Geography at Key Stage 3
A modern, sequenced, knowledge-based Geography curriculum...
The OCR specifications at A-Level and GCSE were chosen with the aim of best-preparing students for a lifelong-interest in the world and for university-level study. The KS3 curriculum was then constructed in the form of a spiral curriculum with sequencing designed to provide regular focus on five Key Concepts (Scale, Place, Interconnection, Environment & Space), as well as regularly revisiting important topics, concepts and skills to build a solid foundation of knowledge for students moving through the school. The Key Concepts were chosen after we reflected upon a number of Geographical Association articles which aimed to identify the "Big Ideas" in Geography.
The content of each Unit and when it is studied is designed to build up in Scale to allow students to learn the fundamentals in more familiar contexts initially before learning to apply this knowledge to other Environments and Places in later years. The Units in Year 8 allow students to learn about the geography of Places on three separate continents; whilst the Year 9 curriculum tests students' ability to apply their prior learning to a Global context before starting the GCSE course. The topics that are currently studied are:
The topics that are currently studied on these journeys are:
Year 9
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Providing for the World
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OCR B GCSE Global Hazards
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OCR B GCSE Climate Change
For more information visitthe VLE via the link on the school website.
All Lower School (Years 7 to 9) students study Geography in their form groups. Year 7 have three lessons per fortnight and years 8 and 9 have four. In addition, Students can expect homework on occasions, on which they should spend about 30 minutes. These tasks are frequently based on resources accessed via the VLE and students must become acquainted with this website. Occasionally, homework projects are based on each individual's own research, and could involve the use of the Internet, library resources, or resources found in the home. Key Assessments are set at the end of each topic and are marked against criteria that are given to the students in advance. General grade descriptors for these can be found on the VLE.