Head of Department: Mr Marshall
The aim of Key Stage 3 Geography is to allow learners to develop their geographical knowledge, understanding, skills and to overall encourage students to recognise their role as citizens in our dynamic, interconnected world.
The course has been designed to allow students opportunities for continued progression throughout Year 7, 8 and 9. Regular ‘Milestone Assessments’ provide students with an opportunity to show progression in the subject along with time to reflect on areas for improvement.
In Year 7, students begin the course by studying their ‘Personal Geography’ experiences in their lives so far. Students develop basic geographical skills in sketching, map work and photo interpretation to develop their understanding of patterns and processes in their local area. Throughout Year 7, students draw upon these skills when studying ‘The UK’; ‘The Geography Crime’; ‘EU and Italy’ and finally ‘Coasts’ in the summer term. Students have the opportunity to visit Calshot Spit and conduct fieldwork to discover the coastal processes at work on the Hampshire coastline.
In Year 8, students develop their skill set of ‘Map skills’, focusing on distances, directions, scale and grid references. Students then apply these skills to other units of study to include; ‘Rivers’; ‘Economic Activity’; ‘Recreation and Conservation’; and ‘Japan’.
In Year 9, students begin to tackle wider issues such as ‘Population and Development’; Why are some countries poor and some countries rich? What is the population explosion and what part do I play in it? Students also study contemporary physical geography issues of ‘Wild Weather’; ‘Threatened Ecosystems’; and ‘2012 Olympics – a sustainable Olympics?’.
