Geography – Commonweal

Head of Subjects

Miss Andrea Preston
Head of Geography
apreston@commonweal.co.uk

Overview

Geography is all about the world around you. Watch the news and it will be a geography lesson: refugees from Syria is migration, the 2018 summer heatwave, the disappearing rainforests, steps to reduce the impacts of climate change, how globalisation is affecting jobs. All these big issues are covered in geography. There’s a reason why Geography graduates are the most employable.

In the geography department we want to instil a sense of awe and wonder about our world and help you to develop the skills you need to explore it.

To be a successful geographer, you need to be able to use subject terminology, be able to interpret and analyse data and use your geographical skills to answer geographical questions. You will learn to develop geographical arguments and how to apply your knowledge about the world to new scenarios.

Tops Tips to do well in Geography

Learn geographical terminology.

The more specific language you use the more you show geographical understanding. For example, knowing the meaning of climate change, the greenhouse effect, inequality.
Take full advantage of field trips.

We run field trips for every year group, it makes the ideas you easier to understand and you learn lots of geographical skills, it’s always fun too.
Take an interest in news, watch TV documentaries.

Geography is a dynamic (ever changing) subject and sometimes really dramatic. 70% of the news is geography and there are some amazing TV programmes that will make you wonder at the world we live in. Attenborough’s Blue Planet is a great recent series.
Ask questions and have opinions.

To really understand some concepts takes time and often asking questions to make it clear will help. Having an opinion is a good thing but you must be able to justify it. Where do you stand on the following ‘big issues:’ should we raise taxes to tackle Britain’s ageing population? Should greenfield sites be built on to tackle Britain’s housing shortage? How can we tackle climate change?
Practice and revision.

There are facts and figures to learn, concepts to understand and then apply to other situations, it is up to you to do this.
Chains of reasoning

When writing your answers develop detailed answers. Try to explain how one impact can have a knock-on effect or lead to something else.
Here is an example of a chain of reasoning:
People leave rural areas in poorer countries when there is a poor harvest. Poor harvests lead to a lack of food, which leads to malnourishment. Malnourishment is life threatening so people leave for cities to get better access to food.

The Curriculum

Year 7

What is Geography?, Maps and Atlas skills, Biomes and Settlement

Year 8

Weather and Climate, Population, Development and Resources and Climate Change

Year 9

Tectonics, Globalisation, Coasts and Rivers and flooding

GCSE course is Eduqas A

Will study the following section over the 2 years

Distinctive landscapes
Physical process that shape rivers and coasts
River flooding
Rural and Urban change
Coastal management and Vulnerable coastlines
Development
Weather and Climate
Social development

Plus a physical geography field trip and a human geography field trip to meet the requirements for GCSE course

Enrichment and trip possibilities

Y7 will learn field work skills during a walk in the local area.
Y8 will undertake fieldwork skills in the school grounds for weather and the environment.
Y9 have a trip to the River Cole to collect data for their River investigation.
Y10 and 11 visit Dorset to reinforce coastal understanding and to collect data for field work. There is also a trip to Cabot Circus and Cribbs Causeway shopping centres to reinforce urban understanding and collect data for field work.