Deanery Website – Curriculum Information Template
KS3 Geography
Aim
The main aim of our geography curriculum is to create ‘lifelong geographers’. Our curriculum is intended to create well-rounded, resilient, liberal geographers through direct teacher instruction that allows pupils to be open, and seeks to develop a sense of place to help students make sense of their surroundings. Pupils will also gain a greater appreciation of the variety of physical and human conditions on the Earth’s surface.
| Year | What will I learn? | What will I do? |
| 7 | Term 1:
What does a geographer do?
Atlases, World Maps, Map Skills, Continents, Oceans and seas, Geography of the UK
Can we ever know enough about plate tectonics to live safely?
Geological timescales, theory of continental drift, plate boundaries, earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, recent examples of each, surviving earthquakes
Term 2: How is India being transformed?
Global Population growth and change, Focus on India, Physical Geography of India, Level of development, Slums, Challenges and Opportunities, Sustainable solutions to growth
What happens where the land meets the sea?
Process of Erosion and weathering. Formation of Coastal Stacks, Mass Movements, Soils and Rocks, Coastal Defences
Term 3: Is Deanery High School Sustainable?
What is sustainability? Sustainable aspect of Wigan Town, School Based Fieldwork and Data collection, Environmental quality survey, land use maps, data presentation and analysis
|
Map skills.
Learn to speak like a geographer
Drawing maps including choropleth maps.
Creating line graphs, bar graphs, scatter graphs, pie charts.
Learn to deeper, more meaningful questions
Explore a brief history of Wigan and how it has shaped the present day
Annotating graphs and photos.
Establish how India has developed to become a global superpower and the challenges and opportunities it experiences
Understand the complexities of coastal processes and how the shape physical features along the coast
Site based fieldwork to determine how sustainable our school site is
Map skills.
A full fieldwork investigation where you will risk assess and plan your own investigation.
You will collect and present your own data and draw conclusions about how sustainable we are as a school. |
| 8 | Term 1:
What is the difference between Weather and Climate? Historic Changes in climate from Ice Age to present. Climate Zones, Factors of influence, Types of weather. How to measure the weather. Forecasting,
Term 2: How does Ice change the world? Types of Glacial Erosion Processes, Glaciers under threat
Impacts of melting glaciers, National Parks, Conflict at the glacier
Why is the Middle East important? Physical Geography of the Middle East, Biomes, Ecosystems,
Life under the Taliban, Conflict in the Middle East (focus on Afghanistan) leading to uneven development in the region, Past and Future refugee crisis’
Term 3:
The Rise of Dark Tourism What is dark tourism, evaluation of the morality of it, dark tourism hotspots place studies including Pompeii, North Korea, Chernobyl, Cambodia, New York
Does Deanery have a Micro-Climate? What is a Micro Climate? School Based Fieldwork, Linking and comparing to a distant place using images and secondary data, data presentation and analysis
|
Understand the differences between weather and climate and how extreme weather impacts people
You will explore glacial areas all over the world from Switzerland, New Zealand and the Lake District and how they came to be
You will establish why the Middle East is such an important world region focusing on the physical geography of the area and also human aspects such as Life under the Taliban, the Afghan War and the resulting refugee crisis
You will study the growing phenomenon of Dark tourism.
You will explore the most popular dark tourism sites and evaluate the ethics of promoting such places
A fieldwork investigation where you will risk assess and plan your own investigation.
You will collect and present your own data and draw conclusions as to whether our school has a micro climate
|
| 9 | Term 1:
What are the challenges and opportunities in Africa?
Focus on Africa, Diversity, Culture, People in extreme environments, Blood Diamonds, International development, Employment structures, Country Focus: Nigeria
Why is South America becoming more significant?
Location, Diversity, Culture, Favela improvements
Biodiversity in the Galapagos, Venezuela food crisis, Journey through the Andes Mountains, Importance of the South American Drugs trade
Term 2: Can we ever know enough about the geography of disease?
How diseases spread, where diseases spread and why? Is it linked to inequality?
Malaria Case Study, Responses to widespread disease
Evaluation of the ‘Glasgow Effect’ and the phenomenon of ‘Blue Zones’
Term 3:
Is the geography of Asia a curse or benefit?
Biomes, Ecosystems, Food Webs/Chains
Focus – Rainforest – Borneo, Soil Features, Resources – Timber/Wood, Deforestation, Causes/Impacts, Polar landscape – Siberia, Russia, Desert, Mongolia
Why are Rivers important?
Water Cycle, Drainage Basin, River Valleys, River Features, Upper/Middle/Lower Course, Landforms, Flooding – India and Wigan example |
You will explore the human and physical geographies of Asia and how humans are using and often destroying the fragile ecosystems here and discover whether its rich biodiversity is more of a curse or benefit.
You will understand the significance of countries and areas in South American and look at long established cultures and traditions and how they came to be
You will study the South American drugs trade and the impacts it has had in South America, positive and negative
You will learn how rivers are becoming more important and we become more aware of their power of destruction and why the frequency of major flood events is increasing. You will also look at the awesome power of river and the landforms that they create
You will explore why it is important to study the geography of disease and how and why diseases spread around the world. You will focus on the impacts of the Ebola epidemic in Africa and global responses to widespread disease |
Co-Curricular Opportunities
At KS3 there is a Geo Club where we explore key geographical issues. This club is hands on, practical, and creative!
How you can support your child’s progress
As well as ensuring your child completes their set homework, we encourage you to talk to your child as much as possible about what they are studying in their geography lessons and current events that are happening around the world.
