Term 4 - 5: Ecosystems Under Stress
This unit focuses on the biosphere and, in particular, the nature and
functioning of ecosystems as well as their relationships to the nature and intensity of human activities. Study of the impact of population growth and economic development on ecosystems at various
scales affords the opportunity for students to engage with fundamental environment issues including those relating to biodiversity and sustainability.
Past exam questions, a range of short answer questions and an introduction to 20 mark questions. Assessments will be mid-unit and end of unit tests.
Abiotic Factors
Physical factors such as light, temperature and water.
Biodiversity
A measure of the variety and abundance of wildlife species.
A common quantitative method of measuring biodiversity is Simpson’s Diversity Index.
Biome
A large geographical region with particular climatic features, in which a characteristic, unique community of species lives eg Taiga, coral reefs, temperate grasslands, tundra, tropical rainforest. Don’t confuse the terms biome and ecosystem. Biome refers
Climax Community
The relatively stable community of species present at the end of ecological succession.
Decomposers
Organisms that break down dead organic matter, releasing nutrients in the process. Many bacteria and fungi are decomposers. They secrete enzymes onto the dead organic matter and absorb the products of digestion.
Ecosystem
The community of organisms living in an area, their inter-relationships and interactions with their abiotic environment eg tropical rainforest, savannah grassland, coral reef. Do not confuse the term ‘ecosystem’ with ‘biome’.
Pioneer Species
One of the first species to colonise an area at the start of ecological succession. They are usually well adapted to extreme abiotic factors.
Biotic Factor
This is a living organism that shapes its environment.
Plagioclimax
A community of species that does not develop to a natural climatic climax community, but is maintained by external influences which prevent this, including human activities such as burning, grazing or ploughing.
Sere
A stage in ecological succession in the changes that occur, eventually producing the climax community.
Develop the individual:
Introduction to the functions and processes which underpin our global and local ecosystems. Students will cover a range of case studies enabling the individual to relate to systems understanding to specific places.
Create a supportive community:
Core vocabulary explained and pre-taught to support learning. Students will learn through group work and individual tasks all will be given constructive feedback to support learning.
Term 1 - 2: Changing Places
The study of place looks at contrasting places: local verses international and rural verses urban. It examines how people experience and engage with different environments, what qualities they will ascribe to areas and how this impacts on their lives. Students will study the character of a place and changes over time. This enables them to relate how their lives and those of others compare to how they are affected by continuity and change.
A mixture of short and longer answer exam practice. Fieldwork is a key component in this unit which is assessed through NEA work.
Location
Where a place is (the GPS or co-ordinates)
Perception of place
The way in which a place is viewed or regarded by people (influenced by the media or personal experiences)
Placemaking
Deliberate shaping of an environment to meet needs for social interaction and improve community’s quality of life
Endogenous factors
Characteristics of the place itself (internal)
Exogenous factors
Relationship of one place with other places (external)
Infrastructure
Services considered essential to enable or improve living conditions
Positionality
Refers to factors such as gender, race, age, religion and socio-economic status
Homogenised
To make uniform or similar
Develop the individual:
Introduction to theory of 'Place' in Geography helps to develop understanding of how places change and prepares for independent fieldwork tasks which explore this topic on a local scale and contribute to independent investigation.
Create a supportive community:
Students are taught how to relate theory to real life examples. Group tasks and independent learning is particularly beneficial in this unit.
Term 3 - 4: Coastal Systems and Landscapes
The focus on coastal zones at A Level is designed to enable students to understand how coasts are dynamic environments; coastal landscapes are developed by the interaction of winds, waves, currents and terrestrial and marine sediments. This unit links well with the core water and carbon cycles, encouraging students to think of the coast as a system.
Students are assessed through a range of short and long term exam questions. In addition, students will be assessed on fieldwork skills both virtually and in the field.
Advance the line
This involves active intervention to produce a defence line that is seaward in some way of the existing line. This would usually involve some form of reclamation, the construction of offshore breakwaters or similar.
Beach nourishment
Sand and shingle brought from elsewhere are added to beaches to maintain their breadth and depth to protect from erosion in a natural way. E.g. Hengistbury Head
Concordant Geology
The alignment of geological outcrops which are parallel to the coastline. E.g. Dorset coast Lulworth
Discordant Geology
Coasts which cut across the rock structure. E.g. Dorset North of Swanage Bay
Diurnal Range
The difference between the lowest temperature and the highest temperature in a 24 hour period.
Longshore Drift
(LSD) Movement of sediment in a zig-zag pattern up and down the shore with swash and backwash resulting in an overall direction along the coast.
Mass Movement
Non- marine processes often seen on cliffs, like slumping, land slides and soil creep. Caused by gravity and often exacerbated by rain.
Develop the individual:
Builds on core physical geographical theory from GCSE. Key vocabulary and case study material is covered through independent and group tasks. Students are prepared for fieldwork skills needed for NEA.
Create a supportive community:
Small group activities and independent learning enables students to develop previous knowledge to expand analytical skills.
Term 1 - 3: Water and Carbon Cycles
This unit focuses on the major stores of water and carbon at or near the Earth’s surface and the dynamic cyclical relationships associated with them. These are major elements in the natural environment and understanding them is fundamental to many aspects of physical geography. This section specifies a systems approach to the study of water and carbon cycles. The content invites students to contemplate the magnitude and significance of the cycles at a variety of scales, their relevance to wider geography and their central importance for human populations. Areas of study focus on factors affecting the water and carbon cycles and their influence on climate and the surroundings from tropical rainforests to rivers.
Students will be assessed through short and long answer exam questions and practice past papers. There will also be a range of statistical questions assessed at points throughout the course.
Develop the individual:
This is a core topic in the A Level as it encourages synoptic thinking which supports all other units. Understanding of the fundamental systems underpinning the earth's functions allows evaluation and in depth analysis.
Create a supportive community:
Students will learn through group and independent learning opportunities on this unit of work.
Term 6: Fieldwork and Skills
Students are given the opportunity to undertake their own independent investigation into an aspect of geography which links to their A Level course. They will be exposed to a variety of quantitative data collection, statistical and qualitative methods, alongside presentation techniques. Students will be given support and guidance to produce a 4000-word report. This is an exciting opportunity for students to examine an aspect of geography that interests them personally.
Students will produce a 4000 word independent investigation which will be externally assessed.
Explain.., Suggest reasons for
Set out the causes of a phenomenon and/or the factors which influence its form/nature. This usually requires an understanding of processes. Explanation is a higher-level skill than description and this is often reflected in its greater mark weighting.
Discuss
Set out both sides of an argument (for and against), and come to a conclusion related to the content and emphasis of the discussion. There should be some evidence of balance, though not necessarily of equal weighting.
Describe
Give an account in words of a phenomenon which may be an entity, an event, a feature, a pattern, a distribution or a process. For example, if describing a landform say what it looks like, give some indication of size or scale, what it is made of...
Analyse
Break down the content of a topic, or issue, into its constituent elements in order to provide an in-depth account and convey an understanding of it.
Annotate
Add to a diagram, image or graphic a number of words that describe and/or explain features, rather than just identify them (which is labelling).
Critically
Often occurs before ‘Assess’ or ‘Evaluate’ inviting an examination of an issue from the point of view of a critic with a particular focus on the strengths and weaknesses of the points of view being expressed.
Develop the individual:
Students will develop skills in independent data collection, project planning and writing. They will also develop their analytical skills alongside and apply synoptic judgement. This unit of work will also require mathematical, statistical and scientific analysis within this aspect of the course.
Create a supportive community:
Students will have the opportunity to work in groups when involved in data collection, as well as supportive one to one tutorial sessions to develop their NEA. A four-day residential course will also prepare students for this fieldwork and establish their route to enquiry.