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Humanities - Geography

Students will learn about a range of contemporary and historical global issues. This is to help students understand that Humanities has a holistic element to the subjects and also to deepen understanding of how the UK and Plymouth links to the wider world such as discovery and reasons of migration & how the geography of the city and its surrounding area has enabled it to be the city it is now. Students also learn about what impacts they can create and how they can shape the future environmentally, economically and socially.

Humanities - Geography

Intent

“The study of geography is about more than just memorising places on a map. It’s about understanding the complexity of our world, appreciating the diversity of cultures that exists across continents. And in the end, it’s about using all that knowledge to help bridge divides and bring people together” (Barack Obama, 2012). At Tor Bridge High we aim to create the very best geographers. We challenge our students to develop a critical understanding of ‘Our World’ and how people and the planet interact. All our students learn key geographical principles about the changing human and physical world and how the two interact so they can apply them in a variety of familiar and unfamiliar contexts. Students understand the meaning of ‘local action, global impacts’ and question how sustainable the way we currently use ‘Our World’ and its resources is. This is all based around building a valuable understanding of place and location to truly make sure our students are ‘Global Citizens’.


Staff know what we are teaching as we have a curriculum overview, sequentially planned lessons and shared lesson resources that have been explicitly planned. Parents are given information at Parent Consultation Evenings, through the guided choices booklet and the school website. Whilst we want students to be in the top 10% nationally, we, as a department, believe our curriculum goes beyond what is examinable. The curriculum is regularly reviewed to ensure that students at KS3 not only receive a broad foundation of knowledge upon which GCSE and A Level skill can be built, but also understand current environmental issues. Tor Bridge has aligned with the TWT common booklet curriculum where students are offered the opportunity to study topics which add to and improve their understanding of the wider world, not just gain qualifications. This ensures that our students have the powerful knowledge they need in our increasingly connected world. Our curriculum has been influenced on the ideas of Mark Enser and by ideas on spacing and curriculum planning and in particular his six pedagogical principles of challenge, explanation, modelling, practice, feedback and questioning. AQA exam feedback has been used to ensure KS4 is robust and supports our students to make excellent progress in line with our vision to consistently be in the top 10% of schools nationally.


Geography helps build the cultural capital of our students by helping them to understand the world around them. Students learn that politics causes change; how globalisation changes the way we live; how their lives are different to those living in countries at varying levels of development. Students develop an appreciation of both social and economic difference and similarity, and they are encouraged to act on global environmental issues to truly ‘change our world for the better’. Geography can open the minds of the students of Plymouth by showing them the wider world. It can inspire future generations to be the change they want to see in the world. In our increasingly multicultural city it is vital for our students to develop cultural understanding so as to promote community cohesion. Contextual geography is taught on a local, national and global scale which enables students to make links between their place in Plymouth as well as the World. Careers using Geography are showcased in corridor displays and referenced throughout the sequential lesson planning.

Implementation

Year 7 begins with a cycle focusing on Global Biomes providing an immediate opportunity to reflect on the way in which humans and nature interact, and re-visits many of the geography skills taught at KS2 to ensure all students have solid foundations upon which knowledge and skills can be built. Human and physical topics are interspersed regularly to encourage student engagement and the ability to make synoptic links which are vital for future study. Students receive a broad curriculum at KS3 providing them with a solid foundation for future study. Cycle 2 explores population and migration, and considers some of the key issues discussed within the media today. Cycle 3 looks at the tectonic processes that result in powerful natural hazards such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, along with their impacts on people and the way in which humans can mitigate and adapt to minimise impacts.


In Year 8 students learn about weather and climate change within Cycle 1, and consider the natural and human causes of climate change. Lessons recognise a range of impacts linked to climate change for both the UK and the Wider World. Cycle 2 looks at development and resource management, and builds on prior learning about the factors driving migration. Students learn about the increasing challenges of managing essential resources, particularly in light of pressures resulting from climate change, geopolitics and finite energy resources. In Cycle 3 students learn about Rivers, their key features and management. Links are made with locality of Plymouth, and its proximity to Dartmoor, the River Plym and River Tamar.


Year 9 focuses on sustainability as a core Geographical concept which lies at the heart of the discipline. Cycle 1 focuses on superpowers and globalisation, considering the challenges that superpowers pose to humans. Cycle 2 considers what Sustainable Living looks like in the 21stCentury, and looks at extreme environments and the sustainable management of the Rainforest Biome. In Cycle 3 students consider the Urban World, looking at major cities and the issues affecting cities. Students learn about resource management in the UK, and at a Global scale, considering the varying solutions of both large-scale infrastructure developments, and intermediate / appropriate technology.


Curriculum plans at Key Stage 3 are designed to support and enhance learning undertaken within the AQA GCSE and A-Level curriculums, and students begin their GCSE studies with a broad and varied foundation knowledge and with secure geographical skills.


Our sequential lesson planning and explicit lesson resources provide challenge whilst at the same time scaffolds learning and supports students from different starting points to ensure all students can make rapid progress. This is structured to support sequencing of lessons, using the same overarching and topic questions as the Long Term Plans. The content clearly addresses these questions, and supports the acquisition and embedding of key knowledge. Inclusion of sample questions and annotated answers helps students to consolidate and address common misconceptions. Lessons start with low-stakes tests which are used to test recall from prior learning and encourage students to discover synoptic links within the topics studied. The sequence of lessons at KS4 is planned with an understanding of how our students learn to maximise strengths ensuring strong schematic development. Misconceptions regarding both knowledge and understanding are addressed in each sequential lesson plan and in lesson resources. This ensures that all classes receive consistent messages regardless of who teaches them. Ensuring our students are up to date with current affairs and ‘Geography in the news’ aims to enable our students to see Geography as ‘their world’ rather than an unconnected subject which they are not part of. In an ideal world as Geographers we would visit the places that we are looking. However, as that is not a possibility, we expose our students the places we learn about through the use of images, documentaries and maps. We believe that ‘seeing’ things greatly improves' our students understanding. Our sequential lesson planning is regularly evaluated and updated to ensure our curriculum continues to include “the best that has been thought and said” (Matthew Arnold, 1869).


Fieldwork visits take place in Year 10 and 11 which offer GCSE students the opportunity to visit a river, coastal and urban area. We support our disadvantaged students where necessary to access our full curriculum including trips and visits. Regular low stakes tests, dialogical tasks requiring students to explain key concepts and ideas, formative assessment at least three times a year, and homework tasks are planned to help students remember this knowledge in detail. Quality assurance procedures both at departmental level, through HoD and peer drop-ins, learning walks, and whole school observations by SLT ensure that departmental and whole school standards are maintained. Marking moderation for Cycle Assessments takes place during department CPD and on training days. This is dictated by the needs of staff. Whole school book looks take place each term with a focus on a specific year group to ensure parity and consistency across classes in terms of feedback and quality of work. Feedback is then used to inform department CPD. At KS4, homework is planned for the whole year which requires students to recall previously taught skills and knowledge or gauge understanding of new topics. In addition, revision and exam tasks are used to address specific gaps or misconceptions. This encourages our students to be independent learners.

Impact

On the surface, the impact of our geography curriculum can be seen in both internal and external assessments which show progress in skills applied at each cycle. An increasing number of students are expressing an interest of continuing their study of Geography at KS5 and beyond. 2024 sees the introduction of A Level Geography.


In lessons students display high levels of engagement - work in books displays excellence and determination to succeed; they ask pertinent questions and show they have a genuine interest in our world. They ‘speak like a geographer’ using subject specific language, they can use maps to locate places, and make judgements about a place as part of decision-making processes. They can evaluate decisions and impacts for a range of geographical issues, they can undertake fieldwork, analyse a range of data and draw conclusions from what they find. A highlight of Year 10 is our visit to the Cadover Bridge. Many students have a ‘lightbulb moment’ when they see for themselves the difference in constructive and destructive waves and the resultant landforms, similarly when they see for themselves what is meant by hard engineering. Our students embrace the opportunity to speak to members of the public and showcase our school. At KS3 students complete local area studies to build their understanding of their place in our world. We would like to build a local river / small scale ecosystem study in to our KS3 curriculum as we believe that some of the best learning in Geography takes place outside of the classroom. Most importantly in the day to day behaviour and choices of our students. Our true geographers who seek ways to change our school environment through actions. For example, such as voting for reusable water bottles as part of our charity fundraising and partitioning better recycling facilities to make our school community more sustainable.

KS3 Curriculum Content

What Will I Study?

In Yr7 we focus on SuperPowers – analyzing the geography and changes in Nigeria and China. Climate Change – discovering the human causes and strategies to mitigate effects of climate change. Changing Dartmoor – focusing on the physical and economic changes that have/are taking place within the Dartmoor National Park.

Geography of Water looks at processes, features, security and management. In year 8 we move onto Natural Hazards, Ocean Plastics & Coastal Challenge which look at processes, features, development and management and consolidates processes such as erosion, transportation & deposition.


How Will I Be Assessed?

Students will be provided with a range of assessments ranging from Low Stake Tests, at the start of every lesson, to develop knowledge recall and retention through to end of unit assessments (which will be similar to GCSE style exams). We also provide opportunities for students to be assessed through presentations, fieldwork reports etc...


What Other Experiences Will I Get From Geography?

Students undertake local enquiry fieldwork in and around the school premises so as to develop crucial geographical skills and techniques. It also enables the students to ask questions about the world around them.

Humanities - Geography

Year 7

Humanities - Geography

Year 8

Humanities - Geography

Year 9

KS4 Curriculum Content

It helps students make sense of the world around them. It helps with understanding and resolving issues about the environment and sustainable development. It is also an important link between the natural and social sciences. As pupils study geography, they encounter different societies and cultures and so are able to have a better grasp of contemporary physical and human issues.


What WIll I Study?

Yr9 the students cover the topics of Living World, Cold Environments (which both build upon features and physical changes of locations such as Dartmoor), Urban Challenges in the UK, Tectonic Hazards, River Landscapes (developing processes, features and management from Geography of Water) and Resource Management (consolidating and developing knowledge and understanding from Climate Change, Ocean Plastics and SuperPowers).

In Yr10 the topics of Urban Challenges in LICs, Atmospheric Hazards & Climate Change & Development Gap are studied along with the mandatory human and physical elements of the course. In Yr11 we complete the course with Development Gap, Changing Economies in the UK and Nigeria and Unit 3 Resource Booklet.


How Will I Be Assessed?

Students will be provided with a range of assessments ranging from Low Stake Tests, at the start of every lesson, to develop knowledge recall and retention through to end of unit assessments (which will be similar to GCSE style exams). Students sit mock examinations at the end of yr10, in November & March of their Yr11 studies.


Other Geography Experiences

Residential visits to London and one of Sicily, Iceland and Naples. Mandatory physical geography fieldwork to Exeter (river features, processes and management). Termly visits to variety of geographical locations for targeted PP & HA ability students including Lyme Regis, Eden Project, Lydford Gorge, Water treatment plant.

Humanities - Geography

Year 10

Humanities - Geography

Year 11

KS5 Curriculum Content

No Course Available

Humanities - Geography

Year 12

Humanities - Geography

Year 13

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© Tor Bridge High, Miller Way, Estover, Plymouth, PL6 8UN

TEL: 01752 207907

General Enquiries: reception@torbridge.net

Attendance/Absence: TBH-Absence@torbridge.net

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