Geography
Director of Study
Mrs K Zieman - email |
Assistant Director of Study
Ms S Loftus - email |
Teachers
Mr C Thorneycroft
Mr F Starczan
Mr Boyle
Welcome to the Geography Department
Geography at Stockport School
Geography at Stockport School focuses on developing a love of the subject and depth of understanding as students progress throughout their time at Stockport School.
Teaching and learning at Stockport School concentrates on embedding 5 key concepts: place, landscapes, skills, sustainability and interactions. These concepts underpin the most important aspects of geography, allowing students to develop a deep understanding of the subject which builds as they progress through the school leading to well rounded and knowledgeable geographers.
Please find below details on the curriculum over the five years in the geography departments at Stockport school. For further resources please see the firefly geography area.
Key Stage 3 Curriculum
Year 7 - Curriculum Overview
The year 7 curriculum provides introduction to different types of geography at a local, national and global scale. With an emphasis on developing geographical understanding, knowledge and the skills, such as reading photographs, explaining physical processes and independent research.
Key themes: urbanisation, relief rainfall, frontal rainfall, global weather patterns, population distribution, sustainability, map & atlas work, spatial awareness, extreme environments and endangered species.
1. Transition KS2 to KS3
Students will start the year building geographical knowledge and skill. This will help to ensure all students have a similar knowledge of basic world geography and geographical skill along with the opportunity to collect primary data for the first time.
2. Exploring Britain
Students will have an amazing opportunity to build knowledge of both the physical and human geography of the UK. We will investigate the geology, weather, climate and urban areas of the UK. This will lead to a study on where our food comes from; students will collect primary data from your fridges and cupboards!
3. What is my place in our World?
Moving out from the UK towards the continent of Europe and the wider world: this unit gives students the opportunity to build knowledge and understanding of various extreme places leading to presentations on an endangered species of their choice. Throughout the topic we build some knowledge of plate tectonics and the global circulation systems.
4. Map Skills
Towards the end of the year, we return back to skills developing students’ abilities when using maps at various scales, leading to the end of year 'Stockport map challenge'.
Year 8 - Curriculum Overview
Throughout year 8 we will be investigating global ecosystems (biomes around the world including location and distribution). A detailed investigation on Tropical rainforests. Investigation of a river environment in the spring/summer term leading to a unit focussing on processes effecting the landscape.
Key themes: Use small case studies around the world to build spatial awareness and knowledge of place. A mixture of human and physical geography ending in a physical what shapes the land process-based topic which can be built on at GCSE.
1. Ecosystems
Students will start the year with the study of eco-systems, focussing on parts of an ecosystem. This will lead to developing a thorough understanding of tropical rainforests and coral reefs. This will help to build knowledge which will then link to the GCSE specification.
2. Development
Moving on to a human unit of learning, students will study development around the world, assessing why some countries are more developed than others. We will look closely at individual examples such as Ethiopia along with a range of EDC’s such as China, India and Russia.
3. How do processes shape the land?
Looking at the natural world and some of the most iconic landforms we will consider how processes shape the land through water and ice. This will lead to a trip to a local river where we can continue to build our investigation and field study skills.
Year 9 - Curriculum Overview
With a focus on geographical interactions with a fieldwork investigation in the autumn term enabling students to access the skills required by the GCSE course. Students begin the GCSE after the February half term. Starting with studying the GCSE units Urban Futures and Sustaining Ecosystems.
Key themes: looking at interactions between people and the environment such as living with tectonics and our use of resources.
1. Geographical Interactions
Students gain a wealth of knowledge looking at various connections and interaction around the world such as how do people live with plate tectonics in Iceland, water issues in the Colorado region and tourism closer to home in the Peak District National Park which we will visit whilst studying the unit.
Key Stage 4 Curriculum
GCSE Geography—Geography for Enquiring Minds - OCR B
GCSE Geography is an excellent, interesting and detailed look at the world around us.
We study a syllabus which really focuses in on relevant, forward thinking topics and questions. Students will discover new knowledge, giving a solid understanding of many of the global issues that surround us today. Many of the topics allow investigation into the global challenges we face in the 21st century and beyond. Questions are posed throughout the course leading to fantastic opportunities for discussion on how their generation will meet these global challenges throughout their lifetime.
Key features of the course:
Our Natural World (physical) includes: Global Hazards, changing climate, distinctive landscapes, sustaining ecosystems, fieldwork and skills = 35%
People and Society (human) includes: Urban futures, dynamic development, UK in the 21st century, resource reliance, fieldwork and skills = 35%
Geographical Exploration includes: Geographical skills, decision making exercise with synoptic assessment = 30%
Due to the forward-thinking nature of the course, the topics covered and the development of transferrable skills and decision-making aspects of the course the possibilities are endless. The topics covered will form a solid base in global issues which could lead on and feed into numerous areas, from the traditional A-level route to the unknown job market of the future.
Year 9 (February half-term onwards)
1. Urban Futures
The first of the GCSE human units where students need to use a range of key terms such as urbanisation, suburbanisation, mega cities, world cities, millionaire cities and be able to give examples. The content focusses on three types of countries Advanced countries (AC’s), emerging developing countries (EDC’s) and Low-income developing countries (LIDC’s). We will study in detail Mexico City and Manchester; prior knowledge of these places would be a real advantage.
2. Sustaining Ecosystems
Building on knowledge from year 8, students will need knowledge of a number of eco-systems from around the world including the tropical rainforests, tropical grasslands, hot deserts, polar regions, temperate grasslands, temperate forests and coral reefs. This unit can be very demanding if students don’t have any prior knowledge so independent research will really help. Students need to know about the plants, animals and climate of all seven eco-systems listed. We will also look at a place called Crocker Range in Borneo and Antarctica in more detail.
3. Changing Climates
A very topical unit asking students to consider ‘is climate change a natural process?’ This allows students to consider the climatic changes over the quaternary period. We will look at the evidence for arguments that ‘yes it is natural’ and ‘no it is not’. Students could research the Milankovitch cycles along with the possible impacts of climate change in the UK and in the wider world.
Year 10 Curriculum Overview
4. Resource Reliance
Students will develop understanding of resources and how reliant we are upon them. The key areas focus on food, water and energy with a case study based on the food security within the UK. The BBC often has stories surrounding these areas on the news so watching a national news report daily would really help. Students could also build knowledge of genetically-modified crops and intensive farming techniques.
5. Dynamic Development
This unit provides an interesting look at development around the world focusing on why some countries are more developed then others and the reasons for this. The majority of the learning focusses on the country of Ethiopia, so some knowledge of the country and its current development would help. It is also worth researching the millennium development goals set out by the United Nations and the Rostow's model of development.
6. Distinctive Landscapes
Students will study the first of the GCSE physical units where they will build knowledge of the UK geology and resulting landscapes. The content is focussed on what makes landscapes distinctive or special and leads us to study the processes which act in a river and coastal environment. We will study the Holderness coastline and the river Wye in detail, prior knowledge of these places would be a real advantage. This unit includes a trip to a coastal case study site.
Year 11 Curriculum Overview
7. UK in the 21st Century
A detailed study of the UK including the physical characteristics of the UK, the population distribution, rainfall patterns, water stress, ageing population, culture and immigration patterns. Study of an economic hub, Media City Salford and how the global influence of the UK is changing in conflict zones such as the Ukraine and Syria. This unit includes a trip to an urban location.
8. Global Hazards
This topic allows students to develop an understanding of a variety of hazards that impact human lives both here in the UK and worldwide. We investigate how weather can be hazardous, gaining knowledge of processes in our atmosphere to create extreme weather. We also look at the hazards created by plate tectonics, and we study in detail one tectonic event, looking at the causes, consequences and responses.
Enrichment
We aim to give students gain life long experiences throughout the geography curriculum. We pride ourselves on threading the opportunity of fieldwork and highly value its impact in the classroom, bringing the theory to life. Students have the opportunity to visit the following locations to collect primary data, experience landscapes and build relationships outside the classroom with their teacher.
River study- Ladybrook valley, Bramhall.
Upland area study- Castleton, Peak District.
Coastal study- Holderness Coast, East Coast.
Urban study- Media City, Salford.
Residentials- Lake District & Iceland
Students can also access the GCSE enrichment sessions as well as homework support sessions and geography club as directed by geography staff.
How can you help?
Encourage your child to watch the news, it really helps to build world knowledge and understanding of places and issues Spend spare time together, finding out about places you would like to visit or looking at a National Geographic website—it is amazing!
Help your child to reflect after assessments and improve work to reduce the chances of making similar mistakes.
Ensure students are equipped to learn—they need all items on the Stockport School equipment list.
Ensure they are in school and on time for school. Check firefly for homework tasks and deadlines to ensure they are prepared to achieve their best.
Further information and resources can be found on the Geography area within Firefly - it contains every lesson resource!
Homework and Independent Study
In geography we value homework to both support and stretch students. Tasks vary greatly from independent research, quick quizzes, Literacy tasks, exam questions and consolidation tasks. All homework is recorded on firefly so both parents/carers and students can access the tasks.
Year 7, 8 and 9 (until the option choice in February of year 9) receive 30 minutes homework every two weeks.
GCSE groups receive up to 60 minutes every week.
Homework tasks will include both compulsory and extra credit tasks which are recommended but optional.
Useful websites include;
Equipment required
Calculator (non-scientific)
Ruler/Pencil
OCR B
Revision Guide (available from the school office)
Useful Contacts
Director of Geography: k.zieman@stockport.stockport.sch.uk