Geography

Geography is taught for three lessons per fortnight to all pupils in Year 9 to reinforce the basic understanding acquired in Years 7 and 8. Students study a range of topics in Year 9 including ‘Urban Challenges and Opportunities’. To support this unit a fieldwork enquiry is undertaken to Brighton to study urban challenges: this experience secures high quality learning and is excellent preparation for building the data collection and analysis skills required at GCSE level in this subject.

Course materials

The Geography curriculum is supported by ’KS3 Geography: Heading Towards GCSE’ published by Oxford University Press.

Urban Challenges and Opportunities in the UK

The growth of urban places through rural-urban migration and natural increase.
Urban challenges and future opportunities.
A fieldwork visit to Brighton will be undertaken to identify differences in urban areas.

Why are some earthquakes and eruptions more deadly?

The movement of the Earth’s plates and the resulting volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis.
An investigation into the causes and effects of tectonic hazards.

Tropical rainforests - the lungs of the world?

Location of the major world biomes, and factors influencing their distribution
Climatic characteristics of tropical rainforests
Plant and animal adaptations
Threats to tropical rainforests
Local, regional and global significance of tropical rainforests

World Cities

Urbanisation and the growth of megacities.
Squatter settlements.
Should Dharavi (a shanty town in Mumbai) be demolished? A case for the prosecution - or for the defence?
Sustainable cities (e.g. Curitiba, Brazil)

Tectonics and development

Why do so many people live in tectonically active regions of the world?
Learning to live with earthquakes - designing earthquake-proof buildings
Can people predict earthquakes, eruptions and tsunamis?
Why did the 2010 Haiti earthquake kill more people than the 2012 Christchurch (NZ) earthquake?

How will I be assessed?

For each topic there will be an assessment, which might take various formats:

Formal tests
Extended writing (GCSE-style)
Research tasks
Skills-based assessments (maps, graphs, photograph analysis)
Decision-making exercise

If you have any queries about this curriculum, please contact: Mrs Nicky Edgar, Head of Geography, on ne@farlingtonschool.com.