Geography
Geography
Through the teaching of geography we aim to give pupils a broader knowledge and deeper understanding of the world they live in. From the Early Years in the Pre-Prep through the Junior Department to specialist teaching in years 6,7 and 8, the geography curriculum blends studies of place at global, national and local scale with a wide range of themes suited to each age range. Basic Geographical Skills such as map reading and data handling are developed at all levels. The use of ICT is now an integral part of the curriculum and is widely used by staff in the teaching of lessons as well as by pupils for research and the presentation of information. Fieldwork is an important part of the course for each year group and pupils learn to develop observation, collection and presentation skills through a variety of outside visits within the local area. These range from activities in the school grounds to river studies, farm visits and land use mapping in the local town.
Environmental issues are an important element in the curriculum and pupils learn to appreciate the Earth’s natural beauty and how it can be preserved. The department plays a key role in promoting environmental awareness within the school.
Global awareness is encouraged through talks from visiting speakers, participation in internet debates and developing links with schools in other parts of the world.
Place Studies
Geography is about places, from our school grounds to our local area and beyond that, to home areas not just in Britain but in all corners of the world. We are fortunate as a boarding school in receiving young people from virtually every continent. This brings personal knowledge and experiences of life in other countries into our classrooms, allowing us to compare and contrast different lifestyles. A sound knowledge of key places is systematically acquired from the study of oceans and continents in the Early Years to a comprehensive list of physical features, countries and capitals in Year 8. Pupils are taught from an early age to use a globe and later to find their way around an atlas.
By the time pupils move on at the end of Year 8, they will have studied a variety of places, either as case studies within a theme or in greater depth in their own right.
Year 3
Amazon Rainforest
Year 4
Butleigh, a local village UK and Bangladesh
Year 5
Somerset Levels, Spain
Year 6
Dartmoor, Kenya, Australia
Year 7
Local villages, A European journey
Year 8
Glastonbury, Brazil, British Isles
Themes
Pupils study a variety of themes as they progress through the school. These enable them to understand many aspects of the physical and human environment and ways in which they interact with each other. Pupils are encouraged to take an interest in topical issues and contribute news for a current affairs event display board.
Year 3
Rainforest
Year 4
Rivers, Weather
Year 5
People and Climate, On the Move
Year 6
Coasts, National Parks, Environmental Issues
Year 7
Plate Tectonics, River Floods, Settlement,
Year 8
Living with the Weather, Sustainable Development, Renewable Energy
Geographical Skills
A wide variety of geographical skills are integrated into the curriculum as they are appropriate to the understanding of pupils and to the topics they are studying.
Map work is a key skill and begins with basic atlas work in year 3 and the use of large scale plans to place things in relation to each other. At each stage the use of the atlas is further developed so that by years 7 and 8, pupils are able to use the atlas competently to locate places and find out more about them through detailed thematic maps. By year 4 pupils begin to become acquainted with Ordnance Survey maps and O.S. map reading skills are progressively developed in subsequent years to reach Common Entrance standard. By this stage, pupils are able to locate places accurately using six-figure grid references, measure distance and direction, interpret contour patterns and know how these relate to patterns of settlement and communications and draw cross-sections.
The other main area of geographical skills is in the analysis and presentation of data through a variety of statistical diagrams and graphs. These are introduced to pupils where they occur naturally within place and thematic studies so that pupils can appreciate their relevance. They include climate graphs, bar and pie charts, scatter diagrams, proportional circles and flow lines. They also include the drawing and interpretation of choropleth and dot maps.
ICT in Geography
The computer has now become a vital tool in the teaching, research and presentation of information within the subject.
We have three classrooms equipped with projectors and many lessons make use of these in displaying PowerPoint presentations or enabling whole-class access to information on the internet.
Every opportunity is taken to integrate ICT into the curriculum so that pupils can reinforce skills learnt in their weekly ICT lessons and appreciate their application in a geographical context. This includes the use of Microsoft Word and Publisher in presenting information, Excel in working on spreadsheets and on the internet for research. Pupils also use the computer labs to access specific geographical software to practise mapping skills or to study topics such as natural hazards.
An increasing amount of information and worksheets are being made available to pupils on the school intranet , which they are now able to access from home. This will enable pupils to download material to help them with their prep and revision. Pupils are encouraged to use their computer skills, wherever appropriate, in presenting their prep and pupils with handwriting difficulties are encouraged to use a laptop. There is now a set of laptops with wireless connection for use in the class room.
Fieldwork
Going out of school and experiencing different aspects of the environment at first hand is an important part of the subject at all ages. From the first walk around the school grounds with a map in year 3 to the investigation of land use patterns in Glastonbury in year 8, a wide range of fieldwork is carried out appropriate to the age of the pupils and the topics they are studying. Pupils learn a wide range of fieldwork techniques from simple observation to measuring river discharge and mapping land use. Information is displayed in a variety of ways using maps, field sketches and photographs and, where numerical data is involved, computer spreadsheets are used. Pupils are encouraged to ask questions and develop independent study skills.
Year 3 Year 4 Mapping the School Grounds Village study – Butleigh R. Mells Study Year 5 Year 6 Visit to Willows and Wetlands Centre A guided walk on Dartmoor A local farm visit/peat works Carvmoor Environmental Centre Year 7 Year 8 Services in local Villages Land use in Glastonbury
Environmental Activities No subject is better suited than Geography to nurturing a love and understanding of the natural world we live in and appreciating the ways in which Man has influenced that environment. In year 3, pupils learn about the destruction of the tropical rainforest and its effect on the indigenous people. As they progress through the school, pupils become aware of a variety of environmental issues from peat extraction on the Somerset Levels to the problem of waste at local and national level and the threat of global warming. Class work is supported by a range of trips to the local landfill site, peat works and organic farms on the Somerset Levels, a quarry on the Mendips, and Dartmoor National Park
The department has close links with the Green Group which has been established within the school. This is a team of staff and interested pupils who are working to promote and maintain good practice in working towards a more sustainable school. The school has achieved eco-school status.
For more details on the Green Group visit the Green Matters!
Global Awareness At each stage in the Geography curriculum there are opportunities for pupils to learn about life in other parts of the world, not only to broaden their knowledge but to deepen their understanding of other cultures. They learn about the difficulties faced by people in LEDCs and how their lives can be improved. Year 7 take part in a cross-curricular day based on a different part of the world each year to deepen pupils’ understanding of other cultures. This usually centres around a visiting musical, art or drama group or visiting speaker, with other subjects providing complementary workshops. In the past these days have included India day with the Kathakali dancers, Africa day with an Afro-Celtic band called Baka Beyond and Indonesia day with Gamalan drummers.
From time to time there are visiting speakers and the school raises money for a variety of causes which sometimes includes charities like Actionaid, Save the Children Fund and Wateraid. This allows pupils to learn about and support those who are less fortunate than themselves.
The school supports the education of a young boy from a village in Ethiopia through the organization PLAN. There are talks and slideshows and regular updates including letters to keep pupils informed of his progress. This gives them some insight into what life is like in a very different part of the world.
The school has established a link with two schools in East London, South Africa. Every year they send four Year 7 pupils to spend six weeks in our school and our pupils make a return visit during the summer holidays.