Aylesbury High School
Geography
Student resources
The Google Drive and Clickview are only available for students and teachers of Aylesbury High School. The Google Drive contains all Google-based resources used in lessons.
The other quick links are to websites with extra resources.
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Extension work & wider reading at Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9)
If you have finished all the work set on Google Classroom/in lessons very quickly and/or if you’re looking for Geography things to do to stop you getting bored, try out some of these suggestions.
Books:
Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington Garimara: A remarkable true story of three young Aboriginal girls – Molly, Daisy and Garacie. Taken from their families by the government, they escape and walk 1600 km through the harsh Australian desert to return to their home.
The Last Bear by Hannah Gold: There are no polar bears left on Bear Island. At least, that’s what April’s father tells her when they travel to the Arctic for his scientific research. But one endless summer's night, April meets one. He is starving, lonely and a long way from home. Determined to save him, April begins the most important journey of her life….
Race to the Frozen North by Catherine Johnson: When orphan Matthew Henson ran away from his violent stepmother to find a new life in the big city, no one could have predicted that he would become the first man to reach the North Pole. But back home in America, his achievements were ignored due to the colour of his skin. This is his remarkable true story.
Melt by Ele Fountain: Corrupt oil corporations, lost planes, and epic journeys of survival across the threatened Arctic. Two children from very different backgrounds join forces to avert environmental catastrophe in this gripping and important novel.
Child I by Steve Tasane: I’m not going to tell the story of my past. I’m going to tell the story of my life right now, here in the Camp, beginning today… Child I explains the life of a 9-year-old boy, named I, with his friends, L, E and V. This heartbreaking, moving tale follows the unaccompanied children and volunteers living in a refugee camp, and it's impossible not to be deeply touched while reading it.
Running Wild by Michael Morpurgo: For Will and his mother, going to Indonesia on holiday is a chance to put things behind them and have some fun. But then the elephant Will is riding on the beach begins acting strangely. That’s when the tsunami comes crashing in, and the elephant begins to run. Except that when the tsunami is gone, Will’s elephant just keeps on running…
The Explorer by Katherine Rundell: Fred, Con, Lila and Max’s plane is on the way to Manaus when it crashes. Now lost in the Amazon rainforest, they must figure out the basics of survival: food, water, shelter. Do they wait for rescue, or rescue themselves? As they get bolder and explore further, they find traces of another human, too – and then they find the map. Who was here before, and where will the map take them?
Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Rauf: When a new boy joins their class, a group of children tries to befriend him. They soon learn that Ahmet is a refugee and has been separated from his family. None of the grown-ups seem to be able to help him, so the friends come up with a daring plan, embarking on an extraordinary adventure.
Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah: Life is not safe for Alem. His father is Ethopian, his mother Eritrean. Their countries are at war, and Alem is welcome in neither place. So Alem is excited about spending a holiday in London with his father – until he wakes up to find him gone. What seems like a betrayal is in fact an act of love, but now Alem is alone in a strange country, and he must forge his own path...
Listen:
Science in Action by the BBC:
*Nyiragongo – Is Goma Under Threat? https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3cszh0t
*Record High Temperatures in the Arctic - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3cszh0h
*Australia’s Fires – Fuelled by Climate Change? https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3csym36
*Amazonian fires likely to worsen - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3csym24
BBC:
*A Load of Rubbish - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0005f1l
*Earthquake Farm - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0005dxn
For more have a look at: https://www.internetgeography.net/wider-listening-in-geography/
Watch:
Panorama:
Climate Change – What can we do? https://www.clickview.net/secondary/videos/19078390/climate-change-what-can-we-do
The Americas with Simon Reeve: (6 episodes) https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m00095p0/the-americas-with-simon-reeve
Earth’s Great Rivers: (4 episodes)
https://www.clickview.net/secondary/series/8985686/earth-s-great-rivers
David Attenborough:
*Climate Change – The Facts: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00049b1/climate-change-the-facts
*Planet Earth III: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p0gjwxhv/planet-earth-iii
*Blue Planet II: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p04tjbtx/blue-planet-ii
Extension work & wider reading at Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11)
If you finish all the work set on Google Classroom very quickly and/or if you’re looking for Geography things to do to stop you getting bored, try out some of these suggestions.
Books with a Geographical Theme
Factfulness by Hans Rosling: Factfulness: The stress-reducing habit of only carrying opinions for which you have strong supporting facts. When asked simple questions about global trends - why the world's population is increasing; how many young women go to school; how many of us live in poverty - we systematically get the answers wrong. So wrong that a chimpanzee choosing answers at random will consistently outguess journalists, Nobel laureates, and investment bankers.
Should we all be vegan? by Molly Watson: As concern grows over the environmental costs and ethical implications of intensive factory farming, an increasing number of us are embracing diets and lifestyles free from animal products. Has the time now arrived for us all to reject the exploitation of animals completely and become vegan? Would adopting a wholly plant-based diet be beneficial for our health? How would a majority vegan population affect the global economy and the planet? Does it make any sense to go flexitarian or vegetarian?
Worth Dying For: The Power and Politics of Flags by Tim Marshall: In nine chapters (covering the USA, UK, Europe, Middle East, Asia, Africa, Latin America, international flags and flags of terror), Tim Marshall draws on more than twenty-five years of global reporting experience to reveal the histories, the power and the politics of the symbols that unite us - and divide us.
No More Plastic by Martin Dorey: Discover what you can do to save the planet from plastic. Start now. All it takes is 2 minutes of your time.
No One Is Too Small To Make A Difference by Greta Thunberg: This book brings you Greta, in her own words, for the first time. Collecting her speeches that have made history across Europe, from the UN to mass street protests, No One Is Too Small to Make A Difference is a rallying cry for why we must all wake up and fight to protect the living planet, no matter how powerless we feel. Our future depends upon it.
We are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast by Jonathan Safran Foer: It is all too easy to feel paralysed and hopeless in the face of climate crisis, but the truth is that every one of us has the power to change history's course. We have done it before: making collective sacrifices to protect our freedoms, our families, our way of life. And we can do it again.
Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall: Prisoners of Geography is the book people need to understand what’s happening in the news today, from China’s ambitions to the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Bestselling author and geopolitics expert Tim Marshall looks at the past, present and future to offer crucial insights into one of the major factors that determines world history – because if you don’t know geography, you’ll never have the full picture.
Websites for Wider Reading/Revision
National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/pages/topic/latest-stories
BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world
Geography in the news: https://www.geographyinthenews.org.uk/
Financial Times: https://www.ft.com/ft-schools
Carbon Brief: https://www.carbonbrief.org/
Internet Geography: https://www.internetgeography.net/
Time for Geography: https://timeforgeography.co.uk/
Extension work & wider reading at Key Stage 5 (Years 12–13)
Wider reading is an important part of A Level Geography, but it is not just about having extra things to write about in your exam answers. It is about understanding the world around you, having a wider understanding of new and emerging geographies and theories and fostering an enjoyment of Geography. A lot of what is going on in the world has a link with Geography!
Over the summer before starting your A Levels, we advise that you read/listen/watch some of the following to help broaden your knowledge and understanding of the world around you and the topics we are going to be studying over the next two years.
You do not need to complete all of these, and you can read/listen/watch alongside your studying over the next 2 years as well.
Below is a list of the topics you will study throughout the A Level Geography course. The ones in bold will follow on from learning at GCSE so if you did not study this topic, please prioritise this for some wider reading before starting Year 12.
Physical Geography:
Water & Carbon Cycles
Coasts
Hazards
Human Geography:
Population & the Environment
Changing Places
Global Systems and Global Governance
A Level textbooks
This isn’t wider reading, but this list contains textbooks which will aid your general study of Geography.
AQA A-Level Geography fifth edition. Hodder.
AQA A-Level Physical Geography student guide. Hodder
AQA Geography A Level & AS Exam practice and skills. Oxford
AQA A-Level Human Geography student guide. Hodder
A Level Geography Changing Places Topic Master . Hodder
A Level Geography, water and carbon cycles, Topic Master. Hodder
A Level Geography, coastal landscapes, Topic Master. Hodder
A Level Geography, global systems, Topic Master. Hodder
A Level Geography, global governance, Topic Master. Hodder
Reading:
Prisoners of Geography: Ten maps that tell you everything you need to know about global politics. Tim Marshall. 2016. This book explores geopolitics and is a fascinating and easy read.
Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and life in Japan’s disaster zone. Richard Lloyd Parry. 2018. This book explores the earthquake and tsunami that rocked Japan in 2011. What really happened, and why were some people not evacuated to safety?
Space and Place: The perspective of experience. Yi-Fu Tuan. 2001. The author explores the way people think and feel about space and how they form attachments. Ideal for the changing places unit.
Factfulness: ten reasons we’re wrong about the world – and why things are better than you think. Hans Rosling. 2018. This is a thought-provoking and fascinating read. A great opportunity to question the world and what we think we know about it.
Population 10 billion. Danny Dorling. 2013. The author of this book is also responsible for the website www.worldmapper.org. This book explores how the population is putting pressure on the planet and what the impacts of a huge population will be.
The Bottom Billion. Paul Collier. 2018. When studying globalisation you will see that the impacts are not uniform. This book explores how the 1 billion poorest are being left behind, with the gap widening.
When the rivers run dry: The global water crisis and how to solve it. Fred Pearce. 2019. This book explores the growing water crisis, from Kent to Kenya. Hope for the future is also offered. A series of case studies are explored.
How bad are bananas? Mike Berners-Lee. 2020. This book explores our carbon footprint (with many surprises!), and gives us an idea on how to manage and reduce our carbon footprint. A fascinating read for all geographers.
Krakatoa: The day the world exploded. Simon Winchester.2004. A mix of geography and history. This book chronicles the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 and charts the birth of our modern world. We’ve all heard of Krakatoa, but what actually happened?
Heat: How can we stop the planet from burning? George Monbiot. 2007. Can climate change be stopped? This book explores the very worst predictions and how they can be stopped. Each proposal in this book has had a rigorous investigation and includes costs and problems attached to each solution.
The making of the British landscape. Nicholas Crane. 2017. This book explores the last 12,000 years of our country and how the British landscape has been changed over time.
Listening:
Pop in your headphones and try some of these podcasts!
Costing the Earth: This is a range of short podcasts which link to many areas of our study. There are 361 available to choose from and cover everything from shipping to landfill to the environmental impact of professional football.
Royal Geographical Society: Ask the Geographer This a series of award-winning podcasts which bring the latest in geographical research to the classroom from a host of experts.
Science in Action: Has many different podcasts, many of which have links to aspects you will study in Geography. For example, climate change, earthquakes and disease.
The Economist: Have a range of podcasts on a variety of topics that will be of interest to Geographers. For example: China’s birth rates and US-China trade and tariffs.
Watching:
Before the Flood: A look at how climate change affects our environment and what society can do to prevent the demise of endangered species, ecosystems and native communities across the planet. (Currently on Disney+)
Into the Inferno: With stunning views of eruptions and lava flows, Werner Herzog captures the raw power of volcanoes and their ties to indigenous spiritual practices. (Netflix)
Explained: Short documentaries about a range of topics. Most interesting to Geographers are: S1 E19: The World’s Water Crisis; S3 E5: The End of Oil; S3 E9: Hurricanes (Netflix)
BBC Panorama: Short documentaries on a range of topics with new episodes on every week. The most interesting to Geographers are: The Day Los Angeles Burned; Rewiring Britain: The Race to go Green; Can Scientists Change the World.
Future learning online course
These are free online courses, which will help to build your knowledge in a variety of subject areas. You can get an online certificate of completion or pay for a printed certificate. Completion of these takes a few hours a week.
University of Reading: Planet Partners: Tackling the climate crisis together
University of Bergen: Causes of climate change
University of Exeter: Learn about weather
University of Leicester: Concepts in sustainable development
University of Lancaster: Soils: introducing the world beneath our feet .
University of Reading: Come rain or shine: understanding the weather
University of Leeds: Causes of human disease
University of Leeds: Causes of human disease: Nutrition and Environment
University of Southampton: Exploring our ocean
Cardiff University: The challenge of global water security
University of Sheffield: Population 10 billion: Researching global issues
Subject intent
Our aim is to make the best geographers who can make sense of the physical and human world. We seek to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to understand the spatial dimension, physical changes in the Anthropocene and the interconnectedness of all our lives in the twenty-first century.
In Year 7, our curriculum is designed to establish a baseline, consolidating map skills (both on and offline) and locational knowledge, while building on students’ natural curiosity about local and global issues affecting them, including HS2 and the climate crisis. We believe it is essential to equip students with foundational knowledge and understanding of the weather and climate in Physical Geography, to help them make sense of the evidence for a climate crisis and its projected impacts, and Population and Migration in Human Geography to help them make sense of how the world's population live.
In Year 8, students study rivers, how they work as a key physical process and the risk of flooding. This is an increasing challenge for us in the UK and builds on the knowledge learnt in the weather and climate topic in Year 7. Students then study the concept of development, building on their knowledge and understanding from the population and migration topic in Year 7. We study how to measure development, why countries have different levels of wealth and how some countries are trying to improve their level of development. Finally, the ecosystems topics develop students’ understanding of physical processes and landscapes, and provide essential scaffolding for learning within later key stages.
Year 9 Geography introduces students to further physical geography; celebrating diversity and challenge in the natural world with a study of natural hazards. However, our curriculum also provides an opportunity for students to deepen their critical understanding of socio-economic processes, with a study of the impact of fast fashion (linking directly to their own lives) as well as, looking at the continent of Africa and drawing together many aspects they have learnt through Key Stage 3 by looking at the climate, economy, inequality and resources.
Fieldwork investigations are key to the success of our curriculum, with fieldwork being carried out across the key stages in both familiar and unfamiliar settings; with independence being a key tenet. An annual trip to Iceland in Year 10 provides an in-depth insight into this unfamiliar geothermal landscape and its people.
At GCSE and A level, the AQA course is taught with ‘geography in the news’ in mind and a call for students to think critically when interrogating data about the physical and human world, and employing key skills to do so. Across key stages 4 and 5, we have selected a range of options which provide maximum breadth within these exam curricula; for example, studying glacial and coastal geomorphology and our changing economic world at Key Stage 4, while water and carbon and changing places become a focus at A level.
The A level course also provides students with a greater depth of understanding, which is particularly apparent in its synoptic approach; topics taught support and develop a greater understanding of contemporary issues of concern to our students; for example, their study of the water and carbon cycles informs an understanding of global governance, and vice versa. With Years 12 and 13, we aim to challenge the girls to reflect on the way in which we interpret and ‘represent’ the world (and other people in it), thereby providing a useful springboard for those who go on to further socio-political studies at university.
Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9) course implementation, learning journey & attainment.
Course content
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Students can use these descriptors to focus on particular areas in order to make improvements.
Year 7, 8 & 9 attainment descriptors
At Key Stage 3, each individual assessment will have its own specific grading criteria based upon this table.
Working Towards
| Geographical Knowledge | Geographical Understanding | Geographical Communication |
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Working At
| Geographical Knowledge | Geographical Understanding | Geographical Communication |
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Working Beyond
| Geographical Knowledge | Geographical Understanding | Geographical Communication |
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Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11) course implementation, learning journey & assessment info.
Course content
| Year 10 | Year 11 |
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This link takes you to the AQA specification for GCSE Geography, which contains all the necessary course information. Assessments take place throughout the 2 years of the course, in addition to Year 10 exams and mocks in the spring term of Year 11.
How will I be assessed?
| Paper 1 - Living with the physical environment 35% | Paper 2 - Challenges in the human environment 35% | Paper 3 Geographical applications 30% |
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Written exam 1 hr 30 mins Section A: answer all questions (33 marks) Section B: answer all questions (25 marks) Section C: answer any two questions from questions 3, 4 and 5 (30 marks) Question types: multiple-choice, short answer, levels of response, extended prose |
Written exam 1hr 30 mins Section A: answer all questions (33 marks) Section B: answer all questions (30 marks) Section C: answer question 3 and one from questions 4, 5 or 6 (25 marks) Question types: multiple-choice, short answer, levels of response, extended prose |
Written exam 1hr 30 mins Section A: answer all questions (37 marks) Section B: answer all questions (39 marks) Question types: multiple-choice, short answer, levels of response, extended prose |
Key Stage 5 (Years 12-13) course implementation, learning journey & assessment info.
Course content
| Year 12 | Year 13 |
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This link takes you to the AQA specification For A Level Geography, which contains all the necessary course information. Assessments take place throughout the 2 years of the course, in addition to Year 12 exams and mocks in the spring term of Year 13.
How will I be assessed?
| Component 1 – Physical Geography 40% | Component 2 – Human Geography 40% | Component 3 - Geographical fieldwork investigation 20% |
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Written exam 2 hrs 30 mins Section A: answer all questions (36 marks) Section B: answer either question 2 or question 3 or question 4 (36 marks) Section C: answer either question 5 or question 6 (48 marks) Question types: short answer, levels of response and extended prose |
Written exam 2hrs 30 mins Section A: answer all questions (36 marks) Section B: answer all questions (36 marks) Section C: answer either question 3 or question 4 or question 5 (48 marks) Question types: short answer, levels of response, extended prose |
Students complete an individual investigation which must include data collected in the field. The individual investigation must be based on a question or issue defined and developed by the student relating to any part of the specification content. 3,000–4,000 words 60 marks 20% of A-level marked by teachers moderated by AQA |
Subject impact
Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9)
We aim to create the very best geographers. We challenge students to think globally about how and why our planet looks like it does, we ask how humans have contributed to the landscape and society. We constantly vary topics between human and physical geography, often intertwining, to provide a varied and balanced appreciation of the ideas, skills and topics in this discipline. We aim to engage our students with an awareness of the challenges facing humanity today and how, with this knowledge, we can be more globally aware. We want to develop our geographers into effective researchers, thinkers and confident speakers via a broad variety of activities. We start in Year 7 with a more local focus before expanding our horizons across the world, looking at different challenges on different scales and analysing information to draw out critical conclusions by the end of the key stage. We have designed our curriculum to be, above all, interesting and contemporary, which sparks an interest in continuing learning outside the classroom.
Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11)
Our GCSE builds on the foundation laid during Key Stage Three curriculum by developing further the essential skills needed to be a successful geographer. The topics have been carefully selected to cover a range of concepts that will provide a broad understanding of both important physical processes and landforms, combined with human geographies that will provide students with an understanding of how our world has been shaped by the actions of humans. The skills developed at Key Stage Three transfer through so that students are able to access the highest grades. In addition, we develop a greater focus on fieldwork and geographical skills through a two-day residential trip to Dorset, where students investigate first hand both human and physical processes and use a range of skills to analyse and draw conclusions from primary data collected.
Key Stage 5 (Years 12-13)
Our A level course challenges students to deepen their intellectual and academic confidence through the exploration of six major geographical concepts: The Carbon and Water Cycles and Global Systems and Governance are two of the new, yet globally significant, topics introduced at this level. Combined with the other four topics, our students develop a greater understanding of how the world has come to be both in terms of landscapes and through human actions. The Non-Examined Assessment (NEA) further develops the fieldwork skills taught at GCSE into an independent investigation where students design their own research project, culminating in a report analysing their findings and draw conclusions.
Feedback in Geography lessons
This chart explains the types of feedback that students can expect to receive for work done in geography lessons/at home.
| Activity | Types of feedback |
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Assessments |
Teacher marked > whole class feedback > students complete fix-it tasks according to feedback Feedback sheets with assessment criteria ticked and/or brief comments written |
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Written tasks e.g. exam questions/extended pieces of writing |
Teacher marked with target written May be peer/self-assessed using mark scheme and self-assessed targets. |
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Oral contributions in class |
Verbal feedback |
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Classwork |
Verbal feedback whilst circulating in class |
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Exercise books
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Organisation and completion of work checked when circulating Book check completed once a term with checklist stuck into books. |
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Google quiz |
Self-marking quiz > feedback sheet stuck into exercise books > self-assessed targets. |
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Homework
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Depends on nature of the task May be verbal feedback, self/peer assessed or teacher marked – see above. |
School values in Geography
| Boundless Aspiration | Curious Engagement | Resilient Bravery | Selfless Generosity |
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