Geography
Vision
‘Geography underpins a lifelong ‘conversation’ about the earth as the home of humankind. Geography therefore contributes to a balanced education for all young people in schools, colleges and other settings’ A Different View, Geographical Association (2009)
At Birchwood we aim to equip young people with the powerful knowledge about people and places which will enable them to play a full and active role as a global citizen. Geography seeks to bridge the divide between people and the environment, between different places and between the humanities and natural sciences. Geography acknowledges the links between peoples, places and bodies of knowledge.
How do we build on what students learn at KS2?
We want to ensure that our students are thoroughly supported in their transition from KS2 to KS3 PSHE. To do this, we work with local primary schools so that our curriculums complement one another. In year 7, we purposely prioritise revisiting and rebuilding on the following:
- Development of locational and place knowledge of area such as the United Kingdom and continents and oceans.
- Enhancing map and geographical skills with the use of OS maps.
- Building subject-specific terminology.
- Developing topics such as; water cycles, energy resources, earthquakes and rock types.
We complete a baseline assessment at the start of year 7 to assess students’ geographical knowledge. The assessment has been created from the key stage 2 national curriculum.
How do we cover the KS3 National Curriculum and beyond?
We believe that covering the KS3 National Curriculum is hugely important, but we also recognise how crucial it is for students to be exposed to wider knowledge beyond this.
We ensure that we cover the KS3 National Curriculum by covering the following (KS3 headings/ key points)
- Year 7: knowledge of maps and atlases, plate tectonics, the United Kingdom, population and urbanisation, economic activity and Africa.
- Year 8: Population and urbanisation, international development, hydrology, glaciation, Asia/China, weather and climate.
- Year 9: Plate tectonics, hydrology, natural resources, climate change, polar deserts, weather and climate, and urbanisation.
Beyond the curriculum, we provide:
- A comprehensive study of Warrington’s geography.
- An understanding of sustainability and the importance of this within society.
- A weekly Eco Hub extra-curricular club to promote environmental issues.
- A range of trips to support curriculum topics where possible.
What do we cover in KS4 and how do we aspire towards KS5?
We follow the AQA GCSE Geography specification and cover the following topics:
Physical Geography (Paper 1):
- Natural Hazards
- Living World
- UK Landscapes: Rivers and Coasts
Human Geography (Paper 2):
- Urban Issues
- Economic World
- Resource Management
Fieldwork and Skills (Paper 3):
- Human Fieldwork: Salford Quays
- Physical Fieldwork: River Wyre
- Issue Evaluation
We ensure that our curriculum revisits key ideas that are covered in key stage 3 and provide a foundation for study at key stage 4. Such as;
- Sustainability.
- Locational and Place knowledge.
- The understanding of how human and physical processes interact.
- Geographical skills.
We want to ensure that our students are ready for life beyond KS4. In order to do this, we expose our students to a range of ambitious content and ideas:
- Explicit links to A level Geography and Sociology
- Encouragement of critical thinking around contemporary issues
- Lifelong sustainability
- Careers
KS3 Curriculum Overview
|
Year |
HT1 / 2 |
HT2 / 3 |
HT3 / 4 |
HT4 / 5 |
HT5 /6 |
|
Learning question Key knowledge |
What is Geography? •Locational knowledge •Cartographical skills •Sustainability |
What makes an Earthquake so deadly? •Distribution •Differences between High Income Countries (HIC) and Low Income Countries (LIC) •Plate tectonic theory |
What is the geography of the United Kingdom? •Physical features of the UK. •Human features of the UK. •Locational knowledge of the UK. |
How are our clothes global? •Globalisation •Economic activity •Multiplier Effect •Sustainability |
How is Africa a diverse continent? •Ecosystems/ Biomes •Development •Urbanisation •Tourism |
|
Building and revisiting |
•Building on continents and oceans and maps skills (KS2) |
•Building on formation of mountains and earthquakes (KS2) |
•Distribution (Y7) •Types of rocks (KS2) |
•HIC/LIC terminology (Y7) •Sustainability (Y7) •Distribution (Y7) |
•Locational knowledge (KS2) •Economic change (Y7) •Multiplier Effect (Y7) •Climate Graphs (Y7) |
|
Assessment |
RAP: Describe the route from Padley School to Causey School. |
RAP: Explain why the Haiti earthquake was so deadly? |
RAP: Explain why Oxford was first established in this area. |
RAP: Suggest why clothes are being made globally. |
RAP: Explain how rapid urbanisation causes advantages and disadvantages |
|
Year |
HT1 / 2 |
HT2 / 3 |
HT4/ 5 |
HT 5/6 |
|
Learning question Key knowledge |
Why does population change over time? •Population structure •Migration |
How do rivers shape our landscape? •Hydrological cycle •Physical features of rivers •Flooding |
How developed is China? •Economic Development •Locational Knowledge •Sustainability •Connections with Africa •Energy Resource |
What influences Britain’s weather and climate? •Types of rain •Factors affecting climates and microclimates • |
|
Building and revisiting |
•Population pyramids (Y7) •Development (Y7) |
•Water Cycle (KS2) •Sustainability (Y7) |
•Population Structure •Sustainability (Y7) •Energy resource (KS2) •Africa (Y7) |
•Hydrological cycle (Y8) •Climate graphs (Y7) |
|
Assessment |
RAP: Explain why countries go through one stage of the demographic transition. |
RAP: Explain how meanders change over time. |
RAP: ‘The China one child policy was a success’ Do you agree? Give reasons for your opinion. |
RAP: ‘Latitude has the largest influence on Britain’s climate.’ To what extent do you agree? |
|
Year |
HT1 / 2 |
HT2 / 3 |
HT3 / 4 |
HT4 / 5 |
HT5 /6 |
|
Specification Topic Key knowledge |
How do volcanoes affect people? •Physical features of volcanoes •Advantages and disadvantages of living near volcanoes. |
Does Oxfordshire need a reservoir? •Locational knowledge •Resource scarcity •Management of water resources • • |
What is the future of Antarctica? •Ecosystems •Climate •Opportunities and challenges of Antarctica •Management of Antarctica •Climate Change |
How does the atmosphere create hazards? •Atmospheric Circulation •Causes/effects of wildfires •Managing wildfires. •Climate Change |
How can Warrington’s future be sustainable? •Transport •Housing •Sustainability •Managing Urban Issues • |
|
Building and revisiting |
•Natural disasters (Y7) •Plate tectonic theory (Y7) •Tourism (Y7) •Distribution (Y7/8) |
•Types of rainfall (Y8) •Dams and reservoirs (Y8) •United Kingdom (Y7) •Distribution (Y7/8) •Sustainability (Y7) |
•Ecosystems (Y7) •Climate (Y8) •Tourism (Y7) •Sustainability (Y7) |
•Natural disasters (Y7/9) •Weather and climate (Y8) •Climate change (Y9) |
•Sustainability (Y7) •Climate Change (Y9) |
|
Assessment |
RAP: ‘Tourism to volcanic regions should be banned’ To what extent do you agree with this statement |
RAP: Explain why some stakeholders may be for and others may be against the reservoir being built. Use evidence from the resource booklet and your own understanding. |
RAP: To what extent does Antarctica provide both opportunities and challenges for development. |
RAP: Assess the extent to which controlled burning is the best way to manage wildfires. |
RAP: ‘The western link is the only sustainable option to improve Warrington’s transport issues.’ To what extent do you agree? |
KS4 Curriculum Overview
|
Year |
HT1 / 2 |
HT 3/4 |
HT4 |
HT5 |
HT6 |
|
Learning question Key knowledge |
Living World •Ecosystems •Rainforests •Cold Environments |
Urban Issues • •Population distribution •Opportunities and challenges in cities •Urban sustainability |
Economic World •Economic development •Development gap •Rapid economic change. •Economic change in the UK. |
Human Fieldwork •Enquiry questions. •Measuring and recording data. •Data Presentation. •Conclusions and evaluations. |
UK Landscapes: Coasts •Coastal processes •Coastal landforms •Management strategies • |
|
Building and revisiting |
•Antarctica (Y9) •Africa (Y7) |
•Warrington (Y9) •The United Kingdom (Y7) •Africa (Y7) •Population (Y8) |
•Fashion (Y7) •Africa (Y7) •Earthquakes (Y7) •China (Y8) •Population (Y8) • |
•Warrington (Y9) •The United Kingdom (Y7) •Africa (Y7) •Population (Y8) •Urban Issues (Y10) |
•Rivers (Y8) •United Kingdom (Y7) |
|
Assessment |
RAP: Explain how deforestation can have economic impacts. [6 marks] [SAMS 3] To what extent are cold environments at risk from economic development and therefore in need of protection? [9 marks] [2019] End of Unit Assessment |
RAP: To what extent do urban areas in lower income countries (LICs) or newly emerging economies (NEEs) provide social and economic opportunities for people? [6 marks] [SAMS 1] End of Unit Assessment |
RAP: Evaluate the effectiveness of tourism in reducing the development gap. Use Figure 9 and your own knowledge. [9 marks] [SAMS 2] Evaluate the success of one of more strategies to resolve regional differences in the UK [9 marks] [2020] End of Unit Assessment |
RAP: To what extent were results of your enquiry helpful in reaching a reliable conclusion(s)? [9 marks] [SAMS 1] End of Unit Assessment |
RAP: Explain how different coastal landforms are created by erosion. [6 marks] [2019] |
|
Year |
HT1 |
HT1 |
HT2 |
HT3 |
HT5 |
HT5 |
|
Learning question Key knowledge |
UK Landscapes: Rivers •Changes to the shape of a river •Fluvial processes •Fluvial landforms •Management strategies |
Physical Fieldwork • •Enquiry questions. •Measuring and recording data. •Data Presentation. •Conclusions and evaluations. |
Economic World: UK •Economic change in the UK • |
Natural Hazards •Natural hazards •Tectonic hazards •Weather hazards •Climate change |
Resource Management •Resource management •Energy |
Pre-Release |
|
Building and revisiting |
•Rivers (Y8) •Coasts (Y10) •Weather and climate (Y8) •The United Kingdom (Y7) |
•Human Fieldwork (Y10) •Rivers (Y8) •Coasts (Y10) •Weather and climate (Y8) •The United Kingdom (Y7) |
•Fashion (Y7) •Africa (Y7) •Earthquakes (Y7) •China (Y8) •Population (Y8) •Warrington (Y9) |
•Antarctica (Y9) •Volcanoes (Y9) •Atmospheric Hazards (Y9) •Weather and Climate (Y8) •Earthquakes (Y7) |
•Water (Y9) •Warrington (Y9) •China (Y8) •Rivers (Y8/11) •Living World (Y10) •Urban Issues (Y10) • |
•Will be linked to a topic covered in GCSE. |
|
Assessment |
RAP: Assess the benefits of using hard engineering and soft engineering to reduce the risk of river flooding. [6 marks] [2022] End of Unit Assessment |
RAP: Assess the extent to which the accuracy of the results and the reliability of the conclusions could be improved. [9 marks] [2018] End of Unit Assessment |
RAP: Evaluate the success of one of more strategies to resolve regional differences in the UK [9 marks] [2020] |
RAP: Suggest why the effects of a tectonic hazard vary between areas of contrasting levels of wealth. [6 marks] [SAMS 2] |
RAP: ‘Extraction of fossil fuels can bring both advantages and disadvantages’ Explain this statement using an example you have studied. [6 marks] [2019] |
RAP: End of Unit Assessment |
