Why do we learn geography?
"The study of geography is about more than just memorizing places on a map. It's about understanding the complexity of our world, appreciating the diversity of cultures that exists across continents. And in the end, it's about using all that knowledge to help bridge divides and bring people together." Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States
Geography is the subject that allows students to understand their lived experiences as they interact with their surroundings, both natural and human. It is the subject that allows them to decode and make sense of their environs. It is a well-established maxim that people fear what they do not understand. So not being able to understand your local, regional and even national surroundings is a particularly upsetting prospect. Geography gives students the base constructs, and more importantly, the investigative tools to explore and make sense of their environment and thus, their lives in a general sense. No one likes to think they haven’t received their fair share so helping students comprehend why some people/areas/countries don’t have equal access to water, food, shelter, wealth etc… allows them to accept these realities and then find solutions to them.
At Ark Blake we will seek to create global citizens. Students who will understand their place in London, the UK and the world. They will understand how they came to be there in both a physical and human sense and how they can improve the situation of our environment and fellow people.
Our approach
The students at Ark Blake will study a range of very relevant topics for students living in a modern city. The topics are designed to all pass through two main threshold concepts:
- That our world (on all scales) is controlled by the physical Geography around us. For example India and China share a 4,000km border and yet have no overlapping cultural or social norms, because that border is the Himalaya mountains and normal people can’t get past it.
- That we can impact and physically change our world at every scale. For example the cars we drive in London can make a noticeable impact on climate change, affecting people in Bangladesh 8,000km away.
Year 7
Passport to Geography: Geography forms part of the statutory primary national curriculum but the quantity and quality taught can vary enormously so we begin by establishing a grounding for our Y7 students. Pupils begin the year with an introduction to Geography that allows them to see what the subject is and how it is related to Science and other subjects. Map skills are taught to allow students to access the visual data of place that a large chunk of the KS3 course is comprised off.
| Autumn | |
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| Passport to Geography & Tectonics | |
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Can I describe my area using a map? Knowledge Content: What is Geography? What are the 3 pillars? How do they interrelate? How do you read a map? Threshold Concepts: What are the 3 pillars of Geography? Basic map skills. |
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How impactful was the Sichuan EQ on the people of China? Knowledge Content: Structure of the earth, Tectonic plates and continental drift, Volcanoes, Features of an earthquake, Case study: Sichuan Threshold Concepts: Plate margins, layers of the earth, primary & secondary impacts of EQ |
| Spring | |
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| Weather, Climate & Climate Change | |
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Why is the UK’s weather so rainy? Knowledge Content: Measuring weather, Presenting weather data The causes of types of rain, Air pressure Climate zones across the globe Threshold Concepts: What is weather? Types of rain. What is climate? |
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Why did the ice age end? Knowledge Content: Evidence for climate change, Causes of climate change, Strategies against climate change Threshold Concepts: What is climate change? My carbon footprint The impacts of climate change |
| Summer | |
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| Population & Urbanisation | |
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Why does London have so many more people than Manchester? Knowledge Content: Global population distribution, Birth rates, death rates and natural increase, Why do BRs and DRs differ place to place? Population pyramids Threshold Concepts: Global population growth Population in the UK Population indicators |
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Why is London so much bigger than Manchester? Knowledge Content: Human settlement Urbanisation Urbanisation challenges Threshold Concepts: Types of settlement Push and pull factors Case study |
All Year 7 subjects Next Year 7 Subject - Religious Education
Year 8
Year 8 develops our student’s Geographic knowledge and skills by looking principally at the main geopolitical mechanisms of development, the economy and energy. This is a purposefully mature and deep curriculum for Y8s to get them to engage with their status as UK and global citizens. It also looks at physical topics to help students understand the relationship between the earth’s physical processes and the impact on human settlement and economic activity.
| Autumn | |
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| Rivers & the UK Economy | |
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Why does the River Thames curve so much in London? Knowledge Content: River processes, Long and cross profile, How a waterfall forms, How a meander forms, Rivers on maps Threshold Concepts: The water cycle River features |
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Why am I more likely to be a millionaire if I stay in London? Knowledge Content: UK industry UK employment structure Case study: Doncaster Case study: East London North-south divide? Threshold Concepts: What is 'the economy'? Regeneration |
| Spring | |
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| Coasts & Economic Development | |
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How can an entire town fall into the sea? Knowledge Content: Types of Waves Longshore drift Coastal geology Cave-arch-stack-stump Coasts on maps Coastal management Threshold Concepts: Coastal landforms How do waves form? Rock types |
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Why is Malawi so poor and Singapore so rich? Knowledge Content: Measuring development Mapping life expectancy HICs, NEEs and LICs LIC case study: Malawi HIC case study: Singapore Causes of uneven development Threshold Concepts: What is development? What are HICs, NEEs and LICs? |
| Summer | |
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| Energy, GIS and Fieldwork | |
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Why would someone go to war for oil? Knowledge Content: The importance of natural resources Supply vs. demand Oil: what's the problem? Solar energy's development potential Threshold Concepts: Energy types and sources |
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Why are the houses in South Croydon so much bigger than the houses in East Croydon? Knowledge Content: Uses of GIS Establishing a fieldwork enquiry Methods Conducting the fieldwork Presenting the results Conclusion and evaluation Threshold Concepts: Simple uses of GIS Basic fieldwork techniques |
All Year 8 subjects Next Year 8 Subject - Religious Education
Year 9
Year 9 is where the KS3 curriculum evolves and matures into a practical and case studybased application of knowledge and skills. It is less theoretical and more applied. This will manifest in more detailed, complex and longer answers to questions. It also turns one eye toward the format of the GCSE and particularly fieldwork and the Decision-Making Exercises that compromise a sizeable chunk of the GCSE marks but are grounded in practice, not theory.
| Autumn | |
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| Tectonic and Weather Hazards | |
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How can Japan have an earthquake 1,000 bigger and a death toll 100 times smaller? Knowledge Content: Plate tectonics theory and distribution Physical processes Named examples: effects Named examples: responses Why live with hazard risk? Management of tectonic hazards Threshold Concepts: What is a natural hazard? Primary & secondary impacts |
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Could New Orleans turn into the next Atlantis? Knowledge Content: Tropical storm distribution Causes and features of tropical storms Impact of climate change on tropical storms Management of tropical storms UK weather hazards Threshold Concepts: Global circulation, Typhoon Haiyan: effects Typhoon Haiyan: responses |
| Spring | |
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| Climate and Global Urban Change | |
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Is Croydon more likely to flood now than 50 years ago? Knowledge Content: Natural causes of climate change Mitigating climate change Adapting to climate change Threshold Concepts: Evidence for climate change, Somerset floods 2014, Human causes of climate change |
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Can London keep growing without bursting? Knowledge Content: Factors affecting urbanisation Major city in a NEE – Rio (Case Study) Threshold Concepts: Urban change |
| Summer | |
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| UK Urban Changes, Issues and Challenges | |
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Can Croydon keep growing without all the parks disappearing? Knowledge Content: Urban planning Case study: major UK city Urban regeneration project Threshold Concepts: The layers of a city Structure of urban layers Economic Activity in each layer |
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Is Croydon becoming a clone town? Knowledge Content: Sustainable urban living Urban transport strategies How to analyse multiple resources How to write an argument using evidence. DME planning DME writing Threshold Concepts: Writing an argument Analysing graphs Using quotes to make your argument. |
All Year 9 subjects Next Year 9 Subject - Religious Education
Year 10
Unit 1: Living with the physical environment
This unit is concerned with the dynamic nature of physical processes and systems, and human interaction with them in a variety of places and at a range of scales. The aims of this unit are to develop an understanding of the tectonic, geomorphological, biological and meteorological processes and features in different environments, and the need for management strategies governed by sustainability and consideration of the direct and indirect effects of human interaction with the Earth and the atmosphere.
Unit 3: Geographical applications (Fieldwork)
The Geographical applications unit is designed to be synoptic in that students will be required to draw together knowledge, understanding and skills from the full course of study. It is an opportunity for students to show their breadth of understanding and an evaluative appreciation of the interrelationships between different aspects of geographical study.
| Autumn 1 | |
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| Natural, tectonic and weather hazards | |
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How does a natural hazard become a disaster? |
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Knowledge Content: What are natural hazards? What physical processes causes earthquakes and volcanoes? How does global atmospheric circulation help determine patterns of weather and climate? Threshold Concepts: What role does wealth play in hazard management? How does extreme weather events in the UK have impacts on human activity? |
| Autumn 2 | |
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| Climate change, ecosystems and tropical rainforests | |
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Why are so many animals going extinct? |
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Knowledge Content: What are the natural and human factors causing climate change? What are ecosystems? Threshold Concepts: How can climate change impacts be managed? What are the economic and environmental impacts of deforestation? |
| Spring 1 | |
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| Hot deserts, cold environments and UK physical landscapes | |
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Why is so much of the earth uninhabited? |
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Knowledge Content: What are the physical characteristics of a hot/cold environs? How are climate, water, soils, plants, animals and people interdependent? Threshold Concepts: What opportunities and challenges does development of hot/cold environments create? |
| Spring 2 | |
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| Coastal, river and glacial landscapes in the UK | |
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Why does the north and south of the UK look so different? |
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Knowledge Content: How are UK coasts shaped by physical processes? How do rivers impact UK landscapes? How have glaciers shaped the UKs landscapes over centuries? Threshold Concepts: Distinctive river/coastal landforms are the result of rock type, structure, and physical processes. Management strategies. Glacial processes: freeze thaw weathering erosion – abrasion and plucking movement and transportation deposition |
| Summer 1 | |
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| Fieldwork Physical (Rivers) | |
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How likely is Croydon to experience flooding? |
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Knowledge Content: How to collect primary data on physical processes. Describing, analysing and explaining fieldwork data. Threshold Concepts: Selecting appropriate ways of processing and presenting fieldwork data Evaluation of geographical enquiry. |
| Summer 2 | |
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| Fieldwork Human (Regeneration) | |
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Are Croydon natives at risk of being ‘priced out’ of their own town? |
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Knowledge Content: How to collect primary data on human processes. Describing, analysing and explaining fieldwork data. Threshold Concepts: Selecting appropriate ways of processing and presenting fieldwork data Evaluation of geographical enquiry. |
All Year 10 subjects Next Year 10 Subject - Religious Education
Year 11
Unit 2: Challenges in the human environment
This unit is concerned with human processes, systems and outcomes and how these change both spatially and temporally. They are studied in a variety of places and at a range of scales and must include places in various states of development, such as higher income countries (HICs), lower income countries (LICs) and newly emerging economies (NEEs). The aims of this unit are to develop an understanding of the factors that produce a diverse variety of human environments; the dynamic nature of these environments that change over time and place; the need for sustainable management; and the areas of current and future challenge and opportunity for these environments.
| Autumn 1 | |
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| Urban issues and challenges | |
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Will Lagos overtake London in global importance? |
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Knowledge Content: What issues are caused by rapid urbanisation? What social, economic and environmental opportunities and challenges has urban change in cities in the UK led to? Threshold Concepts: Who are the emerging LICs and NEEs? Impacts of national and international migration, integrated transport systems, urban deprivation, regeneration. |
| Autumn 2 | |
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| The changing economic world | |
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Is China the worlds new top superpower? |
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Knowledge Content: What are the main drivers behind variations in global development? What are the primary strategies for reducing the global development gap? What are the changing political and trading relationships globally? Threshold Concepts: Stats for measuring development. Industrial development, tourism, aid, intermediate technology, fair trade, debt relief. The role of transnational corporations (TNCs) in relation to industrial development. |
| Spring 1 | |
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| Resource management Food resource management | |
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How can supermarket shelves run empty in such a wealthy country? |
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Knowledge Content: The significance of food, water and energy to economic and social well-being. An overview of global inequalities in the supply and consumption of resources. Threshold Concepts: How does supply/demand for high value food exports change? Carbon footprints/ ‘food miles’ |
| Spring 2 | |
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| Water Resources Energy Resources | |
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In 20 years will the wind be more valuable than oil? |
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Knowledge Content: Why is there changing demand for water? What are the main factors affecting water quality and pollution? What is the ‘Energy mix’? What are the economic and environmental issues associated with exploitation of energy sources? Threshold Concepts: Management, matching supply and demand – areas of deficit and surplus the need for transfer to maintain supplies. How is reliance on fossil fuels changing? What are the social, economic and environ. impacts of the growing significance of renewables? |
| Summer 1 | |
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| GCSE Revision |
| Summer 2 | |
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| GCSEs |
All Year 11 subjects Next Year 11 Subject - Religious Education