Geography at Paulet

What do students learn in Geography in Key Stage 3?

Geography provides young people with the chance to learn both about their home, our planet, and more importantly the role they will have in Earth’s future.

Throughout the course we focus on the changing nature of our relationship with our home, planet Earth, and the increasingly interconnected life of every single person across the globe. Students focus on learning from the local to the global scales in a range of topics.  We learn about human geography (where and how people live), physical geography (the natural world) and environmental geography (where our actions impact the natural world).

Throughout the Key Stage 3 course we develop the geographical skills required for study at GCSE level.

 

How do students learn in KS3?

Students are increasingly encouraged to learn through paired and whole class discussion to draw on the knowledge and understanding of their peers.  Where possible we like to get the students out of the classroom completing investigations such as the year 8 ecosystems project.  Students will engage in decision making exercises where they must make justified decisions on where to locate for example a new wind farm using a range of sources.  We aim to develop a synoptic understanding of the world where both human and physical geography are linked; for example, hazards studies in year 8 links to China studied in year 8 and Japan in year 9.  Another example is the link between ecosystems in year 8 and global issues in year 9.

 

What topics are covered and when in each year group? What is the sequence of teaching?

Our topics of learning are listed below.  The sequence of learning is designed to develop students understanding from the local to global scale

Year 7 Year 8 Year 9
Autumn 1 Our Fantastic World Hazards UK Sustainability
Autumn 2 Our Fantastic World Hazards UK Sustainability
Spring 1 Moving to the city China Japan
Spring 2 Moving to the city China Japan
Summer 1 Water Ecosystems Global Issues
Summer 2 Water Ecosystems Global Issues

 

How are students assessed in KS3 geography?

Students are assessed twice each topic through a combination of mid topic and end of topic test.  Assessments are largely written but presentation tasks are also included at times.

Home learning 

The home work set is integral to the learning taking place in the classroom and as such is now referred to as home learning.  Students are set one piece of home learning a fortnight in line with our two-week timetable.  Students will usually be given a week to complete their work.  Tasks will be set via the Go4 Schools app, but are also explained in class and usually a paper copy is given out

Extra-curricular opportunities

Cultural capital

With the emphasis on the interconnected lives everyone on the planet lives students are consistently learn that we live in a global society where actions in one place have an impact elsewhere.  The increasing social responsibility of leading sustainable lifestyles is a thread which runs through the key stage 3 programme learning.  The value of independent home learning is emphasised to instil in the students a sense of ownership and responsibility for their learning.  Naturally and appreciation of the world’s diversity of peoples, landscapes and needs is developed through the learning journey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Careers

Students develop analytical and evaluation skills during key stage 3 which transfer to a wide range of career paths. Increasingly the world is taking great strides to ensure an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable future which is creating exciting new job opportunities for the young geographers of today.

Careers for geographers.