Geography at Year 7

Local, Global and National and focuses on the locational aspects of Geography. Students:

• Learn about the difference between Human Geography, Physical Geography and Environmental Geography
• Learn about the difference between the U.K. / G.B. / B.I. and can identify the five countries of the British Isles.
• Will be able to locate Birmingham on a map and distinguish the features of the surrounding area.
• Will learn the major human and physical features of Europe and the world while identifying different countries, continents and oceans

Settlement focuses on the location, reason and structures of different settlements. Students within this topic will learn:

• What a settlement is, where, why and how settlements began where they did
• Why some settlements grow and others don’t and differences found between different parts of one settlement
• Why and how settlements change, in terms of age of buildings, types of buildings and why some settlements are more important than others and the role of shopping centres

The Geography detectives focus on a variety of features within Geography ranging from atlas work to map skills. Students will learn:

• How to use an Atlas to find basic information they will research information from the news and present a report.
• How to draw simple graphs and analyse simple graphs
• How to find features across the globe using Latitude and Longitude
• How to use 4 figure and 6 figure grid references use the 8 points of the compass and can use an OS map and determine scales and patterns using contour lines.

The Rivers and coasts module focuses on the creation and dynamism of features within these environments. Students will learn:

• What the water cycle is and all the links in the water cycle.
• What a river looks like from its beginnings to its end, including all the "features" and know how a river "cuts" [erodes] a valley.
• Why floods happen and how people react to them. They will describe and explain the processes of erosion, transportation, Deposition and can describe and explain the ways in which some river and coastal landforms are created.

Geography at Year 8

Plate Tectonics focuses on the planets features and how people are impacted. Pupils within this topic will:

• Determine why “plates” move and the events and features that result from movements.
• Label the main features of a volcano describing the ways in which a volcano may erupt and the consequences for people and the environment.
• Describe the advantages and disadvantages of living in hazardous areas and evaluate how people can prepare for an earthquake and how the effects may be reduced

Development focuses on the wealth and patterns of economic variety. Pupils within this topic will:

• Learn why some countries are poor and why some are rich and the differences are between rich and poor countries.
• Evaluate a poor country and explain why people move (migrate) to big cities.
• Examine the effects of this population movement in the cities and determine how all countries rely on others; the trade between countries.

Population focuses on the human features and patterns of variety. Pupils within this topic will:

• Learn where most people live globally and understand the reasons why most people live where they do and the reasons why they do not live in other areas.
• Be taught about population distribution along with population density.
• Investigate migration and why/how populations of an area may change through time due to birth and death rates changing.

Energy focuses on the need for energy resources and the impacts this causes. Pupils within this topic will:

• Learn what is meant by energy and all the forms in which it come, understanding the difference between forms of energy which may become exhausted.
• Learn how extracting, moving and using some forms of energy may affect the environment explaining the arguments for and against nuclear power.
• Examine why energy conservation is important.

GCSE in Geography

Why study this subject?

The Times newspaper says that “Geographers are the most employable,” which in simple terms means “people with Geography qualifications get the best jobs”. GCSE Geography is a study of both the man-made environment and the natural environment. It is also about making us better and more aware citizens by considering what we can do to prevent the problems faced by the planet. Many of the topics are studied through case studies (real geographical events or places), for example volcanoes.

What will I learn?

You will continue to build on the knowledge, understanding and skills you developed during Key Stage 3. You will continue to learn about the world around you and issues and ideas which are important in the world today. This GCSE involves a study of earthquakes and volcanoes, cliff collapse, flooding, the population explosion and the role of companies such as Apple and McDonalds.

How will I be taught?

The structure of the course reflects the questions you will get in the examination. You will have the opportunity for independent study, group work and you will use ICT to find out about the latest case studies. You may also be taken to field trips; in recent years these have involved the natural history museum in London and the upper course of a river and waterfall in the countryside in Shropshire.

How will I be assessed?

75% of your grade will be based on your performance in the written examinations and 25% is based on your coursework. Throughout the course, your class work and homework will be marked and graded on a scale which reflects GCSE grades. You will always know what grade you are working at and how to improve your performance and progress.

What qualifications will I get at the end of the course?

A GCSE in Geography.

What can this qualification lead to afterwards?

Geographers enter a very wide range of career areas like advertising, diplomatic service, education, environmental agencies, finance, law, land management, marketing, sales, social/health services, etc.

Post-16 progression

After securing a good GCSE grade in Geography you will have the option to undertake an A-level in Geography. The most obvious higher education path would be to study a degree in Geography but due to the diversity of the subject you are able to choose a vast array of courses. To name just a few: Human Geography (BA), Physical Geography (BSC), Volcanology (BA), Town Planning and Management (BA), Social Studies (BSC), Law (BA), Accountancy (BA), Teaching and Education (BA); the opportunities are literally endless.

Do I have to do any coursework?

Coursework is currently worth 25% of your final mark and will be a study based upon a local area.

How much homework will I have to do?

You will be given homework in the form of research projects that will be set once every term.

Where can I find out more about this qualification?

You can find out more about what we are studying at the BBC Bitesize website. You can also speak to Geography teachers who will tell you about the benefits of undertaking a Geography GCSE.