Geography
“Geography is the subject that holds the key to our future.” Sir Michael Palin, knighted for services to travel, culture and geography.
Geography is the gateway to the world. It allows students understand their world and the lives of other people both near and far. Our world is an exciting place – so the study of it should be too. It is a subject which has something for everyone, science, arts, people and politics, it’s all there! The curriculum will provide our pupils with a deep and rich understanding of the world in which they live. They will gain an understanding of the relationships between people and the environment, the diversity of cultures, and the constant changes in landscapes, economies and societies.
Geography informs us about:
- The places and communities in which we live and work
- Our natural environments and the pressures they face
- The interconnectedness of the world and our communities within it
- How and why the world is changing, both globally and locally
- How our individual and societal actions contribute to those changes
- The choices that exist in managing our world for the future
- The importance of location in business and decision-making
Key Stage 3
Pupils in Year 7 and in Year 8 will study geography for 2 lessons per week. They will study a range of topics to develop their geographical skills and give them an understanding of the broad scope of the subject. Each half term they will be focusing on a different aspect of geography, which will include a range of local, national and global case studies.
Year 7
Autumn 1: Our World
- Globes
- Scale – Barnet, London, UK, EU
- Maps
- GIS
Weather & Climate:
- Water cycle
- Local weather
- UK weather patterns
- Clouds, rain
- Pressure
- Climate graphs/data
- Air circulation
- Climate change
- Weather hazards
- Hurricanes
- Hurricane Katrina DME
Autumn 2: Frozen Planet
- Antarctica
- Exploration
- Governance
- Glaciers
- Species/food chains
- Research
- Climate change
- Tourism
- Icebergs
- Development/ future
Spring 1: Blue Planet
- Oceans
- Ocean currents
- Tides
- Coral reef
- Plastic pollution
- Acidification
- Coral bleaching
- Climate change
- Fishing
Spring 2: Spotlight on Africa
- Countries
- Animals/ conservation
- Ecosystems
- Climate
- Conflict
- Migration – Sudan
- Development – Ghana
Summer 1: Coastal Conflict
- Erosion
- Arch-stack-stump
- Bay, headland
- Longshore drift
- Management
- OS Map skills
- Field trip
- Coasts DME
Summer 2: Tourism
- Mass tourism
- Ecotourism
- Sustainable tourism
- Conservation
- Ibiza
- The Gambia
- Galapagos Islands
Spotlight on Brazil
- Deforestation
- Tourism – Iguassu
- Rainforests – ecosystems
Year 8
Autumn 1: Restless Earth
- Plate tectonics
- Earthquakes
- Volcanoes
- Tsunami
- Monitoring
- Mitigation
- Management
Spotlight on Iceland
- Geothermal
- Glaciers
- Volcanoes
- Tourism
- Fishing/ whales
Autumn 2: Cities
- Megacities
- Redevelopment
- Shopping
- Crime
- Traffic
- Identity, place making, home
Spotlight on China
- Cities
- Recycling
- Trade
Future cities
- Sustainability
- Electric cars
Spring 1: Resources/Food
- Energy
- Fossil fuels
- Local /global
- Food miles – Nutella
- Fertilisers
- Seasonality
- Deforestation
- Palm oil
- Packaging
- Coffee / chocolate
Spring 2: Population Pressures
- Population change
- Population pyramids
- Migration
- Ageing population
- Syria
- In this world
Spotlight on Brazil
- Migration
- Inequality
- Cities
- Favelas
Summer 1: Water World
- Rivers
- Cross sections
- Long profiles
- Waterfalls
- Valleys
- Meanders
- Estuaries /deltas
- Flooding
- Unreliable water
- Water management
- HEP
- Pollution
Summer 2: Globalisation
- Clothing/ fast fashion
- Transport
- Geopolitics – Golan Heights
- Football/ sport
- Olympics DME
Enrichment Opportunities
- Global Club
- Trip to the London Aquarium
- University of Birmingham photography competition
- Oceans are not rubbish competition
- Send my friend to school
- Missing Maps
- Commonwealth Row
- National competitions through the Geographical Association and Royal Geographical Society (who we are members of)
- Doddle
Learning Resources
- https://earth.google.com/web/
- http://datashine.org.uk/
- https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/subjects/zrw76sg
- https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/category/discover/geography/
- https://www.educationquizzes.com/ks3/geography/
- https://quizlet.com/subject/geography/
- https://timeforgeography.co.uk/
- https://www.rgs.org/geography/studying-geography-and-careers/