Geography

‘Geography is the subject which holds the key to our future.’ — Michael Palin

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.