Why do we learn geography?
Geography is a subject vast in its breadth. Concerned with the physical attributes of the world, the lifestyles, livelihoods, and cultures of the people within it and the interrelationships between these two, often conflicting forces, Geography is, in short, the study of Planet Earth.
Geography is built upon three key principles: space; place and time. Scholars of Geography should be able to look at any phenomena on Earth and ask themselves, “where is it?”, “why is it there?”, and “how did it come to be there?”, certain that while they may not know the answers to these questions, they are equipped with the tools necessary to uncover them. As such, Geographers are the ultimate ‘jack of all trades’, ready to methodically investigate any field of study and present their ideas in an appropriate way to decision makers or becoming decision makers themselves.
Head of Department
Mr Robert McDonough
Our approach
At Ark Elvin Academy, the Geography curriculum is split into two facets: expansive, knowledge-rich content; and a spiralled approach to skills-based learning.
We ensure that our KS3 curriclum is expansive and knowledge -rich by basing each year of KS3 on a key question:
Year 7: ‘What are the key physical and human processes on our planet?’
Year 8: ‘Does humanity live sustainably with the environment?’
Year 9: ‘How globally connected is the world?’
Our approach to skills is spiralled to build upon students' confidence in interpreting data of any kind. Key geographical skills include mapping, thinking and writing like a geographer.
This culminates with our KS4 curriculum, which goes beyond the AQA specification. We have chosen AQA because of its focus on synoptic links across Geography, the array of optional modules, and the fieldwork opportunities it includes.
Year 7
| Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
|---|---|
| Geography and Me | Our Planet |
| Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
|---|---|
| Resources and Trade | Brillaint Biomes |
| Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
|---|---|
| UK Fantastic Landscapes | UK Coasts |
All Year 7 subjects Next Year 7 Subject - Religious Education
Year 8
| Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
|---|---|
| River Rivals | Food and Famine |
| Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
|---|---|
| Endless Energy | Climate Change |
| Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
|---|---|
| Polar Environments | Middle East |
All Year 8 subjects Next Year 8 Subject - Religious Education
Year 9
| Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
|---|---|
| Global Oceans | Ocean Ecosystems and Governance |
| Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
|---|---|
| Global Economy | Development disparity |
| Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
|---|---|
| Glacial Landforms | My UK region |
All Year 9 subjects Next Year 9 Subject - Religious Education
Year 10
| Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
|---|---|
| Natural Hazards | Living World |
| Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
|---|---|
| Urban Issues and Challenges | Human Geography Fieldwork |
| Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
|---|---|
| UK Physical Landscapes - Coasts | UK Physical Landscapes - Rivers |
All Year 10 subjects Next Year 10 Subject - Religious Education
Year 11
| Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
|---|---|
| Physical Geography Fieldwork | Changing Economic World |
| Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
|---|---|
| Resource Management | Revision |
| Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
|---|---|
| Pre-release | Revision |
All Year 11 subjects Next Year 11 Subject - Religious Education