustainable in order to address their challenges.  Finally, you will study ’Skills Focus: Choropleth maps and proportional symbols’.

The final topic is on the theme of ‘Global issues’.  ‘Plastic in the oceans’ looks at this versatile and inexpensive product with many uses. However, it is environmentally indestructible and a major pollutant of the world’s oceans, causing damage to natural ecosystems.   ‘Climate change’ will see you look at natural causes of climate change, as well as the enhanced greenhouse effect which is caused by human activity.  You will then study ‘Sustainable tourism’ by looking at how this important global industry can be made less environmentally damaging.  You will then learn about ‘Wilderness areas under threat’, such as the Amazon and Pantanal in South America.  In ‘The geography of conflict zones’ you will investigate the causes and impacts of regional conflicts, such as the civil war in Syria.  The year ends with ‘Skills Focus: Maps and satellite photos’ in which you investigate Antarctica.

Topic Breakdown

4 topics over the year:

1. Our unequal world
2. Focus on Africa
3. World cities
4. Global issues 

You will be assessed using regular formative end-of-unit multiple choice tests and key term quizzes. Summative assessment papers will be sat at the end of each unit of work.

Geography full Scheme of Work - Year 9

Year 10 Geography

Subject intent

In year 9 you learnt about the gap in development between rich and poor countries, physical and human characteristics of the continent of Africa, cities of the world and the challenges and opportunities they face as well as global issues such as climate change and plastic in the oceans.

During Year 10 you will learn about the theme of ‘The challenge of natural hazards’.  You will identify what natural hazards are before focussing on ‘Tectonic hazards’.  You will learn about the causes of earthquakes and volcanoes and the physical processes at plate margins.  You will then investigate the causes and responses to two earthquakes, in Nepal and Chile.  You will look at ways to mitigate the effects of tectonic hazards.  You will then study ‘Weather hazards’.  You will learn about global atmospheric circulation and the causes and effects of tropical storms, as well as how damage can be limited.  You then look at weather hazards in the UK.  Finally, you will study the causes and effects of climate change and mitigation strategies.

The second autumn half-term is on the theme of ‘The urban world’.  You will look at the causes and effects of urbanisation and the growth of megacities.  This is followed by an in-depth look at the city of Rio-de-Janeiro, Brazil.  You will learn about the social, economic and environmental challenges and opportunities facing the city.  You will investigate the growth of squatter settlements and ways that the city’s authorities are planning to help the urban poor.

The first spring half-term is on the themes of ‘Urban change in the UK’ and ‘Sustainable urban development’.  You will learn about the growth of urban areas in the UK during the Industrial Revolution and the population distribution of the country.  This is followed by an in-depth look at the city of Bristol.  You will learn about the social, economic and environmental challenges and opportunities facing the city.  You will investigate social inequality, new housing and urban regeneration in Bristol.  This will be followed by a look at sustainable cities, focussing on Freiburg in Germany. 

The second spring half-term is on the theme of ‘Coastal landscapes’.  You will learn about waves and their characteristics, weathering and mass movement and erosion processes.  Pupils then look at the formation of coastal landforms and learn about Swanage as a case study.  This is followed by a look at hard and soft engineering and managed retreat, all ways of managing the coast.  Finally, you will look at Lyme Regis as a case study of coastal management.

The first summer half-term is on the theme of ‘River landscapes’.  You learn key river basin terminology and fluvial processes.  You will then look at the formation of river landforms before looking at the River Tess as a case study.  Pupils learn about factors that increase flood risk, before looking at management strategies to mitigate risk.  The theme finishes with Lyme Regis as a case study of hard and soft engineering.

The year ends with the theme of ‘The development gap’.  You will learn about global inequalities and development indicators.  This is followed by the Demographic Transition Model and changing population structures, including population pyramids.  You will then investigate the causes of uneven global development.  This is followed by learning about ways the development gap between rich and poor nations can be reduced.

Topic Breakdown

You will be assessed at the end of each topic using GCSE examination past-papers.

Geography full Scheme of Work - Year 10

Year 11 Geography

Subject intent

In year 10 you learnt about tectonic and weather hazards and the causes and effects of climate change.  Next you looked at urban issues and challenges, with the case studies of Rio de Janeiro and Bristol, before looking at how we can make urban environments more sustainable.  We then learnt about coastal and river environments in the UK.  Finally, we learnt about the development gap, its causes and effects, and possible solutions.

During Year 11 you will learn about the theme of ‘Nigeria: a Newly Emerging Economy’.  You will look at the physical and human geography of this diverse African country and its links to the wider world.  You will look at the Nigerian economy and learn about its changing industrial structure.  This is followed by the pros and cons of transnational corporations, such as KFC.  The theme looks at the impacts of international aid, managing environmental issues and the quality of life in Nigeria.

The second half-term in the autumn is on the theme of ‘The changing UK economy’.  You will look at the changes the UK’s employment structure has been through since the Industrial Revolution and the development of a post-industrial economy.  You will then look at science and business parks before investigating the environmental impact of industry.  Pupils then study changes to rural landscapes and transport infrastructure.  The north-south divide and the UK’s place in the wider world conclude the theme.

The first spring half-term begins with the theme of ‘Ecosystems’.  You will learn about a small-scale UK ecosystem and be given an overview of global biomes.  You then study tropical rainforest and hot desert biomes in-depth, looking at their physical characteristics, biodiversity and the challenges and opportunities the ecosystems present for their inhabitants.  ‘The challenge of resource management’ is the next topic.  You will learn about the global distribution of resources before looking at the provision of food, water and energy in the UK.  You will then focus on ‘Energy management’.  You will learn about global energy and supply and energy insecurity.  This is followed by an in-depth look at the role of gas in energy supplies before concluding with sustainable energy use and the Chambamontera micro-hydro scheme.

The second spring half-term will be spent looking at the ‘Issue evaluation’ and ‘Fieldwork’.  The ‘Issue evaluation’ is a critical thinking and problem-solving task based on a current issue and one of the core topics in the specification.  The issue at hand changes each year, but you will be given sufficient learning time in school to prepare you for this section of the Paper 3 examination.  You will also carry out two pieces of fieldwork on day-trips, one human and one physical enquiry, which will be also be assessed in Paper 3.  You will be taught to understand each stage of the geographical enquiry process and the interrelationships between them.

The year concludes with an opportunity to revise the course before you sit the examinations.

Topic Breakdown

You will be assessed at the end of each topic using GCSE examination past-papers.

Geography full Scheme of Work - Year 11

Within each subject we have our own specific personalised marking and feeback policy.