Year 9
Geography aims to help students understand the complex relationship between humans and the physical world. It not only hopes to foster a responsibility that students have to the environment they live in but also to help them develop cross curricular skills that have a range of uses in all subjects.
Geography in Year 9 is a foundation course of basic knowledge, skills and understanding, based on elements of the English National Curriculum. The course is designed to standardise and reinforce geography studied in students' previous schools by providing an interesting and challenging course which will provide a foundation for GCSE.
Students will study elements of human and physical geography at both local and global scales. The course components include:
- Map work challenge
- Moray and Moray Firth
- Urban challenge - Brazilian cities
- Environmental challenge - the Amazon
- Urban challenge - Glasgow
- Environmental challenge - the Cairngorms
- Hazards challenge - hurricanes
Coastal challenge - Moray coast fieldworkStudents will be engaged in a variety of learning situations in which they will develop literacy, numeracy, spatial and enquiry skills. There will be opportunities for investigative studies using information technology and fieldwork. Local fieldwork is carried out in the Spring and the Summer term, the focus of this will be decided each year to make best use of the resources on hand.
The department is very well resourced. All rooms have TV, DVD, Video, OHP, slide projector and computer projector. It is fully equipped for fieldwork investigations and information technology. We have ten networked computers, a laser printer and a flat bed scanner, digital camera and camcorder as well specialist software.
Years 10 & 11
Geography is a dynamic subject that requires commitment, independent thinking, group work and motivation. It aims to help students start to understand the complex relationship between humans and the physical world. It not only hopes to foster a responsibility that students have to the environment they live in but also to help them develop cross curricular skills. It prepares students for Geography A level as well as providing them with the many skills that will be useful in both Arts and Science subjects in the Sixth Form.
Year 10 is the start of a two-year course leading to the GCSE examination. The course covers a wide range of geographical studies and aims to lead to an understanding of the nature of the earth and our place on it. It examines elements of human behaviour, the physical environment and interactions between the two.
Due to the production of new specifications at present by all the exam boards, the department will be following a new syllabus next year. A decision has not been made on which syllabus to follow.
Students will carry out coursework in the form of fieldwork in either a physical or urban environments. In terms of geographical skills both for fieldwork and classwork, students can expect to use traditional skills such as photographic and map interpretation but also a substantial amount of information technology, using subject specific programmes, information sources such as general purpose CD-ROMs and the internet. Fieldwork takes place in a variety of locations including the Moray coast at Findhorn, River Lossie drainage basin, Inverness and Elgin.
Resources
The department is very well resourced. All rooms have TV, DVD, Video, OHP, slide projector and computer projector. It is fully equipped for fieldwork investigations and information technology. We have ten networked computers, a laser printer and a flat bed scanner, digital camera and camcorder as well specialist software.
Assessment
- Coursework 25%
- Terminal examination 75%
Sixth Form
Geography [OCR]
This is a new and exciting course which can be studied in conjunction with Arts or Science A-levels. The course emphasises the unity of geography. In order to achieve an understanding of the complex inter-relationships between people and environment it is first essential to provide a sound knowledge and understanding of physical and human geography. The Advanced Subsidiary provides such a course in physical and human geography. It promotes an investigative approach and lays a foundation for further study at A2. The A2 modules include opportunities for students to study selected aspects of physical and human geography at greater depth and to develop their investigative skills through a personal investigative study.
The syllabus comprises:
Advanced Subsidiary (AS)
- The Physical Environment 20%
- Hydrological systems
- Ecosystems
- Lithosphere
- Atmospheric systems
- The Human Environment 15%
- Population pattern, process and change
- Rural and urban settlement process and change
- Geographical Investigations 15%
- Skills and knowledge needed to carry out investigations
Advanced Level (A2)
- Options in Physical and Human Geography 15%
- Coastal environments
- Agriculture and food
- Synoptic Geography - People and the Environment 20%
- Hazardous environments
- Managing urban environments
- Personal Investigative Study 15%
- A study chosen by the pupil of 2500 words related to an aspect of the syllabus
Fieldwork forms an integral part of geographical study and helps pupils make sense of the concepts studied in class, provides real examples which could be used on written papers and provides stimulus for possible individual study topics. During the course at both AS- and A2-level there will be a variety of field courses both locally in north-east Scotland and further afield. These courses have direct links with the syllabus. There is a small charge for one trip each year to cover accommodation: usually no more than £50. Parents' attention is drawn to the fact that there may be an optional overseas field trip during the course of Years 12 and 13. Future trips will depend on numbers opting to go but will be open to both Year 12 and Year 13.
The entry requirements are usually a grade C minimum at GCSE or equivalent at Standard Grade. Occasionally the Department will accept pupils without a GCSE in the subject if they can demonstrate a commitment to a new subject and develop a quick learning curve.
The Department believes in giving students responsibility for their own learning and to this end the Geography Department includes a library and a suite of networked computers that are freely available for use for geography work during study periods and after hours. There is an extensive range of reference texts, journals, magazines and articles available to the student both online and in hard form.
Many students do go on to study Geography at degree level either as a single honours course or joint honours. Geography graduates are welcomed by a wide range of employers who would recommend Geography as a first degree followed by a specialised course, e.g. law, accountancy, surveying, planning or personnel management. Because of the variety of skills and knowledge acquired studying Geography, "geographers are especially successful at obtaining jobs in business, finance, marketing, personnel and administration" (Royal Geographical Society industry survey).
Resources
The department is very well resourced. All rooms have TV, DVD, Video, OHP, slide projector and computer projector. It is fully equipped for fieldwork investigations and information technology. We have ten networked computers, a laser printer and a flat bed scanner, digital camera and camcorder as well specialist software.