Geography
Welcome to the Geography Department at York High School!
Geography Subject staff
Mr M Pattinson (subject leader): m.pattinson@yorkhigh.southbank.academy
Mrs E Callan
Mrs C Stephens-Davies
KS3 Overview
In Geography you will study a wide range of Physical and Human topics that will enhance your understanding of the world that you live in. You will learn how geographical processes create distinctive human and physical landscapes and develop the skills needed to question, assess and analyse the impacts that humans have on these landscapes and impacts that these landscapes have on humans.
Key Skills
In Geography you will develop a wide range of skills that will enable you to think like a geographer. You will learn to describe and explain the formation of natural features found in rivers and along our coastline, as well as tectonic processes such as the causes of earthquakes. You will analyse the impacts of natural hazards on people in a range of global locations and evaluate the responses to specific events that have caused devastation to communities around the world. You will be encouraged to develop your skills in assessing the causes and effects of man-made environmental disasters and what the possible solutions to them could be.
KS3 Topics
At Key Stage 3 students are taught one major unit a term, each unit is broken down into key questions that will be assessed throughout the year.
Year 7
What is Geography and how do we read maps?
What is a continent?
What is Europe?
What is the UK?
How do we read maps?
Weather
What is the difference between weather and climate?
How do we measure weather?
What is a microclimate?
What weather is extreme weather?
Population
What is a census?
How does population grow?
What are sparse and dense population?
Why do people migrate?
Year 8
Ecosystems
What is an ecosystem?
Where are the world’s major ecosystems and why?
What are tropical rainforests like?
What are the threats to tropical rainforests?
What are deserts like?
What is desertification?
Development and globalisation
What is development and why do we measure it?
How does war affect development?
What is Fairtrade?
What is globalisation?
Is globalisation good?
Urban areas
What are rural and urban areas?
Why do settlements have different shapes?
What are the challenges faced by people in urban areas?
How do we map crime?
Year 9
Earthquakes and Volcanoes
What is a natural hazard?
What is plate tectonic theory?
What is an earthquake?
How can the impact of earthquakes be reduced?
Why do volcanoes erupt?
Can volcanic eruptions be predicted?
Industry
What are the different types of industry?
What are TNCs?
Is Apple good?
What is tourism?
Rivers and Coasts
What are the features and processes in rivers?
Why do rivers flood?
What are the features and processes along the coast?
How is erosion causing problems along the coast?
KS4 Overview
At KS4 the students follow the AQA GCSE Geography Syllabus which builds on the skills that have been developed at KS3. The course is divided into two main themes, Living with the physical world and Challenges of the human environment, each of which is divided into three sections and examined with two 1½hr papers. Fieldwork is carried out in York and assessed in a third exam of 1¼ hrs titled Geographical Applications
The breakdown of the course is:
Paper 1 Living with the physical environment
3 sections
Exam 1.5hrs
35% of total GCSE
Natural Hazards which includes the study of tectonic theory, case study of two earthquakes, formation and case study of tropical storms and causes, effects and mitigation of climate change.
Ecosystems which includes identifying characteristics of major world biomes and detailed study of tropical rainforests and hot deserts.
UK landscapes which includes an overview of UK highlands and rivers, coastal processes, landforms and the impact of coastal erosion and river processes and landforms and the management of flooding.
Paper 2 Challenges of the human environment
3 sections
Exam 1.5hrs
35% of total GCSE
Urban issues and challenges which includes the causes and effects of global urbanisation, in depth study of a Rio de Janiero and Leeds as well as the study of the characteristics of sustainable cities.
Changing economic world which includes how to measure development, describing and explaining the global development gap and strategies to reduce it, impacts of tourism on low income countries, case study of a TNC in an LIC or NEE and the changing UK economy.
Challenge of resource management which includes issues around the supply and demand of managing water, food and energy both globally and nationally.
Paper 3 Geographical applications
2 sections
Exam 1.25hrs
30% of total GCSE
Section 1
Issue evaluation this includes questions based around a pre released information booklet and a decision making question.
Section 2
Fieldwork this includes questions based on the student’s fieldwork and unseen field work.
Exam board links
KS4 study AQA GCSE Geography (8035)
https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/geography/gcse/geography-8035
Revision materials
Revision materials
All students are given a York High School revision booklet that covers all the topics and case studies that we study.
Exam papers and other revision materials such as mind maps can be found on the L drive here L:\FOUNDATION\GEOGRAPHY\Year 11 Revision materials
Students have the option to purchase a revision guide for £2.50
Useful websites for revision:
BBC bite size https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zkw76sg
The student room is a forum where students can ask questions and access revision materials https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/
PiXL App has a range of revision materials that may support revision. https://geographyapp.pixl.org.uk/Geography%20App2.html
You tube is an excellent resource for Geographical videos that can support learning, here are some links to useful videos for each topic.
Paper 1
Section A
What is a natural hazard? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3AbzfFm7IM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n73qtEojP_Y
What is plate tectonic theory? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA2-Vc4PIOY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg_UBLFUpYQ
What are primary and secondary effects of earthquakes? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FowixCmKNKs
What is atmospheric circulation? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZVMUOqzP50
What is a tropical storm and how does it form? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Qn6jdK5loE
How might climate change affect tropical storms? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsSxopt_Kn8
Primary and secondary effects of tropical storms
Typhoon Haiyan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Jao74uKz2M
How can monitoring, prediction, protection and planning reduce the effects of tropical storms? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bOrkn3eYSI
Is the UK climate more extreme? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwjogWGGtpY
The “Beast from the East” an example of extreme UK weather https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIKLdDWFKnA
What is climate change? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aynyO_rXN4Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wI8ADF1ruQ
Section B
Relationships in a small UK ecosystem https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbNoS_e_8m0
Distribution of Biomes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_RhR694LLw
What are tropical rainforests and how have plants and animals adapted to the rainforest? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCEvEwx_pdg
What is nutrient cycling? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPos3oOWFMQ
What are the causes and impact of deforestation? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lO2sKYtwmw
How can tropical rainforests be sustainably managed? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwbNCAcRCSI
What are hot deserts like? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMDjE-i3PbY
Opportunities and challenges in the Sahara https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7XrabWYHSg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u6amqRikX0
Causes and solutions to desertification https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meYBvs73aXY
Section C
Overview of major upland and lowland areas of the UK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmU0ybfCrDg
Coastal processes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDm8Ve3-KAo
Formation of erosional coastal landforms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX5yeQLg1OY
Formation of depositional coastal landforms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI8fO_B20tA
Hard and soft engineering strategies at the coast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjnvkArg_60
Erosion along the Holderness coast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWEJq03NBao
Long and cross profile of rivers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGTplOSkhfc
River processes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gyIRVgptBM
Landforms in the upper course of a river https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbGWcXxa7rc
Landforms in the lower and middle course of the river https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KviqtG2LyGY
The river Tees from source to mouth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlwgwSvb6Rg
Human and physical causes of flooding https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB1OWj2a1a8
Hard and soft engineering strategies in rivers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghFNNlIgqrE
Paper 2
Section A
What is urbanisation? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKnAJCSGSdk
What is rural to urban migration? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXmOJ-fYMyc
What is a mega city? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqKe7ygkkzs
What is Rio like? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X_evEIh2hw&t=5s
What are the challenges in Rio? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3BRTlHFpBU
What are the opportunities in Rio? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ciJfVkNN_k
General Rio revision https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVNmqhOWCRE
What is a sustainable city? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4sumpEqnlY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etDMYX_mSm0
Section B
Different ways of classifying development https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSjWc5pJrBg
How can development be measured? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXT33rN5Lf0
What is the demographic transition model? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9xrwtqhTmw
What causes uneven development? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysPP4la2KF0
How is wealth different around the world? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWSxzjyMNpU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hE9rgzFGF0
How can the development gap be reduced? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZAhq2RWrio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhJ8XJ9Fwjg
What is India like?
Economic futures of the UK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYKTX-qQc-4
How is the UK economy changing? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yEsngz9YzE
How is modern industry more sustainable than heavy industry? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzCPp3vLDTk
Is there a north south divide in the UK? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOpNd-khY1E
What is HS2? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ao3nEJ376o
Why build a new runway at Heathrow? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0TXsabfoF4
What is London Port? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bc7glMK5Cs
The UK in the wider world https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itH1m8lxLdc
Section C
Is there global inequality in the supply and consumption of resources? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlD_iMaidL0
How do we provide food in the UK? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuL2PhKdjsw
What are the issues around water supply in the UK? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM2j5g9KbIo
What are the issues around energy supply in the UK? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpRgAr5f3NE