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Welcome Year 11! This is your A-level preparation site which has been designed especially for you at this time.
Welcome Year 11! This is your A-level preparation site which has been designed especially for you at this time.
We are delighted to hear that many of you will be continuing with your Geographical studies at A-level and we know that you will enjoy this as much as you have done at GCSE. Your course has prepared you especially well for your future studies as Barton Peveril, Peter Symonds and Richard Taunton College all follow the AQA specification (syllabus) and as a geographer at Mountbatten, you will have been exposed to a range of fieldwork techniques and locations over the last 5 years! It will also prove really useful for any of you prearing to take geography A-level at any other college. Geography will excite your mind, challenge your perceptions and stimulate your investigative and analytical skills.
Studying Geography will prepare you for Higher Education (University) as well as a range of careers including managerial roles, disaster management, epidemic management and preparedness, environmental scientist, surveyors, sustainable development professionals, coastal engineer, travel and tourism sector worker and town planning and many more exciting opportunities.
It will open up a range of university study options including Geography, Oceanography, Geology, Geographic Information Systems, Urban and Regional Planning, Demography, International Relations, Law, Environmental Science and various other courses. Or maybe you are simply interested in taking some time to further your understanding of the Geography you have studied at GCSE with us at The Mountbatten School?
Table of contents
Table of contents
A-level course summary, specification and student guidance
A-level course summary, specification and student guidance
There are number of things you can do:
1. Developing as a geographer – through general reading around / watching videos / listening to podcasts etc. to develop your geographical knowledge and understanding.
2. Preparing for the A-level course - starting to explore the topics and their foundations which will be studied in the A-level course using the transition projects we have provided for you below which are tailored to your course.
To be a great geographer you will remember that you need to develop the ability to think synoptically, being able to see the greater overview and how everything begins to link together. Geography is not just about studying people and landscapes; it is also the relationships that exist between people and their environment.
At GCSE you have covered a lot of the foundations of the underpinning concepts; physical processes and how they have shaped the landscape and the key human processes that shape our society. GCSE has provided a breadth of study, whereas A-Level will now enable you to gain greater depth by exploring topics in greater detail but also encouraging you to identify and explore the links between topics.
The best geographers at A-level keep reading the news and generally seek to improve their geographical understanding by engaging with geographical discussions regarding key issues. This site will help you to do all of this.
The Geographical Association (GA) have set up a dedicated page for you to use as part of your preparation - have a look at this page as a starting point. This is a good website to know about when you start your course!
The AQA A-level Geography specification is followed by Peter Symonds College, Barton Peveril and Richard Taunton. Have a look through the spec, you may wish to print this, but you don't need to as you can identify the topics that you have studied at GCSE level and any that may be new to you so you know what to expect when you start at college.
AQA-Geography - Alevel specification.pdfA-level course summary (AQA course)
Physical geography
1 Water and carbon cycles
2 Hot desert systems and landscapes
3 Coastal systems and landscapes
4 Glacial systems and landscapes
5 Hazards
6 Ecosystems under stress
Human geography
7 Global systems and global governance
8 Changing places
9 Contemporary urban environment
10 Population and the environment
11 Resource security
Fieldwork investigation
Geographical skills
Transition project - from Mountbatten to pastures new, we will help to prepare you!
Transition project - from Mountbatten to pastures new, we will help to prepare you!
Part of the Human geography that you will cover, will investigate Globalisation. To help you prepare, this is a bridging unit to extend your thinking from GCSE level so that you are ready to amaze your new teachers at college! This has been created so that you can guide yourself easily through it and will expose you to a range of resources which will benefit you at a later date.
Your second assignment focuses on the another element of the Human geography course, looking at 'Changing Places'. This has been designed to introduce you to some of the key concepts covered as they will be new to you. This links to this week's fieldwork (see below) and you should also read Chapter 2 (Changing places, pages 66 - 79) of the AQA A-Level textbook which we have made available to you on Kerboodle. Log in with your normal Kerboodle password details. If you'd like these to be reset then please email Miss Roodt (mrt@themountbattenschool.org). You may simply read or take notes or have a go at some of the activities - it's completely up to you.
Useful podcasts for A-level studies
Useful podcasts for A-level studies
Start an A-level preparatory file. Keep the notes you make to one side of A4 and these will form useful case studies for you and give you a broader understanding of the topics you are about to study. Podcasts are a fantastic way to engage with the wider discussions on topics and listen the perspectives of different stakeholders - try listen to one of these each day.
Live A-level fieldwork sessions
Live A-level fieldwork sessions
One important component at A-Level is fieldwork! There are some live fieldwork sessions running for KS5 over the course of the next few weeks (all free of charge.). These are run by the Fieldwork Studies Council to give you an idea of what Geography looks like at A-Level.
The Fieldwork Studies Council have been very considerate to the fact that you're likely to be having more lie-ins so they started the first one last Thursday, 23 April 2020 at 10:30 for 45 minutes. You can catch up on the previous fieldwork events below. We have received excellent feedback from those of you who logged and took part in this. It would be great to see a few more of you this week and there is no better way to equip yourself for Advanced level fieldwork.
If you are interested in taking part then please can you send Miss Roodt an email to let us know and the links and resources will be made available to you.
Details of the next live fieldwork event
Details of the next live fieldwork event
Title: KS5 Hydrology and flooding
Day: Friday 1 May 2020
Time: 10:30am
Resources: Will be available from Miss Roodt. Please email mrt@themountbattenschool.org to book onto the fieldwork (free of charge) and to get the lesson resources.
KS5-Investigating-place-Pre-lesson-preparation.pdfKS5-Investigating-place-Live-lesson.pdfKS5-Rocky-Shore-Ecology-Pre-lesson-preparation.pdfKS5-Rocky-Shore-Ecology-Live-lesson-1.pdf
PPT KS5-Rocky-Shore-Ecology-Pre-lesson-Student-PowerPoint-Slideshow.pptxDeveloping as a geographer
Developing as a geographer
The next section has been designed for you to be able to dip in and out of as you please, allowing you to look at general geographical issues and developing your ability to think like a geographer, through to starting to explore some of the topics you will be looking at over the next couple of years so you can do some valuable background reading.
DEVELOPING AS A GEOGRAPHER - here is a list of websites, books, podcasts, documentaries and even films which provide a great way of staying inspired and engaging with geography. You will certainly find something of interest here which will engage you during this lockdown period!
i. ONLINE NEWS ARTICLES
i. ONLINE NEWS ARTICLES
THE CONVERSATION.COM- http://theconversation.com/uk - we can highly recommend you use this! This you will find is really useful to support many of your A-levels. It provides up-to-date articles from academics and specialists in the field written in a way that is accessible to all, summarising key points in short but insightful articles.
BBC NEWS - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news - an excellent source of up-to-date articles – explore the key headings such as Science, as well as the UK, World and other stories.
THE GUARDIAN https://www.theguardian.com/uk- again many useful articles and logically ordered – keep an eye on the Environment, Science, Society, Global Development stories in particular!
ii. PODCASTS
ii. PODCASTS
Now is the time to broaden your geographical understanding! Stick your headphones in and listen to some of the following…
Costing the Earth – There are some great podcasts here to pick from on a wide variety of geographical issues https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006r4wn/episodes/player (many topics, including climate change, carbon, urban greening, deforestation, alternative power, plastics etc.)
Royal Geographical Society – “Ask the Geographer podcasts” - https://www.rgs.org/schools/teaching-resources/ask-the-expert-podcasts/ - a fantastic set of podcasts to keep A-level studies up-to-date with the latest geographical research – pick out some that interest you and give them a go!
iii. GEOGRAPHICAL READING
iii. GEOGRAPHICAL READING
Remember you can make use of the local libraries digital library service for books – you don’t have to access hard copy.
If any of you would like to write a review of one of these films for our Geoclub, we would love to read it.
iv. GEOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARIES
iv. GEOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARIES
There are some great geographical documentaries which will help develop your general geographical knowledge and understanding and help you see what an amazing world we live in.
The following are all available on iPlayer:
David Attenborough Box Sets – there are 9 amazing boxsets available on iPlayer from David Attenborough exploring our amazing world. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/group/p06m42d9
Race across the world - we highly recommend this series to develop your sense of place and get some travel inspiration! https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m0002tvs/race-across-the-world
The Americas with Simon Reeve https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m00095p0/the-americas-with-simon-reeve
Simon Reeve around the world https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/group/p06rrnkm
Mediterranean with Simon Reeve https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b0bnb6tt/mediterranean-with-simon-reeve
The following are all available on ITV Hub:
Britain Underwater: Fighting the Floods https://www.itv.com/hub/britain-underwater-fighting-the-floods/7a0157
Joanna Lumley’s Hidden Caribbean: Havana to Haiti https://www.itv.com/hub/joanna-lumleys-hidden-caribbean-havana-to-haiti/2a7578
The following are all available on Channel 4 – On Demand:
When the Immigrants Leave (Dispatches) https://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/on-demand/69555-001 China’s Lonely Hearts (Unreported World) https://www.channel4.com/programmes/unreported-world/on-demand/56011-011
The world’s dirtiest river (Unreported world) https://www.channel4.com/programmes/unreported-world/on-demand/58399-001
Forests of Fear (Unreported World) https://www.channel4.com/programmes/unreported-world/on-demand/69224-006
Hurricane Hell (Unreported World) https://www.channel4.com/programmes/unreported-world/on-demand/69224-007
The World’s Dirtiest Air (Unreported World) https://www.channel4.com/programmes/unreported-world/on-demand/67193-002
The week Britain Froze (Dispatches) https://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/on-demand/66548-007
v. GEOGRAPHICAL FILMS
v. GEOGRAPHICAL FILMS
Some are available online free, others may be available on providers such as Amazon Prime / Netflix etc.)
Touching the Void (15) (great for visualising glacial landscapes) – a powerful true story docudrama (strong language in parts)
Before the Flood (2016) (PG) – National Geographic https://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/before-the-flood-2016/ (presented by Leonardo DiCaprio – exploring climate change and looking at what needs to be done today to prevent catastrophic disruption of life on our planet).
The Impossible (2012) (12) – Movie based on real life events of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami which killed 200,000 people.
Slumdog Millionaire (15) – based on life in the slums of Mumbai
Our Planet (Netflix series) – explores how climate change impacts all living creatures.
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (12) – an epic which celebrates the journey of Nelson Mandela from childhood in a rural village through to his election as President of South Africa. This explores what happened in South Africa with regards to apartheid and Black opposition through the eyes of Nelson Mandela.
Hotel Rwanda (12) - the true story of hotel manager who houses and protects Tutsi refugees – this is a hard-hitting film based on the Rwandan Conflict of the 1990s.
The Last King of Scotland (15) – another hard-hitting story, based on struggles faced by Uganda under the dictatorship of Idi Amin.
Into the Wild (2007) (15) – based on the story of a university graduate who gives up all of his material possessions and journeys alone into the Alaskan Wilderness.
A message from the Mountbatten Geography Department
A message from the Mountbatten Geography Department
Stay safe, Year 11, stay healthy and remember ONCE A MOUNTBATTEN GEOGRAPHER, ALWAYS A MOUNTBATTEN GEOGRAPHER! GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR FUTURE GEOGRAPHICAL STUDIES.
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