Geography

Department statement

The aims of the Geography Department are to:

To stimulate, encourage, develop and maintain interest and achievement in Geography.
To allow students to access and develop a clear understanding of both the physical and the human environments on our planet.
To employ teaching methods and resources that allow all students (irrespective of gender, ethnic origin, academic ability, etc.) to have equal access to geography and to experience success and enjoyment in their geography work.
To encourage students to investigate their own environment through the use of media and ICT.
To enable students to develop as learners, both independently and as part of a team.
To provide students with the necessary skills to take responsibility for their own learning and develop into life-long learners.
To clearly relate what the students learn in class to the outside world; e.g. the importance of understanding climate change.
Provide pupils with the opportunity to achieve qualifications relevant to today’s workplace.

Curriculum Leader: Dr Hill

What is Geography – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_rM6QDD9AE

BGE Courses

1 Social Subjects

Amazing Landscapes –Physical Geography
The Island – mapping skills
Rich World Poor World

Geography is an integrated part of the S1 Social Subjects course. The course introduces pupils to some of the basic ideas behind Physical Geography by looking at some of the amazing natural landscapes from around the world. In particular, it introduces pupils to the processes that have formed river landscapes and their features. Pupils are also introduced to skills that are specific to geography, particularly map skills, where they learn to apply their knowledge of physical geography in a mapping exercise. Students study aspects of Human Geography, contrasting life in rich (developed) and poorer (developing) countries.

Earth Forces
The Human Planet
Life in a Slum

In S2 Geography, pupils continue to build skills and knowledge in preparation for exam courses further up the school. They study three topics. Natural Hazards is both a physical and human geography topic that looks at the structure of the Earth (plate tectonics) and the causes of earthquakes and volcanoes. Pupils go onto to undertake an investigation of the events of 79AD when Mount Vesuvius erupted cataclysmically destroying the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The Human Planet looks at how people, plants and animals survive in extreme climates. Pupils choose from one of three climate zones: deserts, rainforests, and tundra. Building on the work started in S1 on development, the third unit looks at the living conditions in a shanty town in Life in a Slum. The case study is the shanty town of Kibera, in Nairobi, Kenya, home to some of the poorest people in the world.

Species Conservation
Deforestation of the Tropical Rainforests
Climate Change
Scotland’s Energy Future
Sustainable Cities
Sustainable Food Systems