Key Stage 3
Many students have lived in Cornwall all their lives but have limited knowledge of its unique physical and human geography. The Cornish Ocean Literacy unit will explore how Cornwall’s population is connected to the coast while deepening students’ understanding of the physical processes shaping our coastline. The dynamic and compelling unit titled ‘our unequal world’ aims to instil a deep understanding of global disparities and social injustices. It aims to foster critical thinking, empathy, and a sense of responsibility in our students. Students will engage in the exploration of geography concepts that underpin inequality, while looking at real-world case studies.
We endeavour to empower our year 7 students with the knowledge and skills necessary to comprehend, question and contribute to addressing issues of inequality on a global scale. We aim to inspire a generation of compassionate, informed, and active global citizens who are equipped to contribute meaningfully to the ongoing dialogue and efforts aimed at reducing inequality worldwide. We embark on a journey of discovery and advocacy, fostering a sense of agency and responsibility that extends beyond the classroom and into the broader world.
Learning about "Risky Planet Earth" in Year 7 geography helps students understand natural hazards like earthquakes, volcanoes, and storms. It highlights their causes and impacts, as well as how people can prepare for and respond to them, using real-life examples from around the world. This knowledge fosters awareness of the Earth's dynamic nature and the importance of safety in disaster-prone areas.
Units of work include:
- Autumn term - Cornish Ocean Literacy - Cornwall’s location, features, oceans, and economy
- Spring term - Our Unequal World - global inequality is impacted by money, education, gender, health, and the environment.
- Summer term - Risky Planet Earth - tectonic hazards, flooding, wildfires
Assessment:
- Autumn term - 2x knowledge checks. These include an extended piece of writing and a series of multiple-choice questions.
- Spring term - 2x knowledge checks. These include an extended piece of writing and a series of multiple-choice questions.
- Summer Term - 2x knowledge checks. These include an extended piece of writing and a series of multiple-choice questions.
Homework:
No formal homework assigned
To empower our students with a profound understanding of the vital role natural resources play in both Cornwall and our world. Throughout this scheme of learning, we aim to foster an appreciation of the Earth's finite resources and the complex interactions between environmental, social, and economic factors that surround them. We will inspire their curiosity by looking at the types, distribution and complexities surrounding natural resources, while simultaneously addressing the pressing issues of sustainability, conservation, and responsible resource management.
We have a variety of ecosystems that are spread across the world, each with distinctive interacting characteristics and components. They range from small (e.g. a freshwater pond) to global (e.g. the desert biome). Many of our world’s ecosystems are under serious threat due to human activities. When human activities produce greenhouse gases, around half of the emissions remain in the atmosphere, while the other half is absorbed by the land and ocean. These ecosystems – and the biodiversity they contain – are natural carbon sinks, providing so-called nature-based solutions to climate change.
Students will then learn about sustainable cities to understand how urban areas can grow while minimising environmental impact. It teaches them the importance of eco-friendly solutions like renewable energy, green spaces, and waste management. This knowledge helps students think critically about building future cities that are liveable and environmentally responsible.
Units of work include:
- Autumn term - Natural Resources in Cornwall - resource extraction, energy generation, and the role of geothermal energy in Cornwall
- Spring term - Ecosystems - tropical rainforest, Antarctica, coral reefs.
- Summer term - Sustainable cities of the world - features, Reykjavik, Japan and fieldwork
Assessments:
- Autumn term - 2x knowledge checks. These include an extended piece of writing and a series of multiple-choice questions.
- Spring term - 2x knowledge checks. These include an extended piece of writing and a series of multiple-choice questions.
- Summer term - 2x knowledge checks. These include an extended piece of writing and a series of multiple-choice questions.
Homework:
No formal homework assigned
This year focusses on the importance of water, the influence of global superpowers, and the impact of natural hazards. Students will explore the hydrological cycle, geopolitical power structures, and the interplay between physical hazards and human responses. We aim to develop students' geographical skills, critical thinking abilities, and environmental awareness, equipping them with the tools to become informed, responsible, and proactive global citizens who can contribute positively to the sustainable management of our world's most precious resource, water.
In today's interconnected world, an understanding of superpowers and geopolitics is essential. The influence of superpowers affects economies, political decisions, environmental policies, and social dynamics. By studying this, students can grasp the underlying factors that shape our world, allowing them to be informed and engaged global citizens. This scheme of work will allow students to understand what makes a superpower and what makes them influential, investigate contemporary geopolitical conflicts and their implications, examine the economic and cultural dimensions of superpowers, and analyse real-world examples of superpower influence and geopolitical dynamics.
Ultimately, our aim is to instil in students a lifelong curiosity about the world, a commitment to understanding global issues, and a desire to engage in informed, constructive discourse. This unit is concerned with the dynamic nature of physical processes and systems, and human interaction with them in a variety of places and at a range of scales. The aims of this unit are to develop an understanding of the tectonic, geomorphological, biological, and meteorological processes and features in different environments, and the need for management strategies governed by sustainability and consideration of the direct and indirect effects of human interaction with the Earth and the atmosphere.
Units of work include:
- Autumn term - Our world of water- hydrological cycle, flooding, water insecurity
- Spring term - Superpowers and geopolitics - Russia, China, America, power and climate change.
- Summer term - The challenge of Natural Hazards - hazard risk, plate margins, earthquakes and volcanoes
Assessments:
- Autumn term - 2x knowledge checks. These include an extended piece of writing and a series of multiple-choice questions.
- Spring term - 2x knowledge checks. These include an extended piece of writing and a series of multiple-choice questions.
- Summer term - 2x knowledge checks. These include an extended piece of writing and a series of multiple-choice questions.
Homework:
No formal homework assigned