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Geography
Curriculum Intent
The Geography department at the Boswells School:
- helps young people make sense of a complex and dynamically changing world
- explains where places are, how places and landscapes are formed, how people and their environment interact, and how a diverse range of economies, societies and environments are interconnected.
- builds on pupils’ own experiences to investigate all scales, from the personal to the global.
- encourages questioning, investigation and critical thinking about issues affecting the world and people’s lives, now and in the future
- inspires pupils to become global citizens by exploring their own place in the world, their values and their responsibilities to other people, to the environment and to the sustainability of the planet.
Key Stage 3
Year 7 Curriculum Overview
Autumn Term
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| Half Term 1 | Half Term 2 |
| Knowledge | Oceania What is Oceania like? How was New Zealand formed? How do glaciers form in New Zealand? How has ice formed New Zealand? How does climate change affect glaciers?
| What ecosystems are there in Australia? How do animals and plant adapt? Why are rainforests important? Why are Australian rainforests special?
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| How we assess | Formative assessment of paragraph construction
Geographical skills checks
Short self mark quizzes | Summative Assessment Question: Should a new road be built around Daintree Rainforest in Australia? Shorter answer questions based on knowledge and understanding and skills from the unit.
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Spring Term
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| Half Term 3 | Half Term 4 |
| Knowledge | South America What is the geography of South America like? What is life like in Rio de Janeiro? What is life like in the favelas? How can we improve the favelas? | How important is water? What is the Amazon like? Investigating the water cycle – fieldwork opportunity |
| How we assess | Summative Assessment question: Evaluate at least two schemes which have helped improve the lives of people living in a favela. Shorter answer questions based on knowledge and understanding and skills from the unit.
| Geographical skills checks
Short self mark quizzes
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Summer Term
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| Half Term 5 | Half Term 6 |
| Knowledge | Europe What is Europe like? What is urban sustainable living? Group design1 Group design 2 (Design a sustainable city & Present)
| Why is Old Harry lonely? How did Fjords form? Why do we get sand dunes? How can we protect the coast?
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| How we assess | Formative feedback on group presentations | Geographical skills checks
Short self mark quizzes
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Year 8 Curriculum Overview
Autumn Term
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| Half Term 1 | Half Term 2 |
| Knowledge | Antarctica What is the location of Antarctica? What is the climate of Antarctica? How does our climate compare to Antarctica? What are the threats to Antarctica? | Middle East What is the Middle East like? What impact did oil have on Dubai? What are the future energy options for Dubai? How can Dubai develop sustainably? |
| How we assess | Geographical skills checks
Short self mark quizzes
| Summative Assessment question: To what extent is Dubai a sustainable city? Shorter answer questions based on knowledge and understanding and skills from the unit.
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Spring Term
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| Half Term 3 | Half Term 4 |
| Knowledge | Russia What’s the climate of Russia like? How does climate affect people? How does Russian climate compare to the UK? | Asia What is Asia's geography? What are development indicators & what can they tell us? What has happened to world population? What can Population Pyramids tell us? |
| How we assess | Formative assessment of longer paragraph writing Geographical skills checks Short self mark quizzes | Geographical skills checks
Short self mark quizzes
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Summer Term
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| Half Term 5 | Half Term 6 |
| Knowledge | How close together do people live? What problems will an ageing population bring? How can we solve ageing problem?
| Why is there rural to urban population in India? Why do people move abroad? What are refugees? On site Human Fieldwork
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| How we assess | Summative Assessment Question: Evaluate how successfully Japan is managing its population Shorter answer questions based on knowledge and understanding and skills from the unit.
| Formative assessment of longer paragraph writing Geographical skills checks Short self mark quizzes
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Year 9 Curriculum Overview
Autumn Term
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| Half Term 1 | Half Term 2 |
| Knowledge | North America What’s the geography of North America? How is the earth structured? What happens at plate boundaries? Why was the Haiti Earthquake so deadly? How do people prepare for earthquakes in California?
| What are the causes of wildfires? What are the impacts and responses to wildfires? How do volcanoes happen? How much of a threat are super volcanoes? How can we prepare for tsunamis? |
| How we assess | Formative assessment of longer paragraph writing Geographical skills checks Short self mark quizzes | Summative Assessment Question: Assess the impacts of the Alberta wildfire. Shorter answer questions based on knowledge and understanding and skills from the unit.
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Spring Term
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| Half Term 3 | Half Term 4 |
| Knowledge | Africa What’s the geography of Africa? How can tourism Help Uganda? What are the tourism options in Uganda? How else can Uganda develop?
| What are the challenges of Africa? Challenge 1 Malaria Challenge 2 Food security Challenge 3 Foreign Investment Challenge 4 Sustainable Energy |
| How we assess | Summative Assessment Question: What is the best method to help Uganda develop? Shorter answer questions based on knowledge and understanding and skills from the unit.
| Geographical skills checks
Short self mark quizzes |
Summer Term
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| Half Term 5 | Half Term 6 |
| Knowledge | Globalisation What is Globalisation? Where are our products produced? How important are TNCs? How does the chocolate trade work? What are the impacts of the global fashion trade?
| Futures Geographies What may happen? What is likely to happen in the Maldives? What would we like to happen – the importance of trees What would we like to happen – reducing plastic pollution What would we like to happen – developing accessible spaces What would we like to happen -Bhutan case study |
| How we assess | Formative assessment of longer paragraph writing
Geographical skills checks
Short self mark quizzes | Short self mark quizzes |
Key Stage 3 useful resources
BBC Bitesize https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zrw76sg
Oak Academy https://www.thenational.academy/teachers/programmes/geography-secondary-aqa/units?keystages=ks3
Key Stage 4
Year 10 Curriculum Overview
Autumn Term
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| Half Term 1 | Half Term 2 |
| Knowledge | Theme 1 Landscapes of the UK; UK Landscapes: Factors affecting landscapes Skills: Grid refs and compass points and contours. Geomorphic processes Drainage basins and river course. Waterfalls and V shaped valleys Meanders and Oxbow lakes Levees & Floodplains. River Wye Case study
| Headlands & Bays. Caves, stacks & stumps. Beaches & Spits. Coastal Management & Sea Defences. Walton on the Naze Case Study
Theme 2 People of the UK; Changes in employment across the UK. Differences across the UK.
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| How we assess | Geographical skills checks Short self mark quizzes Exam questions in class and for homework Mid Unit Knowledge Exam; Landscapes of the UK Test 1. | Geographical skills checks Short self mark quizzes Exam questions in class and for homework End of unit Exam on Paper 1, theme 1 Landscapes of the UK Test 2. |
Spring Term
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| Half Term 3 | Half Term 4 |
| Knowledge | Theme 2 People of the UK;
North South Divide. Causes of uneven development UK major trading partners. Salford Quays Population in the UK. Population Change. Demographic transition Model. Ageing Population Immigration Urban Trends in UK cities.
| City study: Cambridge. Ways of life in Cambridge. Challenges in Cambridge. Sustainable strategies used in Cambridge
Theme 3 Environmental Challenges in the UK
Weather in the UK Air masses and UK weather How air masses cause extreme weather conditions in the UK Case Study of an extreme weather event in the UK: The Somerset Levels Floods 2014
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| How we assess | Geographical skills checks Short self mark quizzes Exam questions in class and for homework Mid Unit Knowledge Exam; People of the UK Test 3. | Geographical skills checks Short self mark quizzes Exam questions in class and for homework End of Unit Exam on paper 1, theme 2, people of the UK Test 4. |
Summer Term
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| Half Term 5 | Half Term 6 |
| Knowledge | Theme 3 Environmental Challenges in the UK
Humans use, modify and change ecosystems and environments to obtain food, energy and water. Wind farms and fracking to provide energy Reservoirs and water transfer schemes to provide water. Energy sources available to the UK - Identification of renewable and non-renewable energy sources - consideration of future supplies Changing patterns of energy supply and demand in the UK Strategies for sustainable use and management of energy Economic, political and environmental factors affecting UK energy supply in the future. | Paper 3: Geographical Skills and Fieldwork
Geographical skills including: Map Skills Graphical Skills Statistical calculations Ways of displaying data Fieldwork skills including: Planning and carrying out an enquiry Assessing secondary fieldwork data Presenting Data Concluding and evaluating fieldwork examples
2 days collecting data in Walton on the Naze and Cambridge. Writing up findings |
| How we assess | Geographical skills checks Short self mark quizzes Exam questions in class and for homework Year 10 Exam: Paper 1 | Geographical skills checks Short self mark quizzes Exam questions in class and for homework
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Year 11 Curriculum Overview
Autumn Term
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| Half Term 1 | Half Term 2 |
| Knowledge | Paper 2 The World Around Us Theme 1: Ecosystems of the Planet
Ecosystems Overview of the global distribution of polar regions, coral reefs, grasslands, temperate forests, tropical rainforests, and hot deserts. Overview of the climate, plants and animals within these ecosystems as well as location The processes that operate within tropical rainforests, including nutrient and water cycles. Case Study – Peruvian Amazon TRF
The location of warm water coral reefs including and the process of nutrient cycling that operates within coral reefs
Case study – Andros Barrier Reef | Paper 2 Theme 3: Environmental Threats
Overview of how the climate has changed from the beginning of the Quaternary period to the present day, including ice ages.
Natural and human induced climate change mechanisms Evidence for climate change Effects of climate change
Tropical storms: locations and causes Extreme weather and the global atmospheric circulation model El Nino as a cause of drought
The Big Dry case study |
| How we assess | Geographical skills checks Short self mark quizzes Exam questions in class and for homework Year 11 Mock Exam: Paper 3 | Geographical skills checks Short self mark quizzes Exam questions in class and for homework End of Unit Exam on paper 2, theme 3 |
Spring Term
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| Half Term 3 | Half Term 4 |
| Knowledge | Paper 2 Theme 2 People and the Planet
Social, economic and environmental definitions of development
Different development indicators and how development indicators illustrate the consequences of uneven development.
Outline the reasons for uneven development, including the impact of colonialism on trade and the exploitation of natural resources.
Different types of aid and their role in both promoting and hindering development.
Case study Ethiopia - to illustrate its changing economic development and inter relationships
| Definition of city, megacity and world city.
The distribution of megacities and how this has changed over time.
How urban growth rates vary in parts of the world with contrasting levels of development. Overview of the causes of rapid urbanisation in LIDCs including push and pull migration factors, and natural growth.
Outline of the social, economic and environmental consequences of rapid urbanisation in LIDCs.
Case study of one major city in an LIDC or EDC - Istanbul
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| How we assess | Geographical skills checks Short self mark quizzes Exam questions in class and for homework Mock Exam 2: paper 2 | Geographical skills checks Short self mark quizzes Exam questions in class and for homework End of Unit Knowledge Exam; People of the Planet |
Summer Term
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| Half Term 5 | Half Term 6 |
| Knowledge | Revision tasks for all 3 papers | Exam period |
| How we assess | Formative assessment vis quizzing, self checks, exam questions |
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Key Stage 4 useful resources
- OCR A GCSE geography revision guide
- Internet Geography https://www.internetgeography.net/
- Time for geography https://timeforgeography.co.uk/
Enrichment Opportunities
Clubs: Eco club
Trips: Year 7 Ecosystems trip to Colchester Zoo, Year 8 Trip to Sizewell Power Station, Year 9 trip to London Docklands, Year 10 Trips to Walton on the Naze and Cambridge