Geography KS3 | Year 9
The big world : the connecting strand in the Year 9 studies is the “big five” of geography. These are globalisation, 8 billion people, resource depletion, urbanisation and climate change. These themes are interwoven in the fabric of the subject content.
Subject Content
The Big five
An exploration of the big five concepts in Geography. These are globalisation, 8 billion people, resource depletion, urbanisation and climate change. These are the major challenges and themes that shape our world and are integral to the year's studies. This unit has a strong focus on climate change as the link between all the other big concepts.
Iceland and Sustainability
The island of Iceland in the North Atlantic, the land of fire and ice. Students will learn about the fire with the tectonic setting and how it experiences volcanoes and earthquakes. The ice through glaciers, ice caps, permafrost and waterfalls. Students also learn about sustainability through resources, geothermal energy and tourism.
Russia and Climate Change
The largest country in the world! Students will learn about the climate, the population, the major areas like Moscow, Lake Baikal, Siberia and St. Petersburg. Students will also learn about how Russia and its permafrost region are both being affected by and causing climate change.
The Middle East and Resources
A study into one of the most conflicted areas of our world. Students learn about its physical geography, climate, diversity and its conflicts. Oil is a major issue in the Middle East and students learn about its use, depletion and how it influences the geopolitical environment of the region.
Brazil and Urbanisation
An exploration of one of the largest and most diverse countries in the world. Students learn about the physical geography, the population and one of the most famous cities in the world, Rio de Janeiro. The focus of the study in Rio de Janeiro is on the growth of urbanisation and the challenges and opportunities it creates for the citizens in the favelas and throughout the city.
Globalisation and Nigeria
Globalisation is a critical area of geography and all of our lives. As one of the “big five” students learn about what it is, how it happened and the positive and negative effects it brings. Students will profile Nigeria, a Newly Emerging Economy in Africa, directly influenced by the process at a social, economic, political and environmental level.
Coasts
As an island nation, the coast has always been important. Students learn here about the physical features of coasts such as processes and the resulting landforms. Students also learn about changing coastal environments and how humans strongly interact and change the coast to protect and use it as a resource.
America and Pre-Release
A final investigation into the richest country in the world. Students learn about the geography of four selected areas: Yellowstone National Park, Hawaii, New York and Alaska.
Assessment Details
To be successful, students will need to be able to: by the end of Key Stage 3, know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the programme of study above.
- Students also undertake a GCSE-styled pre-release paper and materials. They use their range of skill sets developed over Key Stage 3 Geography to analyse and evaluate unfamiliar materials.
- Develop and extend their knowledge of locations, places, environments and processes, and of different scales, including global; and of social, political and cultural contexts (know geographical material)
- Gain an understanding of the interactions between people and environments, changes in places and processes over space and time, and the interrelations between geographical phenomena at different scales and in different contexts (think like a geographer)
- Develop and extend their competence in a range of skills, including those used in fieldwork, in using maps and GIS and in researching secondary evidence, including digital sources; and develop their competence in applying sound enquiry and investigative approaches to questions and hypotheses (study like a geographer)
- Apply geographical knowledge, understanding, skills and approaches appropriately and creatively to real world contexts, including fieldwork, and to contemporary situations and issues; and develop well-evidenced arguments drawing on their geographical knowledge and understanding (applying geography).
What can I do to support my child at home?
Encourage and help develop the child's passion and academic progress in the subject. This could be achieved by visits to key geographical locations, museums and exhibitions. In addition, this can be achieved by exposure to media sources like television documentaries, TED talks and news apps.
Recommended Resources for the Course
Websites
Teaching Staff
Head of Geography
Mr Pye - apye@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk
Teachers of Geography
Mrs Knightley - aknightely@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk
Mrs Chapman - gchapman@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk
Mr Youngs - ayoungs@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk
Mr Brokenbrow - jbrokenbrow@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk