Geography
2024/2025 Teaching staff: Mr A Hitchman, Mr B Wynniatt-Husey, Mrs C Bartlett, Mrs C Ebert and Miss J Nicolas.
Follow us on X (twitter) @OakwoodGeog
Oakwood School – Curriculum Overview
Faculty | Humanities |
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Head of Faculty | Miss C Jackson |
Head of Geography | Mr A Hitchman Contact for more details of Geography curriculum |
Download the Pathway Doctument below:
Oakwood School – Curriculum Overview
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| Autumn | Spring | Summer | Rationale |
Year 7 | Topic Area/Key Question
| 1) What is Geography? 2) Where does our food come from? | 1) Is oakwood School under attack? | 1) The geography of Horley 2) Climate change | The aim of the Year 7 curriculum is to ensure that students understand the different aspects to geography through case studies which will help them develop their skills and further understand the role of different processes in the world.
We explore the issues of food, its environmental impact and the social impacts of the inequality of it distribution.
We then explore physical processes of weathering and erosion and their impact with a focus made on the school to introduce the students to fieldwork and fieldwork skills.
The Africa and Asia unit focusses on two countries that have both a number of similarities as well as differences. We look at social, physical and environment factors and how this can impact on the lives of people within the two countries. This unit also allows us to explore some ideas around development.
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Content covered
| 1) What is Geography? · Students are introduced to different aspects of geography through the use of real examples. · Key knowledge of continents and oceans · Data handling and simple field skills 2) Where does our food come from? · We look at demand and distribution of food and its impacts · We look at different food production methods and their impact | · 3 types of rocks · Weathering processes · Fieldtrip skills | 1) The geography of Horley · Its location and function · Maps skills Fieldwork skills and fieldtrip
2) Climate Change · We study the causes of climate change in the past and in the present using some case study examples | ||
Assessment
| 1) What is Geography? Paper 2) Where does our food come from? Essay Question AND paper | written task AND test paper | 1) project write up for Horley AND map skills test paper 2) Climate change test | ||
Literacy focus
| Guided reading task sheets Info sheet on Riverford | Guided reading articles | Maps Guided reading
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Opportunities (links to careers/EDI/PSHCE)
| Careers: food production, relief agencies (unifrog) EDI: Understanding of different standards of living and food lifestyle/ethical choices. PSHE: empathy, healthy eating links.
| Careers: Surveying, Estate Agency, Geologist, premises manager… EDI: Caring about our own environment PSHE: | Careers: jobs in Horley (unifrog) EDI: Understanding of different standards of living. PSHE: Environmental responsibility and sustainability. | ||
National Curriculum links / GCSE connections | NC – Geography skills, Human Geography, Place GCSE -Challenge of resources | NC – Human and physical geography, fieldwork GCSE - Geology and impacts on landscape use | NC – Place, Human and physical geography, geog skills and fieldwork GCSE - development |
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| Autumn | Spring | Summer | Rationale |
Year 8 | Topic Area/Key Question
| 1) Weather and Climate
| Development
| 1) Rivers 2) Coasts | Year 8 builds on year 7 and explores a number of topics in more detail. We start to explore the idea of inequality and how this impacts people through such topics as development and climate change.
We also at physical processes in the UK and link this to the Climate change unit recently studied to provide a more ‘joined’ up approach to the physical unit.
Each of the units in year 8 is likely to have a direct/indirect impact on each of the student’s lives so one focus is looking at the decisions people make and thew impacts of these on others.
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Content covered
| 1) Weather and Climate We explore what gives us our weather and climate We explore the impacts of our weather on our lives
We undertake a microclimate study around the school
| This unit looks at 5 different examples from around the world to explore the idea of development. The unit is built around Rostow’s 5 stages of development.
| 1) Rivers We explore the stages of a river, its processes and their impact on the landscape. We also explore river flooding and impacts.
2) Coasts We explore the processes at work at the coast as well as some of the ways we defend the coastline. Both these units are combined in our field trip to Cuckmere Haven
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Assessment
| 1) Weather and Climate Graph task and Q, AND paper | 2 test papers | 1) Rivers paper 2) Coasts paper | ||
Literacy focus
| Guided reading articles and key terms | Guided reading articles and key terms | Guided reading articles and key terms | ||
Opportunities (links to careers/EDI/PSHCE)
| careers; meteorology, scientist (unifrog) EDI: PSHE: Environmental stewardship and sustainability | Careers: Factory worker, service provider (unifrog) EDI: Quality of life and standard of living in a range of African nations, China and Norway. Understanding of similarities and differences. Bringing out positives in communities/countries: challenges and opportunities. PSHE: Family-Nyangatom, debate empathy, work and quality of life, work does not always mean wages. | Careers: landscape man, flood relief, local gov EDI: Empathy of people’s lives on the geographical physical margins. PSHE: Empathy and decision making.
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National Curriculum links / GCSE connections | NC – Human and physical geography, geographical skills and fieldwork, place GCSE – unit 1 | NC – human and physical geography, place, geographical skills and fieldwork GCSE – unit 1 | NC- human and physical geography, place, locational knowledge, geographical skills GCSE – unit 2 |
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| Autumn | Spring | Summer | Rationale |
Year 9 | Topic Area/Key Question
| 1) Economic activity and Box Hill 2) Tectonics A | 1) Tectonic B 2) Ecosystems | 1) Ecosystems continued 2) Russia 3) Tsunami | Year 9 geography aims to provide a transition from KS3 to KS4. Students look at some areas that will feature in the GCSE course.
Economic activity and Box Hill looks to explore the role that jobs have in a country’s economic development. As part of these changes, we explore the increasing level of free time and money and how these impacts on tourism. We visit Box Hill to see how tourism is impacting the area.
The tectonic unit aims to introduce students to our restless earth and the causes and impacts of tectonic events. We use some case study examples to understand the place of development in the level of impact.
Ecosystems helps students understand the factors that influence the location of different species, how species and people are adapted to these environments.
Our study of Russia looks at the largest country by land mass on the planet, its physical, social and environmental challenges/opportunities.
Our study of tsunami’s helps students to understand their impact and to recognise the causes of tsunami.
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Content covered
| 1) Economic activity and Box Hill · Exploring different jobs · Impacts of changing job types · Impact of increased leisure time, focus on Box Hill · Field trip to Box Hill to explore the impact of, and provision of, tourism. · Develop fieldtrip skills. 2) Tectonic A · Students explore tectonic plates movement. · we explore the impact of earthquakes through a case study | 1) Tectonic B · volcanoes and impacts · Case study example to understand warning signs and impacts of a volcanic eruption.
2) Ecosystems · Students will explore different ecosystems. · We understand the reasons and influences on location of ecosystems and how people live in them. | 2) Russia · Students explore physical and social geography of Russia. · Students explore the environmental issues in Russia through specific egs. · Students explore the economic opportunities of Russia through energy. 3) Tsunami · Students understand how a tsunami is formed, where they occur and with a case study, what their impact is | ||
Assessment
| 1) Economic activity and Box Hill Question task AND Box Hill write up. 2) Tectonic A Plate boundary paper | 1) Tectonic B Paper 2) Ecosystems Test paper | 2) Russia Essay 3) Tsunami research task | ||
Literacy focus
| Guided reading articles and key terms | Guided reading articles and key terms | Guided reading articles and key terms | ||
Opportunities (links to careers/EDI/PSHCE)
| Careers: Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Quaternary (unifrog) EDI: Understanding of different lives. PSHE: Work-paid and unpaid. Sharing experiences. | Careers: natural environment, prediction, monitoring, modelling, rescue and planning (Unifrog) EDI: understanding place and people from different places. | Careers: EDI: : understanding of place and people. Different lives in same event. PSHE:, conflict, Opportunities for debate . | ||
National Curriculum links / GCSE connections | NC – place, human and physical geography, geographical skills and fieldwork GCSE – Economic world unit, Natural Hazards | NC- Human and physical geography, locational knowledge, GCSE – Natural Hazards, Living world | NC – human and physical geography, locational knowledge GCSE – Living world, challenge of resources, |
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| Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 | Spring 1 | Spring 2 | Summer 1 | Summer 2 | Rationale |
Year 10 | Topic Area/Key Question
| Economic World | Natural Hazards | Natural Hazards | Physical UK (Rivers)
Challenges of resource management
Urban fieldwork | Challenges of resource Man. Cont
| Physical UK (Coasts)
Coastal Fieldwork | In year 10 students begin their GCSE course. We like to teach a number of units that cover the 3 key areas of Social, Physical and Environmental geography. The course builds on units covered in the past and also offers new learning opportunities within those and new units.
By the end of year 10 students will have studied natural processes, natural hazards as well as the changing role of urban areas and how people live to help prepare them for the year 11 course.
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Content covered
| We look at two different countries and explore why they are economically different & the impact of this on the people and environment. | What are hazards?
Tectonic hazards including an earthquake case study.
Weather hazards including 2 case studies | Climate change. We understand why the climate has changed in the past and why it is changing faster today. | We explore the phys landscape of the UK (Rivers).
We explore resources in UK & energy globally.
We go to Brighton to explore the Urban env. | We finish our look at resources first
| We explore the physical landscape of the UK focussing on Coastal processes
We go to Seaford to explore coastal processes and management. | ||
Assessment
| NEE paper HIC paper | Tectonic paper Weather paper | Climate change paper | Rivers test Fieldwork Q | Resources Paper UK resources | End of year exam Fieldwork Q | ||
Literacy focus
| Topic terms from syllabus, relevant articles | Topic terms from syllabus, relevant articles | Topic terms from syllabus, relevant articles | Topic terms from syllabus, relevant articles | Topic terms from syllabus, relevant articles | Topic terms from syllabus, relevant articles | ||
Opportunities (links to careers/EDI/PSHCE)
| Eco value of dif jobs and impact on Q of L (unifrog) Inequality in urban areas. Types of jobs; planning, charity jobs (unifrog) | Role of inequality in disaster management and impacts Types of jobs: emergency responses (Unifrog) | Role of inequality in hazard impacts Types of jobs: scientist, government, teacher (unifrog) | Environment jobs (unifrog)
Impacts of physical processes on people | Roles on Energy, water and Food.
Jobs in Energy, food and water supply (Unjifrog)
| Coastal management roles
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Links to GCSE syllabus /AO
| GCSE – Unit 2 A Level - | GCSE – Unit 1 A Level - | GCSE – Unit 1 A Level - | GCSE – Unit 1 A Level - | GCSE – Unit 2 |
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| Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 | Spring 1 | Spring 2 | Summer 1 | Summer 2 | Rationale |
Year 11 | Topic Area/Key Question
| Challenges of resources (B)
Living world | Living world | Urban change | Revision
Resource booklet | Revision
Resource booklet |
| We continue to study the GCSE course and students this year study a range of different topics.
The aim is to finish the course by Feb half term so that we can prepare for the summer exams and also study the resource booklet (pre – release)
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Content covered
| We finish our look at the challenges of resource management.
We explore different ecosystems; a local UK one and tropical rainforests | We look at Cold environments.
| We look at the impacts of rapid urban growth.
We look at the opportunities and challenges that these cities face. | We begin to revise in lessons for the summer exams.
We also start to prepare for the paper 3 exam by studying the resource booklet | We continue to revise in lessons for the summer exams.
We also prepare for the paper 3 exam by studying the resource booklet |
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Assessment
| Challenge or resources Eco paper A | Cold environment
Mock papers (2) | NEE paper HIC paper | Practice Q | Practice Q |
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Literacy focus
| Topic terms from syllabus, relevant articles | Topic terms from syllabus, relevant articles | Topic terms from syllabus, relevant articles |
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Opportunities (links to careers/EDI/PSHCE)
| Nature conservation (unifrog) | Living & working in extreme environments, (unifrog) | Inequality in urban areas Types of jobs – informal and formal, gov planning, charity jobs (unifrog) |
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Links to GCSE syllabus /AO | GCSE – Unit 2, 1 A Level - | GCSE – unit I | GCSE – unit 2 | GCSE – unit 3, all | GCSE – unit 3, all |
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