Lower School Geography Curriculum

Year 7

Topics include: Map and Atlas work, sketch maps of the local area and mental maps; learning where places are in the world, the physical and human geography of the UK and the regional geography of south east England, north-south divide and the role of the UK in both the European union and the Commonwealth. Physical Geography includes weathering and rock types, the water cycle, rivers, flooding and plate tectonics. There is fieldwork in the local area and studies of regeneration in the Greenwich Peninsula, building homes on Greenfield or Brownfield sites, retailing, local shop survey, Bluewater and internet shopping.

Year 8

Topics include: population and resources, production of electricity, fossil fuels and renewables, the Alaskan oil disaster, global warming, acid rain, the Chernobyl disaster, alternative forms of energy, Three Gorges Dam, Antarctica, ecosystems and the geography of crime. Fieldwork involves a trip to the Thames Barrier and Greenwich Observatory as well as practical work in the school grounds on weather and climate.

Year 9

A variety of topics from the GCSE course is taught, these include: Coasts (which includes a day trip to Lulworth Cove, Old Harry Rocks and Swanage on the Dorset coast), Glaciation, Rocks and Landscapes, Development and Inter-Dependence and Population.

The use of Interactive whiteboards and videos in all three specialist classrooms allow the subject to be presented in an exciting and engaging style. There are fieldwork tasks in the local area, College grounds and sites in Kent throughout all 3 years. There is an emphasis on team work, presentation and information gathering, as well as ICT skills. Map reading, sketching, using graphs and statistics, interpreting aerial photographs and landsat imagery, empathy work and role play in groups, poetry, creative writing are all key skills in this subject.