Geography At The Levels School
The geography curriculum at The Levels School covers a range of physical and human topics and develops links between them. The National Curriculum for Prep and KS3 has been adapted to increase accessibility through repetition of topics and building depth of knowledge through embedding links between topics within geography and other subjects.
This will enable students to access the AQA GCSE curriculum and achieve their potential in geography. Skills are embedded throughout the curriculum both in terms of geographical skills but also transferable and employability skills. Students are taught through a range of means, using assistive technology, with opportunities to delve deeper and research areas of interest to them within topics.
Prep
Through our Geography curriculum we want to inspire our pupils curiosity and fascination about the world and the people that live in their world alongside understanding their place in the world. We want our pupils to develop a sense of curiosity that stays with them forever. To acquire contextual knowledge about globally diverse places, people, resources and environments.
We want our pupils to develop a deep understanding of the interaction between human and physical processes, knowing about the formation of the landscape, the importance of the environment and how they are used and changed, in both positive and negative ways.For our pupils’ to understand how the world is changing over time and their role in being part of that change, particularly in relation to environmental disasters.
Our Geography curriculum has key threads running through it, of intercultural understanding, local fieldwork, environmental issues, critical thinking and sustainability.
Key Stage Three
| Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn Term | Introduction to Geography & Map Skills | Tectonic Hazards | Wild Weather |
| Spring Term | Resources & Energy | Population & Settlements | Tourism |
| Summer Term | Rivers | Coasts | Health & Disease |
GCSE
At The Levels School, geography is an option which any student may choose to take at KS4.
Geography helps you to make sense of the world around you. It's hands on, relevant, and fun. Whatever your passion for the world – fascination with landscapes or concerns about sustainability – geography will provide you with knowledge and transferable skills that will reward you personally and academically.
We offer AQA GCSE Geography (9-1), which is a challenging but immensely interesting and rewarding course. The GCSE combines physical and human geography which are assessed at the end of Year 11 in three exam papers, as outlined below.
| Paper 1 |
|---|
Living with the Physical Environment1 hour 30 minutes 35% of the GCSE grade Paper 1 topics:
|
| Paper 2 |
Challenges in the Human Environment1 hour 30 minutes 35% of the GCSE grade Paper 2 topics:
|
| Paper 3 |
Geographical Applications1 hour 30 minutes 30% of the GCSE grade Paper 3 topics:
All students must experience a mandatory 2 full days of GCSE field work study to test physical and human hypotheses. Fieldwork can be conducted in Minehead, to survey how the sea defences affect the movement of sediment and to Street where the effectiveness of traffic calming measures are surveyed. |
External Links
| Cool Geography | Primary Geography |
| Google Earth | GeoGuessr |
| KS2 Bitesize | KS3 Bitesize |
| KS4 Bitesize | Planet Earth II |
| Oak Academy | Blue Planet II |
| Simon Reeve | National Geographic |
| Seneca Learning |
Holiday Activities
If you're looking to support your child's geography studies at home, try the following activities:
Reading relevant books, such as "Prisoners of Geography", "Unruly Places" and "Horrible Geographies". The "National Geographic" magazine is also fantastic.
Watch relevant films and documentaries, such as "The Impossible", "Slumdog Millionaire", "Into the Wild", "An Inconvenient Truth" and anything narrated by David Attenborough. Simon Reeve's series on BBC iPlayer is also excellent.
Visit places - anywhere! Wherever you go, look at the human and physical features and processes, and look for interactions between the natural and human world.
Play board games, such as "The London Game" and "Monopoly".
