The Key Stage 3 geography course is packed full of exciting topics throughout Year 7 and 8!
On arrival at the school, Year 7 students are introduced to the subject with the topic of ‘Raging Rivers’, all about the work of rivers and how they shape and create the land over which they flow.
As part of this topic, we visit the River Dove and walk from Dovedale main car park all the way up-stream looking at the impacts of tourism and the management of conflicts which arise from visitor pressure in this area of outstanding natural beauty.
We then move onto ‘Maps of the World’, where we look at how we create, draw and read maps, from OS survey maps to hand drawn maps from imagination!
After this is ‘Wild Weather’, looking at the varied atmospheric phenomena which occur within the atmosphere around us – and how we try to forecast it accurately using an understanding of atmospheric pressure and wind systems.
We next look at ‘Environments at Risk’, including an assessment of the likely causes and impacts of current climate change at both the local, national and international scales.
‘Oi Brazil’ follows at the beginning of the summer term, where we explore and try to understand some of the geographical issues facing this amazing country, from issues of development through to destruction of the Amazon rainforest.
We finish the year with ‘Going Places?’ – A look at the impacts of tourism and we get to plan our dream holiday to anywhere in the world – we can but dream ahead of the summer holidays!
In Year 8, we begin with ‘Beside the Sea’, looking at coastal processes and the way in which humans need to manage coastal areas to preserve the environment or protect areas from coastal erosion.
Our next topic is ‘Settlement’, where we examine the growth of urban areas in the last 50 years.
After Christmas, we delve into the exciting world of volcanoes and earthquakes as part of ‘Natural Hazards’, incorporating a visit to the Natural history Museum in London to look at the exhibits in this world class museum.
We then look at the issues surrounding ‘Development’ and we have come to live in a world of ‘have’s’ and ‘have not’s’.
We move into ‘Brilliant Biomes’ next, looking at some of the wonderful ecosystems which exist and thrive on planet earth.
The course finishes in the summer term of Year 8 with ‘Sporting World’, a look at how the geography of sport gives an interesting extra dimension to the understanding of the world and our place within it.
