Geography

Key Stage 3

Geography is all about promoting an understanding of the nature of the earth’s surface, the character of places, the complex nature of people’s relationships and interactions with their environments and the importance in human affairs of location and spatial organisations of human activities.

A very important aspect of the subject is the need to create a sensitive awareness of the environment in order to help young people develop an informed concern about the quality of the environment and the future of the human habitat.

Additionally we wish to foster a sense of wonder at the beauty and quality of the world and promote interest in our surroundings.

Students at Key Stage 3 will learn about a series of different human and physical geography topics that build and interleave key concepts of development, sustainability and change throughout this challenging and thought-provoking curriculum. Students will build on their knowledge throughout the course so they develop a greater understanding of the world and their place within it. 

….suddenly it becomes more than a subject. Geography becomes the knowledge. The knowledge of the planet, how everything works and how it is all interconnected. It becomes what geography has always been for me – a fusion of the power of the imagination and the hard truths of science.

Geography is all about the living, breathing essence of the world we live in. It explains the past, illuminates the present and prepares us for the future. What could be more important than that?

Michael Palin, London November 2007

Assessment

Students are assessed every lesson through regular low stakes testing and retrieval practice. We complete three Cumulative Knowledge Tests (CKTs) throughout the year to encourage regular retrieval of units that we have studied throughout the course. 

Students will also sit two formal assessments during the year, one mid-way through and the other at the end of the year to assess their progress in the subject.

Key Stage 4

At KS4 we follow the AQA Geography course. Students will complete 3 units, each comprising of 3 topics:

Living with the Physical Environment

• The Challenge of Natural Hazards: Looking at the causes and impacts of earthquakes and volcanoes, weather hazards and tropical storms and climate change.
• The Living World: Looking at different ecosystems such as tropical rainforests and cold deserts, our uses and impact on these areas.
• Physical Landscapes of the UK: Where we will learn about rivers and coasts, their formation and impact on people in the UK.

Challenges in the Human Environment

• Urban Issues and Challenges: Where we will explores the causes and consequences of urban growth and compare the opportunities and challenges in Rio and Bristol.
• The Changing Economic World: Looking at the impact of development and trade on countries around the world.
• The Challenge of Resource Management: Where students will consider issues with global resources of food, water and energy.

Geographical Applications and Skills

This unit is synoptic. Students will draw together knowledge, understanding and skills from the full course to assess their decision-making abilities in the Issue Evaluation section. They will also complete two pieces of fieldwork looking at coastal process and management at Southwold, and sustainable urban developments around the Trumpington area.