Geography

 Aims

The Geography Department at St Boniface’s College is an optimistic department that promotes the development of Christian attitudes through the breadth of the four key aspects of the National Curriculum:

• Geographical enquiry and skills

• Knowledge and understanding of places

• Knowledge and understanding of patterns and processes

• Knowledge and understanding of environmental change and sustainable development

We believe that:

• Students should enquire about the relationships and interactions between mankind and the environment and develop an awareness of the global future

• Just as the Earth includes all Nations, our department includes all students

• Every student will have their minds opened and challenged through the study of Geography at St Boniface’s College

• Every student’s heart will be opened through the study of development and that they will develop an awareness of global citizenship and the problems of inequality

Curriculum

Key Stage 3

Year 7

Term 1:  Evolving places

Term 2:  Evolving places

Term 3:  Rivers

Term 4:  Rivers

Term 5:  Our Island Home

Term 6:  Laudato Si

Year 8

Term 1:  Tectonic hazards

Term 2:  Tectonic hazards

Term 3:  Ecosystems 

Term 4:  Ecosystems - tropical rainforests

Term 5:  Climate change

Term 6:  Development

Year 9

Term 1: Geography of conflict

Term 2: Geography of conflict

Term 3: Oceans

Term 4: Geography of sport

Term 5: Physical landscapes of the UK

Term 6: Physical landscapes of the UK

Key Stage 4

We deliver the AQA Geography “A” GCSE course from Year 10.  This covers both human and physical geography and is a varied course which promotes a good understanding of places, process and human management.  It covers many opportunities for promotion of literacy and numeracy skills.

The students will study the following themes:

Paper 1:  Living with the Physical Environment

What’s assessed:

• The challenge of natural hazards

• The living world

• Physical landscapes in the UK

• Geographical skills

How it’s assessed:

• Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes

• 88 marks (including 3 marks for spelling, punctuation, grammar and specialist terminology or SPaG)

• 35% of GCSE

Paper 2:  Challenges in the human environment

What’s assessed:

• Urban issues and challenges

• The changing economic world

• The challenge of resource management

• Geographical skills

How it’s assessed:

• Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes

• 88 marks (including 3 marks for SPaG)

• 35% of GCSE

Paper 3:  Geographical applications

What’s assessed:

• Issue evaluation based on pre-released material

• Fieldwork

• Geographical skills

How it’s assessed:

• Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes

• 76 marks (including 6 marks for SPaG)

• 30% of GCSE

• Pre-release resources booklet made available 12 weeks before Paper 3 exam

Assessment

At Key Stage 3, students are provided with a range of peer and staff feedback around every 8 hours.  Students will receive written or verbal feedback based on “what went well” and “even better if” in line with the school’s policy.

Assessment is made through a variety of ways including formal testing, project work, essay writing and presentations and normal exercise work. At Key Stages 4, assessment is a mix of formative and summative methods linked closely to the appropriate examination assessment objectives and the use of exam style questions in order to give a realistic grade for that particular piece of assessment at that particular time.