Geography

The journey of students in KS3 begins in year seven where pupils study Geography three times a fortnight. The first leg of the journey focuses in on ‘What is Geography?’ By defining the subject the students can develop an understanding of what the subject involves and highlights some of the aspects which they will study over the next three years. Students then get the opportunity to study Impossible, Dangerous and Fantastic places – in this module pupils look at Las Vegas and decide whether the city in the desert can really decide, they then go on to look at Australia and what makes this potentially one of the most dangerous places in the world. Finally they look at Fantastic places and get their first taste of fieldwork by visiting Cheddar Gorge for the day. Once the students get a grasp of geography and practice the skills they need to be successful they then look at our Risky World and focus in on Volcanoes and Earthquakes where they investigate the causes, impacts and responses to tectonic activities in a variety of places including Japan and Montserrat. The final leg of the year seven journey requires pupils to consider how the worlds population is changing and considers what this means for countries such as China.

The journey in year eight geography is all about Contrasts and students get the opportunity to contrast the cities of Brazil with the Rainforests. During this first module students will find out more about Brazil and investigate why such contrasts exist. This is an exciting module which looks at the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, life in the Brazilian countryside and the future facing the world's largest tropical rainforest, the Amazon. During this module pupils get the opportunity to reflect their creativity and presentation strengths and create a 6 part project. The contrasts theme continues when we study the European Union and focus in Italy, looking at the divide between the North and South of the country and also the different challenges facing cities such as Milan and Venice. The final module in year eight returns to the idea of a Risky World and pupils find out about Wild Weather.

In the final year of KS3, year nine, students consider the bigger global issues of MEDCs v LEDCs, trade, aid, development, crime, poverty and tourism. These big issues are investigated by looking at the countries of the USA and Ghana. By studying the issues in these countries and identifying the contrasts which exist, students can start to find out how and why the world is divided. During the year students also get to challenge some of the preconceptions they may have about the world. In addition to knowledge and understanding also develop and practice important numeracy, literacy and ICT skills which can be used in other areas of the curriculum.