Courses
We offer a broad and balanced curriculum, for key stage 3 (Years 7-9), key stage 4 (Years 10 and 11) and key stage 5 (Years 12 and 13 - Sixth Form). Click the appropriate button below to find the details for each subject offered in each key stage.
Further details of our curriculum are available on the curriculum page.
Overview
Geography
Introduction
Geography is about understanding and appreciating the awe and wonder of our world. This includes both amazing natural wonders like volcanoes but also the incredible human achievements like our increasingly sustainable cities. It is knowing and understanding the human and physical processes that have shaped places. Asking questions about why places are different, why they are changing and how things may be different in the future.
The fundamental concepts of our geographical enquiry are sustainability (for the environment and people), globalisation and equality. Using examples of products from our daily lives we seek to understand the positive and negative impacts (on people & the environment) of our interconnected world. With this knowledge we can plan a fairer future for all. We are interested in both the local geography and issues of global concern, making links between our local actions and their global impacts. These are our key themes which spiral through our curriculum to develop a synoptic understanding of geography.
Course leader
Mr J Hamshaw Thomas
Curriculum
Course content
Silverdale geography offers a spiral curriculum where the key themes are revisited each year. For example, in Year 7 we study the causes of climate change then in Year 8 the impacts and in Year 9 we look at how we can mitigate climate change.
We study chocolate, mobile phones and the fashion industry to learn about the geography of our global economy. In these topics we consider the positive and negative impacts of our consumption of these products in different parts of the world, before planning how we can continue to enjoy these products in a more sustainable way.
We study Silverdale, Sheffield, Lagos and Africa to look at places at contrasting scale. In each of these topics we introduce the different ways that geographers study places. We look at the human processes changing these places and celebrate the variety of these places. We investigate the physical processes that create waterfalls, caves and volcanoes to see how the natural world works and its influence on people who live in these places. We evaluate the social, economic, and environmental impacts of exploiting our rainforests and developing our deserts. Again, we discuss how these diverse and spectacular environments can be developed in a sustainable way.
As we live in a city we take the opportunity to look at how we can live in cities in a sustainable way by looking at examples from around the world. This links to our work on climate change and environmental management.
Topics
Year 7
- Where is Silverdale & what is it like?
- Is climate change natural or anthropogenic?
- What is the continent of Africa really like?
- Why does some chocolate taste better than others?
- Why are waterfalls wonderful?
Year 8
- How much does my mobile phone cost?
- How can we live in a more sustainable way?
- What is life like in Lagos?
- What are the impacts of climate change?
- What are the impacts of developing the world's tropical rainforests?
- How does the physical landscape influence the character of Castleton?
Year 9
- Will volcanoes kill us all?
- Why is there a difference in life expectancy in Sheffield?
- Who are the real fashion victims?
- How can we manage climate change?
- Is Dubai an impossible place?
Skills and requirements
Skills developed
- Group work and collaborative learning skills are developed in different topics in key stage 3.
- Students get the opportunity to undertake their own research in both lessons and as homework tasks as part of their independent enquiry.
- Numerical skills are developed through learning how to present and interpret data from a wide range of graphs and maps.
- ICT skills are developed to present geographical data as graphs and geographic information systems (GIS - a computer system that analyses and displays geographically referenced information), for example the analysis of fieldwork data.
- Communication skills (written, verbal) are vital parts of our lessons and assessment activities.
- Decision making and problem-solving skills are frequently developed in our lessons.
