Geography
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The Geography Department at Teesside High aims to be progressive in its teaching of such a dynamic, adventurous and valuable subject which is concerned with the world around us. So many of the world’s current problems are linked to Geography and we hope that our students develop a fascination and understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes at work on our planet and an ability to empathise with other cultures and societies.
Key Stage Three Curriculum
Topics covered at Key Stage 3 are highlighted below. Our teaching focuses on developing the skills to describe, explain and justify the social, economic and environmental aspects of Geographical Issues whilst encouraging local and global awareness.
Topics covered in Year 7
- Thinking Geographically/ Fantastic Places
- Map Reading Skills
- Urban Landscapes
- Coping with floods
- Crime
Topics covered in Year 8
- Tropical Rainforest Ecosystems
- Coastal Landscapes
- Tectonic Hazards
Topics covered in Year 9
- Population/Migration
- Economic Development
- Fair Trade and Aid
- Tourism
Key Stage Four Curriculum
Subject |
Subject Content |
Living with the Physical Environment |
Section A: The challenge of natural hazards Section B: The living world (Ecosystems, Tropical Rainforests and Cold Environments) Section C: Physical landscapes in the UK (UK physical landscapes, Coastal landscapes in the UK and River landscapes in the UK) |
Challenges in the Human Environment |
Section A: Urban issues and challenges Section B: The changing economic world Section C: The challenge of resource management (Resource management and Food) |
Geographical Applications |
Section A: Issue evaluation Section B: Fieldwork |
Geographical Skills |
Cartographic skills Graphical skills Numerical skills Statistical skills Use of qualitative and quantitative data Formulate enquiry and argument |
GCSE Assessment Overview
Paper 1: Living with the physical environment |
Paper 2: Challenges in the human environment |
Paper 3: Geographical applications |
Topics of Assessment 3.1.1 The challenge of natural hazards 3.1.2 The living world 3.1.3 Physical landscapes in the UK 3.4 Geographical skills |
Topic of Assessment 3.2.1 Urban issues and challenges 3.2.2 The changing economic world 3.2.3 The challenge of resource management 3.4 Geographical skills |
What's assessed 3.3.1 Issue evaluation 3.3.2 Fieldwork 3.4 Geographical skills |
How is it assessed? Written exam: 1 hour 30 mins 88 marks - 35% of total GCSE |
How is it assessed? Written exam: 1 hour 30 mins 88 marks - 35% of total GCSE |
How is it assessed? Written exam: 1 hour 15 mins 76 marks - 30% of GCSE Pre-release resources booklet made available 12 weeks before Paper 3 exam. |
Question Structure 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 responses and extended prose |
Questions Structure 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 responses and extended prose |
Question Structure Section A: answer all questions (37 marks) Section B: answer all questions (39 marks) Question types: multiple choice, short answer responses and extended prose |
A Level Curriculum
Students study OCR Geography – AS (H081)
AS GEOGRAPHY COMPRISES TWOUNITS: -
- Landscape and Place
- Geographical Debates
Assessment Overview AS Geography
Landscape and place- This examination involves a 1 hour 45 minute written paper worth 82 marks and 55% of the total AS Level
Geographical Debates- This examination involves a 1 hour 30 minute written paper worth 45% of the total AS Level
A2 GEOGRAPHY COMPRISES FOUR UNITS: -
- Physical Systems
- Human Interactions
- Geographical Debates
- Investigative Geography
Assessment Overview A Level Geography
Physical Systems- This examination involves a 1 hour 30 minute written paper worth 66 marks and 22% of the total A Level
Human Interactions-This examination involves a 1 hour 30 minute written paper worth 66 marks and 22% of the total A Level
Geographical Debates-This examination involves a 2 hour 30 minute written paper worth 108 marks and 36% of the total A Level
Investigative Geography- This is a non-examination assessment worth 60 marks
Digital Learning
In Geography we use digital learning for research as it is especially useful for enabling students to carry out ‘virtual’ fieldwork as well as using Google Earth to find maps and photographs of large scale and small scale landforms. Classes also frequently use iPad’s to create iMovie’s, and participate in QR code trail as well as making use of the Popplet App for mind mapping.
Enrichment
We have a school membership for the Geographical Association and the Royal Geographical Society and have entered students in their annual competitions. We were delighted when one of our students was Highly Commended in the 2013 Young Geographer of the Year competition.
Students go on a variety of fieldtrips. We move beyond ‘doorstep’ fieldwork and aim to provide a discrete day trip for each year group. These include river studies in Osmotherley for Year 7, the North Durham coast for Year 8 and Edinburgh for our Year 9. We follow the River Tees from its source to its mouth, study coastal management between Sandsend and Whitby and visit Teesside Retail Park and Cadbury World when studying Industrial Location with our GCSE groups. In Year 12 there is day trip to Whitby and a weekend residential field trip to the Lake District. The highlight of the Geography Department has been 2 recent overseas trips, for Year 8 right up to 6th form students, to Iceland.
Where does Geography lead you?
Geography has been defined by the Government as a ‘Unique Bridging Subject’ or a ‘facilitating subject’ and thus provides support to the study of other subjects as well as standing alone as a subject in its own right. The Guardian newspaper in 2010 was quoted as saying that “Studying geography arms students with a mix of skills employers want to see” Geographers can work, for example, with development or aid agencies, in environmental work using Geographical Information Systems, in the census office or in tourism and recreation. Many Geography graduates enter three fields of employment: administration and management; marketing or financial work and statistics showing that compared with other subject Geographers are amongst the most employable.