Geography is taught for three lessons a fortnight and the aim in Year 8 is to extend geographical understanding. This includes topics such as ‘Our Unequal World’ and ‘People on the Move’. Geographical fieldwork secures high quality learning and students will visit the River Tillingbourne near Abinger Hammer to investigate river characteristics and channel flow.
The Geography curriculum is supported by ‘KS3 Geography: Heading Towards GCSE’ textbook published by Oxford University Press.
Comparing countries
Understanding development indicators
Why are many of the world’s poorest countries located in Africa?
The geography of chocolate
Investigating the global and drainage basin hydrological cycles.
Explaining the importance of water for human well-being and activities.
Threats to water supplies in different countries and environments.
Managing water supplies in a sustainable way.
The weather influences our daily lives a great deal.
In an age of global warming and more frequent extreme weather events, an understanding of the processes affecting our weather and climate are increasingly important.
What are the different climate regions of the world? Why does the weather and climate change from place to place? What do the terms precipitation, cloud cover and air pressure mean?
Why do people migrate?
Escaping poverty in Central America
Understanding the migrant experience
Benefits of migration
Issues associated with international migration
Understanding hydrological changes along a river’s course from source to mouth.
River processes - weathering, erosion, transport and deposition.
Landforms associated with rivers.
Measuring river channel cross-sections and flow - River Tillingbourne fieldwork
The fieldwork is undertaken along the course of the River Tillingbourne at Crossways Farm and Abinger Hammer.
The aim of the fieldwork is to understand how and why a river changes from its source to mouth.
As part of the fieldwork experience students will also investigate infiltration rates using the Storm Simulation stands at Farlington School.
At the end of each unit, student progress will be assessed with a formal assessment. The format of these assessments will vary, but could include:
Knowledge recall and vocabulary tests
Skills based activity (mapwork, data handling)
Extended writing (using GCSE criteria)
The End of Year exam in May will draw on the topics studied this year and will follow the same format as the end of unit assessments.
The Rivers Fieldwork will assess:
Geographical enquiry skills
Written skills
Presentation and oracy skills
If you have any queries about this curriculum, please contact: Mrs Nicky Edgar, Head of Geography, on ne@farlingtonschool.com.