How do different geographies shape our world?

This unit starts the geographical journey students will undertake. It introduces the key concepts and ideas that will be needed throughout geographical studies.  Students will be able to demonstrate an awareness of the different types of geography and the key concepts that they will be building on throughout their studies. Students will develop an understanding of Place, Space and Scale through the concepts of Processes, Patterns, Systems, Interactions, Perspectives and Values and Sustainability. This is taught specifically through looking at their local and surrounding area.

Can the world cope with 9 billion people?

Within this unit, students will be exploring the idea of population change before examining how this has impacted our urban environments. This unit will ensure students develop a clear knowledge and understanding of human geography at the start of Year 7.

Where is the hardest place to live on Earth?

Students will understand how geographical processes interact to create distinctive human and physical landscapes that change over time. Students will become aware of increasingly complex geographical systems in the world around them.  They will also understand how humans rely on effectively functioning ecosystems.

How accurate is our world view?

Within this human topic, students will learn about the development of countries. They will develop their critical thinking skills, which will lead them to challenge their perceptions, question how other people live and how countries develop. This unit is based on the book “Factfulness” by Hans Rosling.

Where does Africa go from here?

The focus of this unit will be exploring the potential future of Africa and consequently the unit will be sequenced chronologically by exploring first the past, then the present and future of Africa. Students will address some of the common misconceptions associated with Africa, before looking at the impact of colonialism and history of Africa and understand how neo-colonialism still plays a role in many African countries. This geo-political knowledge is vital in encouraging our students to be interested in the world around them.

Core knowledge to be learnt in Year 7:

• Understand the key concepts of Processes, Patterns, Systems, Interactions, Perspectives and Values and Sustainability.
• Recognise global differences in human population and the impact population growth is having on urban areas.
• Explain how different biomes are managed
• Recognise global differences in levels of development and apply this knowledge to understanding why inequalities occur.
• Understand human and physical characteristics of Africa
• Develop understanding of geo-politics Africa

Is the UK weather predictable? 

Students will study the UK’s climate and weather. This unit will be the building blocks to future understanding of patterns studied in river and glacial landforms as well as coastal systems. Students will develop knowledge of “normal climate and weather” which enables judgements of extreme weather hazard. This unit will act as a foundation where students can apply their knowledge in the Year 9 climate module and the GCSE unit on Natural Hazards.

Is the world getting smaller?

This unit of work introduces and develops student’s knowledge on the impacts of globalisation (linked closely to the global economy). Students consider the concepts of interactions and values and perspectives on the sustainability and conditions that globalisation puts on people in developing countries. The unit starts with an understanding of the contents of their bag and how this links them to globalisation, before looking at the “Almighty Dollar” and the journey of a dollar across the world.

Are rivers or glaciers more powerful?

Students develop their KS2 knowledge of local place and topographical features by investigating Dartmoor and getting out in the field to collect data. This unit also builds on student knowledge of weather and geology.

Where is the most dangerous place to live?

This unit builds upon students’ knowledge of volcanoes and earthquakes from KS2. They look at the structure of the Earth and plate movement, before learning about causes, impacts and responses to earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis.

Is Asia under threat or threatening?

This unit ties together all of the knowledge students have learnt so far in Year 7 and 8, drawing links between development and biomes and the emergence of Asia and its strongest countries. They further their KS2 and Year 7 knowledge of weather and the natural world by looking at the variety of biomes in Asia and the flooding caused by the Ganges in Southeast Asia. Students study the population of Asia and look at urbanisation in India to gain the theoretical knowledge they will need in year 10 when studying the “Opportunities and Challenges of Urbanisation” unit.

Core knowledge to be learnt in Year 8:

Students will be able to:

• Understand the main causes of global weather patterns
• Develop an understanding of the different types of extreme weather that occur in the UK.
• Explain the main fluvial and glacial processes
• Understand the global economy and the role of globalisation and TNC’s in development of countries
• Understand the structure of the earth and explain how key tectonic processes shape the environment and the impacts of this on society
• Understand the diversity of the physical and human geography in Asia

Climate change or climate emergency?

Students investigate how climate has changed in the past, then how the climate is changing currently before moving on to study how these changes are impacting people and ecosystems at a variety of scales. Students will then look at the need for mitigation and adaptation. This topic leads on to their physical topics in Key stage 4 and 5.

What is the future for the Middle East?

This unit builds on prior knowledge of resource use and how resource ownership impacts superpower status.

The Living World

This unit builds on KS2 knowledge on vegetation belts, as well as the Year 7 biomes unit. This gives students the opportunity to investigate a local ecosystem, before focusing on tropical rainforests and cold environments.

Core knowledge to be learnt in Year 9:

• Explain the causes of climate change and the impacts this will have on the people in different parts of the world.
• Understand human and physical characteristics of the Middle East
• Develop understanding of geo-politics Middle East
• Identify small and large-scale ecosystems and how they are subject to change
• Identify characteristics, importance of and management of rainforests
• Explain the opportunities and challenges facing cold environments, specifically Alaska

In Year 10 students study the “Changing Economic World” unit which provides them with the underpinning theory behind the reasons for the differing levels of development countries are in, before focusing on Nigeria and then comparing its development with the UK.

Students then build on their knowledge from both KS2 and 3 about tectonic and weather hazards, This also links to development and human geography as students compare earthquakes which have occurred in countries with varied levels of development and evaluate the difference in impacts and responses.

Students further their knowledge on river and coastal processes and how these shape the landscapes. They develop their fieldwork skills and techniques during a fieldtrip to Dawlish.

Core knowledge to be learnt in Year 10:

• Explain the opportunities and challenges facing cold environments, specifically Alaska
• Understand the global variation in economic development and various strategies to reduce this.
• Understand rapid economic development in Nigeria (a Newly Emerging Economy) and how this is leading to a significant social, environmental and cultural change.
• Understand major economic changes in the UK and how this has impacted employment patterns and regional growth.
• Describe how natural hazards pose major risks to people and property.
• Understand how earthquakes and volcanic eruptions happen and how the impacts and responses vary between high and low income countries.
• Understand how management can reduce the effects of tectonic hazards.
• Understand global atmospheric circulation, formation of tropical storms, the effects of tropical storms on people and the environment and an extreme weather event in the UK.
• Understand the human and physical causes of climate change, the impacts and management (mitigation and adaptation).
• Understand river and coastal processes.
• Undertake coastal fieldwork.

Students study the UK’s human landscapes and the impacts of globalisation and regeneration in the UK (specifically the Olympic Park in London). This knowledge is then built upon at the end of Year 11 when students look at how Mumbai has become a megacity and the opportunities and challenges that this provides. This builds upon knowledge learnt in KS3 which underpinned the theories of development.

Students develop their knowledge on natural hazards and global atmospheric circulation, building on their understanding of the physical processes happening inside the Earth, but also global atmospheric circulation and how this impacts the location of global biomes.

Core knowledge to be learnt in Year 11:

• Understand the impacts of globalisation on the UK economy.
• Understand sustainable transport and living in a UK city.
• Understand how the world is becoming increasingly urbanised and the changes which have led to this urbanisation.
• Understand how Rio has become a megacity and the challenges and opportunities of life in Rio.