Richmond School
School Departments | Geography
GEOGRAPHY
KS3
From Year 7 until the end of Year 8 we aim to provide a useful and stimulating foundation of Geography skills, knowledge and understanding. We start Year 7 looking at the local area of Richmond and by Year 8 we study some of the highly significant global problems and issues. We help our students to develop a wide range of skills from map reading and drawing to discussion, debate and decision making.
Not all of the time is spent in the classroom. In addition to visits to ICT rooms, students will do work in the school grounds and go on a field trip out of school. For example, our Year 7 students study aspects of the community of Richmond as part of their Humanities Learning to Learn Course.
Following the National Curriculum we will study a range of geographical issues, places and concepts.
In Year 7 the main focus is to study issues:
- Humanities – Learning to Learning Course: Richmond – A good Community and Designing a Country
- Climate Changes
- What a Load of Rubbish – Dealing with all our Waste – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
- Geographical Skills
- World Population - Are there too many people on planet earth?
- Flooding – A Hazard – What effects does this have for people and places?
In Year 8 our focus is more country/region specific, with topics studied across a wider range of issues:
- Earthquakes – Haiti 2010 – Why were so many people affected by this earthquake?
- EU migration – Polish migrants in the UK – it this good for the UK?
- Coasts – Geographical processes along the British coastline
- Africa – a Continent of contrasts
- UK and Brazil – a comparison
- Geographical Investigation – Environmental impacts on Richmond School site
In Year 9 students who opt to continue to study geography as one of their Two Humanities options will investigate:
- Richmond – Tourist Honey Pot or Local Market Town?
- Extreme Environments – a research investigation of ONE environments
- Energy in 21st Century – Reduce or find renewable alternatives
- Geography in the News – responses to current events
- Geographical Depth Study
- Geographical Skills (integrated in all units)
KS4
Geography is a broad and dynamic subject, which develops students' general knowledge and understanding of the world, and the interactions between people and the natural environment. Studying Geography helps students to be aware of local, national and global issues.
The GCSE course from AQA (Geography B) is a highly relevant and up to date Geography course which is divided into FOUR equally weighted sections each worth 25% of the GCSE.
Unit 1 - Managing Places in the 21st Century– The Urban Environment
- To what extent do we live in an urban world?
- Responding to urban challenges in developed countries?
- What are the opportunities and challenges created by urbanisation in developing countries?
- How can urban living be increasingly sustainable?
Unit 2 - Hostile World- Living with Natural Hazards
- Causes and effect of earthquakes and volcanoes and how people prepare and respond to them.
- Causes and effects of tropical storms and how people prepare and respond to them.
- Causes and effects of wildfires and how people prepare and respond to them.
Unit 3 – Investigate the Shrinking world– Global Tourism
- How has the global tourist industry grown?
- What opportunities does growth of tourism create?
- How does tourism create challenges and conflicts?
- How can tourism promote sustainable development?
Unit 4 –Local investigation (including fieldwork) and a Geographical Issue Investigation.
Examination: GCSE – There are THREE 1 hours exams which will from Sept 2012 take place once again at the end of the Course. Each is worth 25% of the exam grade with the final 25% from the Controlled Assessment unit.
AS & A2 Geography
AQA Geography:
AS Content
Unit 1 - Physical & Human Geography - 70% of AS marks
- Rivers, Floods and Management (Core Physical Topic)
- Cold Environments: Glacial, Perglacial and Tundra Areas and Their Exploitation and the Future of Antarctica. (Physical Option Choice)
- Population changes. (Core Human Topic)
- Energy Issues; Types and Patterns of Energy Supply and Consumption, The Impacts of Energy and Conservation for 21st Century Living: Design of Home and Transport for Sustainability. (Human Option Choice)
Assessment = 2 hour written exam paper with a structured question on each of the 4 specified topics studied.
Unit 2 - Applied Geography Skills – 30% of AS
Students will develop the use and application of a variety of geographical skills including fieldwork data collection, ICT, graph and map presentation plus statistical analysis. All will be taught as an integral part of the Core learning within Unit 1.
Assessment =1 hour exam paper -January exam entry for unit.
Q1 – Resource based questions on the Rivers and Population topics.
Q2 – Questions will relate to fieldwork.
A2 Content Unit 3 (30% of the A2)
Three Contemporary Issues
(at least 1 Physical and 1 Human issue)
- Plate tectonics and hazards
- Weather and climate and hazards
- Challenges facing ecosystems
- World cities – evolution or revolution?
- Contemporary conflicts and challenges
- Development and globalisation
The Geography Dept at Richmond Sixth Form will deliver:
Plate Tectonics and hazards
- Plate movement and theories
- Vulcanicity
- Seismicity
Weather and Climate & hazards
- Climate of the British Isles
- Climate of a tropical region (savanna / monsoon / equatorial)
- Urban climates on a local scale
- Global climate change
Contemporary Conflicts and Challenges
- Geography of conflicts
- Conflicts over the use of a resource
- Geographical impact of international conflict
- Challenge of multicultural societies in the UK
- Separatism within or across national boundaries
- Global poverty
Possibly also World Cities – Evolution or Revolution.
Assessment = 2½ hours
1 essay and 2 structured questions will be answered.
Students will be able to choose the issue to answer and on which to write the essay. The structured questions will be on the remaining other issues studied.
Unit 4a– January exam entry for this Unit.
Geography fieldwork Investigation (20% of the A2)
This demands the development of a full range of geographical skills, knowledge and understanding of fieldwork skills and reference to the detailed fieldwork study undertaken in Yr12.
Section A will assess your understanding of the fieldwork
Section B will assess other fieldwork skills using unfamiliar data, and will examine your understanding of skills and techniques used in fieldwork presentation and analysis.
Assessment = 1½ hours to answer a range of structured questions
Fieldwork Opportunities:
There will be several days of dedicated fieldwork to complement aspects of learning at both AS and A2.
Destinations include:
AS Geography
Unit 1 – Rivers – Arkengarthdale (2 days - residential at Grinton YHA )
Unit 1 – Cold Environments – Great Langdale Valley in the Lake District
Unit 1 – Population – Comparing the population structures of contrasting areas e.g. Leeds and Richmond.
A2 Geography
Unit 3 – possibly a visit to a city/urban area to investigate Urban Micro climates.
Contact Information
All staff can be contacted by 'phone on (01748) 850111 or by email admin@richmondschool.net:
Miss R McNutt - Head of Geography
Miss S Burnham
Mr K Allan
Miss C Ball