Hello and Welcome,
I am very happy to see that you have chosen to study Geography A level. You have made an excellent choice (in my opinion), Geography is an amazing subject and one of the top subjects employers and universities like to see (Department of Trade and Industry 2001).
As part of A level study at Newstead Wood we like you to prepare for this course by undertaking some tasks to brush up on your research and communication skills and prepare for some of your A level topics.
We are running 2 fieldtrips early in Year 12.
A day trip to London Docklands. This is to enrich our main Regeneration case study. The trip is free but you have to sign up for it. Please read the letter on the school website.
We are running a 5 day residential fieldtrip to Devon in November so that you can start to work on your Geography NEA (coursework) which makes up 20% of your final Geography grade. This is a required trip and does have a cost so please make sure a parent or guardian reads this letter on the school website so that it doesn't come as a shock in September.
Bridging Units are a pre-study task to prepare you for something you are going to study in detail at the beginning of your A level. At Newstead you will be learning two or more aspects of Geography at the same time by attending lessons with different teachers. Therefore we have prepared 2 topics for the bridging unit for you to work on:
The Regeneration unit concentrates on one of the major case study locations we will use in this topic, London Docklands. The work you do in this unit will make it much easier for you to get to grips with this location and learn faster and at a greater depth.
The Coastal unit is an opportunity to reinforce your coastal geography from GCSE and consolidate your knowledge around a place. A key skill for developing this topic at A level.
Geography is a massive subject (it includes everything on the Planet Earth!) so there is lot to learn about. However, as a geographer you will probably find yourself with certain areas that you are especially keen on. We would encourage you to read around the subject, both in the topic areas we cover and in any area you are interested in. Reading can include books, journals, blogs and websites. Equally great documentaries, lectures, TED talks and films can all be a great source of knowledge and understanding. The Reading LIsts page contains just a few recommendations from the teachers but the list is endless.
If you have any queries about anything please feel free to email your teacher or (if you don't know their email) email the school and they will forward it on.
Thank you for your interest and dedication. We look forward to teaching you in September.
Mr Burn
Head of Geography