GEOGRAPHY CURRICULUM SUMMARY

Transcription

1 GEOGRAPHY CURRICULUM SUMMARY THE AIMS OF THE GEOGRAPHY TEACHING 1. To interest and enthuse pupils about the world and thereby establish both a life-long interest in and responsible attitudes toward their environment. 2. To develop understanding of physical and human landscapes 3. To establish and enhance a range of practical and intellectual skills to aid pupils ability to learn. 4. To encourage pupils, so as to improve their confidence and their ability to think for themselves. 5. To educate pupils about good environmental stewardship and sustainable development. 6. To introduce pupils to different societies and cultures, enhancing awareness of global interdependence. 7. To foster a desire for personal growth and learning in general. The Department aims to use the geographical material to provide pupils with a whole range of skills that will improve their future learning. Pupils are encouraged to think for themselves and to make an active contribution in lessons.

2 YEAR 5 GEOGRAPHY PERIODS: 2 x 35 mins. PREP: 1 x 35 mins. (every fortnight). Year 5 work establishes a basic grounding in the subject, focusing largely on global location. The work is based on the National Curriculum Geography Programmes of Study: Geographical Skills Places Thematic Study CONTINENTS AND OCEANS: a) How the world is divided. Name the 7 continents (on world map) and the capital of each. How the continents are broken down. e.g. British Isles countries counties cities towns villages, etc. Name the 5 oceans (on world map). Recognise the shape of continents out of context. Time differences. MAPPING AND DEFINING LOCAL AREA: a) Draw a simple map of how to find one s way to school from home or vice versa, looking out for landmarks. Direction. Read distance on car s milometer. b) Locate own village on O.S. map and mark it. c) Where do most of the children travel from? d) By using wool, measure the distance travelled (as the crow flies) and change to kms. by using the scale of the map. e) Who travels the furthest? How does it differ from the mileage recorded in the car? Why? f) Why do settlements vary in size? g) Should streets be closed to traffic? Why? Why not? h) The problems involved in g). United Kingdom: a) Using a map of UK, locate the features named by the National Curriculum: Countries of UK; cities; upland areas; rivers; seas; locate Kent in relation to UK. b) Map of Kent showing neighbouring villages and consideration of geology and physical features.

3 Europe: a) Using a map of Europe, locate the features named by the National Curriculum. b) Select an EU country and discover the population, area, monetary system, language, flag, longest river, highest mountain. Conduct own investigation into areas such as food and culture. ORDNANCE SURVEY WORK: a) Introduce O.S. work. b) Grid references (4-figure): how do you do these? Direction, distance, height. Aerial photos. Draw grid and try examples with crosses. c) Select a picture, draw a grid over it, and mark certain spots. d) Introduce O.S. symbols. Learn common ones. Learn about direction, distance, height. e) Use an O.S. map to recognise the symbols, and read grid references. f) Direction: worksheets, field-work on site. g) Identify features on a large-scale map and on a vertical, aerial photograph of the same place. THE WORLD: a) To learn about the world. What shape is it? b) It rotates twice. How? In rotating what do we experience? c) The equator is the most important line of latitude. What does it separate? Differences between these two hemispheres. d) The Prime Meridian is the most important line of longitude. Separates Western/Eastern hemisphere and is the base for the International Time Zone System. Visit to Greenwich Maritime Museum. e) Become familiar with an atlas. f) Be able to use the index and contents pages to find information in the atlas. g) Reason for physical/political maps. h) Grid references. How people would travel around the world. The use of faxes, , letters to connect people around the world. WATER: a) To recognise water features on an OS map b) Where fresh water would be found in local area, and the need for it. c) Locate main desert areas in the world. d) Look briefly at world weather patterns. e) Transportation of water. f) Uses of water. g) Investigation of permeability with reference to the 3 rock types and use of the school site.

4 YEAR 6 GEOGRAPHY PERIODS: 2.5 x 35 mins. PREP: 1 x 30 mins. The work is based on the National Curriculum Geography Programmes of Study: Geographical Skills Places Thematic Study Year 6 begins with an appreciation that geographers are primarily interested in space. Pupils are introduced to the basic underlying concepts of LOCATION, DISTRIBUTION, SCALE, LINKS and CHANGE. The next stage is a detailed consideration of place. Pupils are encouraged to question why places are as they are (and not a different way)? Human Geography is traced to its physical roots. The links between different aspects of environments are emphasised. The investigation of links leads to a consideration of animal and plant adaptations in different biomes, including mountains, savannah and tropical rainforests. Human lifestyles and their impact are studied as an integral part of these environments. Pupils also learn map skills and some introductory material about rivers, in preparation for Year 7. There is a field visit to a local river to study cross-sectional profiles and flow characteristics. THE WORLD/ATLAS: a) Reinforcement of global locations: Great Britain Map D National Curriculum. Europe Map B National Curriculum. b) Name features marked on Map C World as named in the National Curriculum. c) Look at routes around the world important features that might be seen from the air / sea. ORDNANCE SURVEY WORK: a) Symbols. Direction and distance. b) Use six-figure grid references to locate features on O.S.map. Select a picture, draw a grid over it, and mark certain spots. Lots of reinforcement work using photocopiable work and O.S. maps. c) Interpret relief maps - look at height of land. What do contour lines show? Why should certain things, e.g. viewpoint, be positioned as they are?

5 d) Follow a route on a 1:50,000 O.S. map and describe features seen - look at both sides of road. e) Communication-lines on OS maps. f) Aerial photographs. g) Look at direction travelling. h) Measure the straight-line distance between two points on a map and convert to km. RIVER SYSTEMS: a) Simple knowledge of where a river begins and ends. b) Identifying the parts of a river system on a simple diagram. c) Evidence that materials are eroded, transported and deposited. d) Explain causes and effects of river floods, and how they can be reduced. e) Visit a river to see the features. f) Locate major rivers around the world. g) What are rivers used for? THE ENVIRONMENT: a) An investigation of systems theory in general and eco-systems in particular. b) Study of a mountain environment with particular reference to climate, homes and lifestyles. c) Environmental damage and how it can occur. d) How can pollution be reduced and damaged landscapes be restored? CLIMATIC ZONES (Savannah and Rain Forest Regions): a) Different climates - where might these occur and why? b) Location of these zones on a world map. c) Climates compared: differences between lifestyle and vegetation. INVESTIGATION OF AN UNDERDEVELOPED COUNTRY (contrasting environment): a) Links to the world. b) What would it be like to live there? c) Compare with home region: similarities and differences. d) Is the country changing? How? Why?

6 YEAR 7 GEOGRAPHY THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR OF A TWO-YEAR COURSE. PERIODS: 2.5 x 35 mins. PREP: 1 x 30 mins. COURSE-BOOK: "Geography For Common Entrance (Widdowson) (Pub. John Murray.) Also recommended: "GCSE Geography - The Revision Guide" (Published by Co-ordination Group Publications. ISBN: ) ISEB Revision Guide Geography Belinda Froud. ISBN: The work is based on the National Curriculum Geography Programmes of Study. Geographical Skills Places Thematic Studies In Years 7 and 8 pupils follow the Common Entrance Syllabus, but topics are taught at a higher level than that which is actually examined. More able pupils are required to write essays to fairly open questions. We aim to give Scholarship candidates some kind of theoretical underpinning to help structure their ideas, e.g. a simple model or diagram against which to view located examples. Year 7 is mainly Physical Geography, with the human aspects receiving greater emphasis in Year 8. Pupils are encouraged to broaden their horizons by reading, or by watching television programmes relating to other parts of the world, or which concern general world issues. Every journey (by rail, sea, air or road) is a potential Geography lesson. ORDNANCE SURVEY MAPWORK (taught throughout the course) Scale 1: and 1: map extracts. Physical features Scale/direction/symbols Relief 4+6 figure references Simple cross-sections Orientation Distance Area Following routes Activities Cross sections; "walks" and "cycle rides" across extracts; spending a holiday in an area; analysis of settlement growth (refer to earlier maps); location of various industries; how relief affects communication.

7 GLOBAL LOCATION: YEARS 7 AND 8. North and South America Africa Australasia Europe Time Zones Political groupings (EU etc.) Latitude and longitude revision British Isles AUTUMN TERM: TECTONIC PROCESSES: The structure of the Earth Earthquakes, volcanoes, plate tectonics Sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks The rock cycle The water cycle Tectonic processes - case studies: the Asian tsunami and New Zealand earthquakes SPRING TERM: GEOMORPHOLOGICAL PROCESSES: Processes, e.g. weathering, erosion, transportation, deposition, responsible for the development of selected landforms including the role of rock-type Examples of landforms that have been caused by these processes in fluvial and coastal environments Processes (tectonic, geomorphological or human) causing landslides and the effect of these on people Case Study: Floods Boscastle and the River Exe (North Cornwall). (Also Felixstowe) SUMMER TERM: WEATHER AND CLIMATE: Differences between either and climate on a local and national scale, including microclimates Types of rainfall: relief, frontal and convectional Causes of temperature and rainfall variation from place to place in the British Isles Case Study: A weather/climate hazard - Hurricane Katrina

8 YEAR 8 GEOGRAPHY PERIODS: 2.5 x 35 mins. PREP: 1 x 30 mins. COURSE-BOOK: "Geography For Common Entrance (Widdowson) (Pub. John Murray: ISBN ) Also recommended: "GCSE Geography: The Revision Guide" ISEB Revision Guide Geography Belinda Froud. ISBN: The work is based on the National Curriculum Geography Programmes of Study: Geographical Skills Places Thematic Study The syllabus is based on the Common Entrance Examination and the National Curriculum (Key Stage 3). In Year 8, pupils follow the second part of the Common Entrance Syllabus, but topics are taught at a higher level than that which is actually examined. More-able pupils are required to write essays to fairly-open questions. We aim to give Scholarship candidates some kind of theoretical underpinning to help structure their ideas, e.g. a simple model or diagram against which to view located examples. Year 8 is mainly about Human Geography. GLOBAL LOCATION: (taught throughout the course): North and South America Africa Australasia Europe Time Zones Political groupings (EU etc.) Latitude and longitude revision British Isles AUTUMN TERM: FELIXSTOWE FIELDWORK AND TECTONIC PROCESSES: Felixstowe Fieldwork: Preparation The geographical context The location of Felixstowe

9 Historical, land and sea factors affecting the threat from the sea A fieldwork investigation (worth 20% of the final Common Entrance / Year 8 exam-mark) will be completed in the first term of Year 8. Much personal organisation is required as pupils have a fixed deadline by which to complete the work. C.E. candidates have details of their work sent to their future schools. Fieldwork involves much cross-curricular work, the gathering of information and its presentation in maps/diagrams/graphs, the use of computers, hypothesising, interpretation and drawing of conclusions, etc. Currently we study coastal erosion at Felixstowe in Suffolk. Pupils are encouraged to broaden their horizons by reading, or by watching television programmes relating to other parts of the world, or which concern general world issues. Every journey (by rail, sea, air or road) is a potential Geography lesson. SPRING TERM: ECONOMIC ACTIVITY: The differences between Primary, Secondary and Tertiary activities; the geographical distribution of two types of contrasting economic activities from different sectors; how and why the distribution has changed and is changing, and the effects of such changes. Classification of economic activity, with examples of each Recognition of location factors relating to primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary activities on an OS map. CASE STUDY: A GLOBAL ECONOMIC ACTIVITY: Nike (Vietnam) Farming in East Anglia Tourism in Palau, Micronesia The sherpas of Nepal SUMMER TERM: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Areas of great scenic attraction; conflicting demands made on such areas and issues that arise; the attempts made to plan and manage such environments and how these may have unintended effects; how considerations of sustainable development, stewardship and conservation may affect environmental planning and management. Location of the National Parks in the British Isles Reasons for conflicting demands on an environment (i.e. agriculture, conservation, derelict land, forestry, industry, landfill, military, pollution, power, reservoirs, tourism, transport, urbanisation) and their effect on people. Case Studies: Dartmoor National Park; the Amazon Rainforest, Felixstowe.

10 REVISION OF SYLLABUS TOPICS FOR COMMON ENTRANCE AND ASSESSMENT The scholarship group moves rather faster than the CE groups as exams are often earlier in the year and it is wise to try to cover more of the syllabus options.