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S1/S2 Geography

What topics are studied in S1 and S2?

The course is divided up into units which are studied in the order below

S1

Atlas and map skills
The local area
Farming in the Kelso area and Scotland
Glaciers, rivers and coasts

S2

The weather
Deserts and rainforests
Earth forces
Rich world, poor world

How is the course taught ?

How is the course assessed ?

Are you making good progress? - your jotter and other written work will be marked regularly and you will be awarded a mark to reflect your effort together with merits which will count towards effort and achievement certificates.

What level am I achieving in geography? At the end of the units there will be an assessment. The form of this will vary - some will be class tests, some A3 displays and others might be to produce the front page of a newspaper or a pocket guide. For each assessment you will be given a numerical mark and also a level to reflect the quality of your work and your understanding. This will let you see your progress over the course.

What about homework?

You can expect to be set homework each week. The type of task that you are set will vary.

How can I find out more about Geography in S1 and S2?

Ask! Speak to your teacher or to Mr Oldham. At the beginning of the course you will be given a guide which lists the units we will study, the topics we will cover in them, and the way in which they will be assessed. To download the S1/S2 Student Guide, click on the link below. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to see the document.

Download s1s2guide (PDF document, 102 KB, opening in a new window)

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Standard Grade Geography

Foundation, General and Credit Levels

What topics are taught at Standard Grade in Geography?

The course is divided up into units which are studied in the order below

S3

1 Rivers - including a days fieldwork on the river Kale 2 Population and Migration 3 Urbanisation and Developing World cities 4 Settlement 5 Farming 6 Industry S3 EXAM 7 Glaciation - including preparation for the Alps Trip S4 8 Glaciated landscapes under pressure 9 Weather 10 Climatic Regions - The Tundra and The Desert PRELIM EXAMINATIONS 11 Development, Trade, and Aid 12 Fragile Earth At the beginning of each unit you will be given a list of key questions to be studied.

How is the course taught ?

How is the course assessed?

Are you making good progress? - Your jotter and any other written work will be marked regularly and you will be awarded a mark to reflect your effort together with merits which will count towards Effort and Achievement certificates .
At the end of units there will be a formal test, usually based on a past paper question. This is marked and you will be given a credit, general, or foundation level. This will allow you and your teacher to see how you are doing and what grade you could get. It could also be used for appeals.

What grade will you get? - End of unit assessments provide a good indication, however you also need practice at sitting full exams. There is an S3 exam towards the end of that year and a full prelim at the end of the Christmas term in S4 ( see above ). These are used to tell us your predicted grade.

What about homework?

You can expect to be set homework each week. This could be 2 shorter pieces of work or one longer. The type of task set for homework will vary.

How can I find out more about Standard Grade Geography?

Ask ! Speak to your teacher or Mr Oldham, or better still to someone you know in S3 or S4 who is doing the subject. To download the Standard Grade Student Guide, click on the link below. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to see the document.

Download sgradeguide (PDF document, 101 KB, opening in a new window)

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Intermediate 2 Travel and Tourism

What grades do I need to do this course ?

The level of this course is equivalent to credit at Standard Grade, therefore to do Intermediate 2 Travel and Tourism you will need to have a general pass in Geography, History, or Modern Studies.

What topics are taught ?

The main topic is

An Introduction to Travel and Tourism

This unit investigates the concept of tourism and the tourist industry, the travel and tourism product, domestic tourism, incoming tourism , outbound tourism, tourist trips, and tourist nights.

Following from this main topic students will then have the opportunity to study one of the following options in detail…..

British Isles Tourist Destinations
European and Mediterranean Area Tourist Destinations
Interacting with Customers

How is the course taught ?

A variety of teaching methods will be used:

The main materials used are resource packs for each unit, textbooks, slides, videos, holiday brochures, and various publications used by the tourist industry and travel agents.

How is the course assessed?

1. Are you making good progress? – Notes and homework are checked and your file inspected to see that you are organised and coping with the course. Short end of topic tests are used regularly to check your understanding and recall.

2. What grade will you get? – You will need to pass an end of course exam of 90 minutes as well as closed book unit assessments (NABs) during the course. You will also have to complete an investigation and report which will count towards your final grade, as well as mini case studies. Depending on which unit you choose, a role-play may also be required which will count towards your final mark.

What about homework?

You can expect to be set homework each week. The type of task will vary.

How can I find out more about Intermediate 2 Travel and Tourism?

Ask – speak to Mr Oldham

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Higher Geography

What grades do I need to do this course?

In order to study Geography at Higher level you need to have achieved a credit pass at Standard Grade in Geography or in another social subject. If you have passed Intermediate 2 in Geography or another social subject, then you can also take Higher.

What topics are taught at Higher?

There are 2 parts to the Higher Geography: The Core and the Applications. Detail of the topics studied is given in the tables below

How is the course taught?

A variety of teaching methods are used. These include discussion in class, note taking and answering questions, group work, producing displays, using IT and CD ROMs, videos, slides, and giving presentations.

The main materials used are resource packs for each unit together with a number of key textbooks issued to students. The Internet may be used to research the Applications topics and CD ROMs help with the understanding of the Atmosphere unit.

How is the course assessed?

1. Are you making good progress? - Notes and homework are checked and your file inspected regularly to see that you are organised and coping with the course. Short answer tests are given in class to check that knowledge and understanding of key ideas is secure.

2. What grade will you get? - There are two parts to the assessment of Higher.

You must pass 3 unit assessments to be able to be awarded a full Higher. These are taken in class under exam conditions, usually at the end of units :

• 1 Physical Core assessment
• 1 Human Core assessment
• 1 Applications assessments

In addition your final grade will be determined by 2 written and externally marked exams at the end of the course. The Core paper lasts 1hr 25min. The Applications paper 1hr 20min.

What about homework?

You will be set homework each week. The type of task set will vary.

How can I find out more about Higher Geography?

Just ask ! Speak to your geography teacher or to Mr Oldham, or to someone who has done the course.

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Advanced Higher Geography

What grades do I need to do this course?

In order to study Advanced Higher Geography you need to have passed Higher Geography.

What topics are taught at Advanced Higher?

The course is divided into three units

Geographical Methods and Techniques

In this unit you will look at both physical and human fieldwork techniques. This will include some fieldwork. In addition you will study statistical techniques and look in detail at the production and interpretation of maps and diagrams

The Geographical Study

In this unit you will plan, collect, present and analyse information to produce a 3000 word report.

Geographical Issues

In this unit you will research different viewpoints on two geographical issues. You will produce analytical summaries of these and then produce critical evaluations of the different viewpoints.

How is the course taught?

A variety of teaching methods are used including written work, groupwork, discussion, fieldwork, IT, and individual research. It should be stressed that the way of working differs significantly from Higher and students are expected to work far more on their own, using the teacher as a source of information and advice. In this way Advanced Higher helps to bridge the gap between styles of learning at school and further education.
The main materials used are resource packs for each unit, textbooks, fieldwork equipment, IT and videos.

How is the course assessed?

1. Are you making good progress? - Notes and files are checked regularly to ensure that you are organised and coping with the course.

2. What grade will you get? – The course is assessed both internally and externally. The external assessment comprises

• An externally set and assessed exam at the end of the course (20%)
• A Geographical Study (40%)
• Two Critical Evaluations (40%)

Internal assessment of all the component units of the course will also take place. This internal assessment takes the form of checklists kept by the student and the teacher. In addition pieces of evidence that show competence in the different parts of the course will need to be kept.

What about homework?

Pieces of work may well be set for a certain deadline. Students will be expected to spend a substantial amount of time outside the classroom on Advanced Higher work.

Where can I find out more about Advanced Higher Geography?

Ask – speak to your geography teacher or Mr Oldham, or better still to someone you know who has done the course.

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Higher Geology

What grades do I need to study this course?

In order to study Higher Geology you will need to have passed Geography or Chemistry Standard Grade at credit level, or, if you are taking the subject in S6 then a pass at Higher Geography or a Science subject at Higher level is required.

What topics are taught in Higher Geology?

The course is spilt up into 4 parts :

Minerals and Rocks

Minerals (identification, chemical composition, atomic structure); the formation of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks; the study of minerals under the polarizing microscope; the study of rocks in the field.

Earth Physics, Structural Geology and Plate Tectonics

Earthquakes and the internal structure of the earth; isostasy; the Earth’s magnetic field; the Earth’s internal heat. Geological structures; geological maps; continental drift and seafloor spreading; the study of geological structures in the field.

Fossils and Stratigraphy

Uses of fossils in stratigraphy; palaeoecology; evolution; measurement of geological time; principles of stratigraphy; aspects of British stratigraphy.

Economic Geology

Resources and reserves; the formation of ores, fossil fuels, and evaporates; finding and extracting resource materials.

How is the course taught?

A variety of teaching methods are used. These include the use of polarizing microscopes and thin sections to aid the identification of minerals and rocks as well as the use of hand lenses. Various experiments to determine the properties of rocks and minerals. Videos, slides, textbooks, CD Roms, and the internet will all be used together with more formal teaching. Group work, class discussion, and presentations by students will all occur.

The main materials are resource booklets and worksheets allowing students to progress at their own pace supported by the teacher.

Fieldwork is a compulsory part of the course and several excursions to sites of geological interest will be undertaken during the course.

How is the course assessed?

Are you making good progress? - Notes and homework are checked and files inspected regularly to see that you are organised and coping with the course. Short answer tests will be given in class to check that knowledge and understanding of key ideas is secure.

What grade will you get? – To gain the award the candidate must pass all of the internal assessments for the different units together with a final exam of 2 hours 30min. Then write up of a fieldwork investigation also counts towards the final grade.

What about homework?

Homework will be set each week. The type of task set will vary.

How can I find out more about Higher Geology?

Ask ! Come and speak to Mr Oldham

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