Geography Department

	Curriculum

	Year 7	The map of Britain - learn its physical features and location of main cities Introduce Physical, Human and Environmental Geography Geographical skills of all sorts - the use of an atlas, latitude and longitude, the use of photographs and sketches, climate graphs Map reading... every pupil has a free Ordnance Survey map from the government to practise these skills! Flooding in Bangladesh All about Settlements - factors affecting location, their patterns, why they were built and how they change A day out in the Chiltern countryside with some project work to follow


	Year 8	The map of Europe - its physical features, countries and capitals Weathering and Erosion The landforms of river valleys and coasts How people earn their livings - mining farming and industry How people's activities affect our environment Population - its distribution, change and movement A day out at the Chiltern Open Air Museum with some work on the environment

	Year 9	The World Map - main physical features, countries and major cities Natural Environments - focusing on British, Equatorial, Desert and Mediterranean climate zones and their vegetation zones A day trip this year to the Eden Project in Cornwall by air from Stansted to Newquay supports this section of the syllabus! Hazards - focusing on earthquakes and volcanoes - their causes and impacts Tourism - its benefits and problems, focussing on British National Parks A study of Japan
	Throughout Key Stage 3, we use videos, internet research, encourage discussion, debates and role-plays, use competitions and quizzes, and there is a Geography Now board showing the relevance of geography to our everyday lives, as well as a constantly changing display of students work. We also have a new Interactive Whiteboard in the department this year.

	GCSE	This two year course (Edexcel, Syllabus A8214) is a popular choice. The course develops the knowledge and skills of Key Stage 3 further and we usually get a good set of results. Topics cover: Valleys, Glaciation and Coastal Processes Farming and Industry Population and Settlement Ecosystems and Climate Management of the Physical and Human Environment is examined in a separate paper and is integrated into the teaching of the course Field Trip - The highlight is the three-day fieldwork trip at the end of April. It is currently based at Swanage by the seaside. Lots of fresh air, hard work but some fun time too. This provides the basis for the coursework which makes up 25% of the total marks and is completed at the end of Year 10.

	AS	Small groups in the sixth form allow for some more informal teaching and more student motivated learning and research. The topics include Earth Systems; Fluvial Environments; Coastal Processes; Population and Settlement plus Applied Geographical Skills. Fieldwork for this is in the beautiful South Devon area. There are also conferences and events to attend

	A2	The Units taught for A2 include: Economic Systems; Development Processes; Glacial Systems and Ecosystems

	The whole Geography course is wonderfully diverse; the subject is highly regarded by both the academic and business world. It equips a young person with knowledge and awareness of people and their environments, as well as the skills to describe, analyse and synthesise information of all kinds - statistics, graphs, maps and reports. It combines well with languages, Sciences, Mathematics and other Humanities to help produce a well rounded person that everyone appreciates!