Year 8

Geography

The Geography curriculum at Key Stage 3 is all about the bigger picture. In Year 8 pupils cover a range of stimulating topics from indigenous populations to biomes including cold environments and the tropical rainforest. There is progression in the complexity and nature of themes covered, including contemporary “must know” topics like climate change and how this is impacting the indigenous communities across the world. Geography aims to challenge pupils’ sense of global stewardship. There is also progression in skills, from basic map skills to fieldwork.

	Content to be studied	Method of assessment
Autumn	Environmental Geography- World Biomes (The Hydrosphere and The Biosphere) An overview of World Biomes and an issue-based study of Cold Environments and Tropical Rainforests.	Summative assessment Creative writing task Assessing the impacts of tourism in Antarctica and a decision-making activity on development within a tropical rainforest.
Spring 1	Indigenous groups (The Anthropocene) An overview of the importance of indigenous culture and knowledge, alongside the role of past historical empires. A focused study on Masai Mara and the impacts of tourism in the Savannah on their way of life	Indigenous travel diary – pupils pick an indigenous group to explore
Spring 2	Dangerous earth (The Lithosphere)- Earthquakes Pupils will reflect on their knowledge of plate tectonics from Year 7 and build on this by learning about earthquakes and tsunamis. They will explore the causes, impacts and responses to tsunamis and the recovery after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. Dark tourism in disaster locations with a focus on Fukushima Daiichi, building on tourism knowledge from Year 8.	End-of-year exam
Summer	Fieldwork (Issues)- Snowdonia and a scheme of work looking at planning a new attraction in the area.	Group presentation

How will I know if my daughter is achieving this?

We provide various methods of assessment which will enable pupils to achieve. Therefore, pupils will have the opportunity to produce enquiry-based projects and the occasional presentation. In preparation for future years, there will still be a bias toward the more traditional exam-based style of assessment.

Teacher and pupil self-assessment is continuous. Their topic overview sheets provide an opportunity for pupils to record their progress during the year.

The Geography teachers at Upton are always available to meet with individual pupils to discuss their progress, provide guidance and will respond to individual needs if and when they arise. Different topics can provide different challenges.

How can I help my daughter?

The assessments undertaken this year, involve more independent research either web or book based, so access to local libraries would be a great asset. Also, some assistance at home on managing world load and deadlines would be appreciated. Geography is a topical and contemporary subject. We encourage pupils to keep a look out for news events either from the local area or faraway places and keeping up to date with news events around the world would be most beneficial.

Enrichment opportunities

Upton Hall’s eco environment group is run by the geography department. This extra-curricular group provides opportunities for pupils to get involved with local eco based projects. We are also very lucky to have amazing school grounds with our own solar dome, allotment and orchard. Pupils will be involved in Apple Day which will see them exploring the orchard and surrounding grounds.

We enter a team of pupils for the annual Worldwise Geography Quiz hosted by Chester University.

We also encourage pupils to enter the Royal Geographical Society’s Geographer of the Year competition, in addition to our Physical Geography Photographer competition over the summer.

Inspiring Young People

Year 8

Geography