YEAR 12 GEOGRAPHY COURSE SYLLABUS

Course Outline

Overview

The Humanities Department Syllabi at GEMS Wesgreen International Secondary School strive to enable students to acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes so as to develop an informed and critical understanding of social, environmental, historical and political issues so as to reinforce and stimulate curiosity and imagination about local and wider environments. The Curriculum provides a strong foundation to enable students to foster an understanding of, and concern for, the interdependence of all humans, all living things and the earth on which they live. To foster in students a sense of responsibility for the long-term care of the environment and a commitment to promote the sustainable use of the earth’s resources through his/her personal life-style and participation in collective environmental decision-making. 

By the end of the Grage 11 / Year 12 program students in the Humanities Department will be able to: 

• identify their position in the modern world through an understanding of the origins and development of current events; 
• develop the skills involved in critical thinking, making sound judgments and effective communication during their exploration of historical issues; 
• build up a spirit of impartiality and empathetic understanding, as well as develop multiple perspectives in their approach to past and contemporary events and 
• prepare themselves to pursue in greater depth an issue of personal interest to them, or in an area relevant to their future employment or career-oriented studies. 

Learning Outcomes

The aims of all subjects state what a teacher may expect to teach and what a student may expect to experience and learn. These aims suggest how the student may be changed by the learning experience. The aims of the Humanities Syllabus are to encourage and enable students to:

• Develop awareness of the relevance of geography to understanding and solving contemporary environmental problems.
• Understand the main elements of physical geography and human geography and the interdependence between them.
• Explain the causes and effects of change over space and time on physical and human environments.
• Develop an appreciation of the nature, value, limitations and importance of different approaches to analysis and explanation in geography.
• Understand the processes operating at different scales within physical and human environments.
• Develop a sense of space, place and location.
• Understand the importance of scale in studying geography.
• Increase knowledge of, and ability to use and apply, appropriate skills and techniques.
• Develop a concern for accuracy and objectivity in collecting, recording, processing, presenting, analysing and interpreting geographical data.
• Develop the ability to interpret and evaluate different sources and types of information.
• Develop a logical approach in order to present a structured, coherent and evidence-based argument.
   

Unit Overviews

Term 1

Unit 1 – Hydrology and fluvial geomorphology

Approximate length: 3 weeks

In this unit, students will learn about the drainage basin system. Discharge relationships within drainage basins. River channel processes and landforms. The human impact. A case study: students must study a recent river flood event showing the causes of the flood, impacts on both people and the environment, and evaluate attempts to reduce the impact of the flood.

Specific Curriculum Objectives Covered:

• Develop awareness of the relevance of geography to understanding and solving contemporary environmental problems.
• Understand the main elements of physical geography and human geography and the interdependence between them.
• Explain the causes and effects of change over space and time on physical and human environments.
• Develop an appreciation of the nature, value, limitations and importance of different approaches to analysis and explanation in geography.
• Develop a concern for accuracy and objectivity in collecting, recording, processing, presenting, analysing and interpreting geographical data.
• Develop the ability to interpret and evaluate different sources and types of information.

Unit 2 –    Atmosphere and weather                             

Approximate length: 3 weeks

In this unit, students will learn about the diurnal energy budgets. The global energy budget. Weather processes and phenomena. The human impact. A case study: students must study an urban area which shows the effects of human activity on climate: temperature (heat island), humidity, precipitation and winds.

Specific Curriculum Objectives Covered:

• Develop awareness of the relevance of geography to understanding and solving contemporary environmental problems.
• Understand the main elements of physical geography and human geography and the interdependence between them.
• Explain the causes and effects of change over space and time on physical and human environments.
• Develop an appreciation of the nature, value, limitations and importance of different approaches to analysis and explanation in geography.
• Develop a concern for accuracy and objectivity in collecting, recording, processing, presenting, analysing and interpreting geographical data.
• Develop the ability to interpret and evaluate different sources and types of information.

Unit 3 – Rocks and weathering                      

Approximate length: 4 weeks

In this unit, students will learn about plate tectonics. Weathering. Slope processes. The human impact and a case study: students must study the impacts of human activity on slopes showing the effect on the stability of the slope and evaluate attempts to reduce mass movement.

Specific Curriculum Objectives Covered:

• Develop awareness of the relevance of geography to understanding and solving contemporary environmental problems.
• Understand the main elements of physical geography and human geography and the interdependence between them.
• Explain the causes and effects of change over space and time on physical and human environments.
• Develop an appreciation of the nature, value, limitations and importance of different approaches to analysis and explanation in geography.

Term 2                                 

Programme of Study

Assessment

Formative: Throughout the units, the students will complete graded work, quizzes/tests and investigation activities which allows the teacher to assess the students’ attainment and inform their planning.

Summative: Throughout the school year, students will complete exam papers which allows the teacher to assess and evaluate their learning.

Remote / Blended Teaching, Learning and Assessment Pathways:

Small groups, (up to 15 students) will meet F2F. Where there are more than (15) Blended Learning will take place. According to the timetabling of classes also, there will be RL sessions where specified. All subject Units can be taught using any of these pathways. Students will collaborate and engage more with each other on set tasks in the break out rooms and collaboration spaces online. Lessons will be taught live as opposed to asynchronously. If a teacher is ill to point of being unable to deliver a lesson online, this lesson will be done asynchronously. During live lessons students will be requested to demonstrate a skill or understanding in short audio/ video recordings of themselves analysing, evaluating, explaining, showing (restricted time period). They will create Sway and other MS document presentations as instructed. Discussions will ensue among students and their peers and they will engage, respond and feedback using the chat feature. Students will be asked to watch video clip(s) and read a print/ broadcast/ another medium link and do a review, summary, explanation, give their opinion regarding the topic. They will be asked to design storyboards using a MS document for presentation. Rubrics will be attached as additional guide to support students’ progress and attainment. These are only a few of the techniques and methods that will be engaged during lessons.

Assessments:

Option 1: We will have a designated assessment week. All classes scheduled to complete online assessments that day will remain at home. On this day they can complete maximum 2 assessments for the day (grades 6 –8), 3 assessments for (grades 9 and above).

Option 2: During blended learning sessions the students who are at school will bring their laptop/device and complete the assessment online while the others who are at home (RL) will complete it on their device at home. Each assessment lesson will request an additional supervisor/invigilator to monitor those in the class while the teacher monitors the screen. Students in the class can even have their desk/back facing the teacher to create an extra precaution/ awareness to students that the teacher along with the supporting invigilator is also supervising. I If a student forgets their device teachers will have the printed copies to distribute.  This option will also take place during a designated assessment week.

Option 3: We will continue to conduct continuous assessment as was done during RL/Term 3