GEOGRAPHY - KS3

WHO’S WHO?

Progress Leader: Mrs R Jones
Teaching Staff: Mr B Thompson, Miss R Clarke

OUR AIMS

Geography plays a crucial role in helping students at Up Holland High School understand sustainability and the complex relationships between people, places and environments at local, national and global scales. Key Stage 3 Geography is not only a springboard to further study at GCSE and A level, but also a vital part of our students’ journey towards becoming well-rounded adults who can contribute positively to their communities.

Our Geography curriculum raises aspirations and promotes social mobility by removing barriers to learning and maintaining high expectations for all students. Knowledge, application and skills are at the core of our curriculum. Powerful geographical knowledge and skills are carefully sequenced from Years 7 to 9, building on prior learning and revisiting key concepts and vocabulary to secure a deeper understanding of the world around us.

Through the way Geography is taught and delivered, students develop essential employability and social skills, including information technology, data handling, and resource analysis and interpretation. Literacy, reading, numeracy and oracy are embedded across the curriculum so that students can access learning confidently and communicate effectively.

Geography enhances students’ cultural capital and personal development through an extensive range of topics and themes studied throughout Key Stage 3. Sustainability is a key thread running through the curriculum, enabling students to understand environmental challenges, responsible resource management and their role in creating a more sustainable future.

YEAR 7
TERM	UNIT OF STUDY	KEY SKILLS / LEARNING
Autumn	Becoming a Geographer The Almighty Dollar	Thinking and writing like a Geographer Interpreting a range of maps Annotating maps Completing mental maps and sketch maps Describing landscapes from photos Collecting and interpreting fieldwork data
Spring	Wicked Weather Hot Deserts	Interpreting and completing climate maps and choropleth maps Comparing maps Maths skills Drawing conclusions
Summer	Rumbling Planet	Describing causes and effects of tectonic hazards Using GIS and drawing conclusions Documentaries linked to case study examples
YEAR 8
Autumn	Life in Brazil Climate Change	Sustainable Cities Maths skills Writing descriptively Interpreting and creating Choropleth maps Interpreting atlas maps and satellite photos
Spring	Frozen Planet Life in the Arctic Circle	Maths skills Interpreting and creating climate graphs Labelling and annotating sketches Analytical writing and drawing conclusions
Summer	Asia Georgraphy of Crime	Using latitude and longitude Interpreting a range of maps and photos Comparing maps Maths skills Link to careers
YEAR 9
Autumn	Development Dark tourism	Challenging misconceptions on LIC’s Interpreting a range of graphs Maths skills Describing patterns, distribution and trends. Decision making & Comparisons
Spring	Geographies of conflict Rivers	InInterpreting a range of maps Focus on current UK Issues Decision making Categorising impacts Creating detailed diagrams with annotations Process of erosion and transportation
Summer	South America Ocean Threats	Interpreting a range of maps Cultural significance of South America Describing patterns Evaluating impacts Decision making

ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award

HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD'S LEARNING

Discuss with them what they think about geographical events in the news. Why have they happened? What are their impacts?
Encourage them to watch documentaries and read books about geographical events that capture their interest and imagination.
Access Google Classroom to support absences and misconceptions.
Use of knowledge organisers to assist with revision.

WHERE TO GO:

Year 7 – The Lake District to appreciate glaciated scenery. White Scar Caves, North Yorkshire and the Blue John Cavern in Derbyshire to enjoy the wonder of the subterranean world.
Year 8 – Blackpool Zoo, Chester Zoo or the Sea Life Centres of Blackpool or Chester to appreciate the diversity of creatures on our planet and to see rare and endangered species
Year 9 – The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester.

WHAT TO WATCH:

National Geographic Channel
David Attenborough – Planet Earth, Our Planet, Blue Planet, Seven worlds, one planet
Michael Palin – Around the world in 80 days, Full circle, Pole to pole, Himalaya, Sahara
The Impossible
BBC Bitesize KS3 Geography clips
Inside the Factory (resources and production)
BBC Climate Change – The Facts (selected clips)
National Geographic features on Rio de Janeiro
TED-Ed videos on sustainability and urbanisation

WHAT TO READ:

Prisoners of Geography – Tim Marshall
Triumph of the cities – Edward Glaeser
Geography – Danny Dowling and Karl Lee
Survivor, Escape from Pompeii – Jim Eldridge
Where on Earth – DK
No one is too small to make a difference – Greta Thunberg
Factfulness – Hans Rosling