Trip to Dovedale - 11 June 2007

Letter to Parents

The Year 7 geography visit to Dovedale will take place on Monday 11 June. We shall be leaving school at 8am and returning for 7pm. The cost of the visit will be £18 and cheques should be made payable to 'NGS Visits' and returned to Mr Lewis with the attached form of consent by the end of this half-term.
We shall be spending the day in Dovedale in the Derbyshire Peak District. We will be studying aspects of weathering and erosion and general landscape evolution in a limestone valley. The trip is designed to support the various aspects of physical geography that you have been introduced to this year. Pupils will need to be dressed appropriately for fieldwork. Clothing much depends on the weather on the day, but regardless of rain or shine all pupils will need to have with them a waterproof jacket and a spare layer (e.g. light jumper). We shall be walking on some fairly rough terrain and good strong footwear is essential. If they have them, pupils should ideally wear walking boots but shoes with good ankle support and good grip will be a suitable alternative. Plenty of water to drink will be essential as well as a hat and sun block - we will be in the open all day. It will also be necessary to have a packed lunch and writing equipment. Ideally, all this should be packed away in a small rucksack. If pupils need to take any personal medication, e.g. antihistamine, inhaler etc. please could you indicate this on the consent form and ensure that either it packed into your child's rucksack or given to me to me.
Much of the day will be spent walking along a fairly level path alongside the river (2-3 miles), although there are some steeper paths to climb including a walk to the top of Thorpe Cloud which will test the pupils'
fitness!  Bearing in mind these activities, I would be grateful if you could let me know either on the consent form, or via a ‘phone call, if your son/daughter has any medical condition which may interfere with his/her enjoyment of the activities.
As with any trip of this nature, the department has in place, a formal written risk assessment as well as policies on the management of fieldwork. Should you wish to read these they can be downloaded from the department's web site at www.ngs-geography.com. Supervising staff are fully briefed about these beforehand.
Invariably, the pupils have a good day out on this trip enjoying the outdoors as well as learning a lot about the physical environment around them. Let's hope for some decent weather!All pupils will need to be bring with them a packed lunch and plenty of water.

Key Geography KS 3 Web Site - activities that links to the textbook series.
Ordnance Survey web site - the official mapping agency of the UK
Multimap - source of maps and aerial photos
Rocks for Kids - interesting web site about rocks and minerals for kids
Atlapedia - online atlas
VolcanoWorld - the leading online information source on volcanoes (visit the kids' section)

Scheme of Work

Autumn Term

What is Geography?

Pupils should recognise the unity of geography as a subject as well as understanding the divisions of study: physical geography, human geography and environmental geography. The content of these divisions should be clarified (viz. physical geography focuses on weather and climate, the structure of the Earth and surface processes etc.).

Key Geography: Foundations - pp. 4-9

How is Geography studied?

Pupils learn that the study of Geography requires them to develop certain skills: description of place, using longitude and latitude and grid references, and interpretation of data. Understand how maps are made and recognise that maps are used for different purposes (thematic maps). Study an OS map showing Pitsford at 1:25 000 and learn how to use a compass to describe direction. Recognise the different ways in which data can be displayed.

Key Geography: Foundations - pp.10-15

Key Geography: Foundations - pp. 92-105

There are numerous videos which explain how maps are made and how they are used. Tapes 35/3 and 35/5 are probably the best (The Geography Programme).

The Earth

The concentric zones of the Earth's interior: core, mantle, crust. Recognise the atmosphere as an additional zone. Plates of the Earth's crust. Continental drift. Understand the basics of plate tectonics: constructive margins and destructive margins and how these relate to volcanoes and earthquakes.

Recognise that volcanoes and earthquakes represent natural hazards. Make a case study of one volcanic eruption and one earthquake which could include research done via the Internet.

Exercise: Key Geography: Interactions - pp. 20-29 (or Geography Today 1 Chapter 1)

Earth History

Appreciate the length of geological time and recognise its division into eras and periods. Recognise that rocks provide clues to the Earth's geological past. Study the main differences between sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks. Recognise from hand specimen the following rock types: limestone, sandstone, chalk, granite, basalt, marble, gneiss and slate. Understand that the Earth's crust is 'plastic' and can become folded into anticlines and synclines. Describe briefly the geological history of the Derbyshire Peak District (to include simple cross-section and sketch map).

No one text book provides exercises to cover the whole of this topic. Worksheets are available in the resource room, as well as numerous introductory videos on basic geology. The text book People and the Physical Environment has some exercises (Chapters 5 and 6). Suitable pages may be photocopied from the book 'Understanding Geology' by Webster.

Spring Term

Weathering and Erosion

Recognise that the Earth's surface is constantly changing. Understand the differences between weathering and erosion, recognising different forms (frost-shattering, onion-skin weathering, biological weathering, erosion by seas/rivers/ice etc.). Investigate the school site for signs of weathering.

Key Geography: Connections - pp.4-7

2 lessons

Rivers

Study the processes of weathering, erosion, transport and deposition in the context of a river and its drainage basin (pupils should become acquainted with the following: corrasion, solution, attrition, hydraulic action, bars, meanders, ox-bow lakes, deltas). Recognise the link between rivers and the water cycle. The main fluvial processes should be demonstrated to the pupils using the flume in C4. Recognise distinctive features of the upper, middle and lower courses of a river.

Recognise how rivers can represent natural hazards. Understand how floods occur and examine the consequences of floods for people by studying an example of flooding in the UK or abroad. Methods of flood control should not be studied until year 9.

Foundations - pp 28-31, Connections 8-13. Key Geography: Foundations - pp. 32-34

(or Geography Today 1 - Chapter 3)

Coasts

Study aspects of erosion, transport and deposition in the context of the coastal environment, emphasing the similarities with the fluvial environment (rivers): corrasion, corrosion, hydraulic action and landforms (caves, cliffs, natural arches, stacks, beaches and spits).

Study in detail the Holderness coastine understanding the causes of its high rate of coastal retreat.

Model longshore drift and the formation of a spit in the laboratory flume. The impact of groynes may also be demonstrated.

Key Geography Connections - pp.14-15 (or Geography Today 2 - Chapter 2)

There are some good videos on the Holderness coastline as well as coastal processes in general. Tape 36/2 is about the best for this level.

Note that coastal management is a topic best left until year 9, although human intervention in the coastal system can be discussed with higher ability pupils.

Glaciation

Glaciers and ice sheets and their worldwide distribution. The effects of the last Ice Age across the UK. The beginnings of glaciation and landforms associated with glacial erosion: corrie, arete, pyramidal peak, U-shaped valley, hanging valley and glacial breach. Sketch diagram of Glen Rosa to label main features. Understand the processes of abrasion and plucking in forming a roche moutonnee. Landforms of glacial deposition: moraines, drumlins, eskers, erratics and kames.

Recognise the difference between glacial and fluvio-glacial deposits.

Consider the economic value of glaciated landscapes – tourism, hydro-electric power, transport, etc.

Glaciation is not covered by the Key Geography series. Worksheets and acetates are available in the filing cabinet in the Geography Office together with plenty of slides. Photographs of glacial landscapes are also available in the public domain of the school network. The Landforms video provides a good introduction to this topic.

Summer Term

Weather

Understand what is meant by the terms 'atmosphere', 'weather' and 'climate'. Learn how observations of the weather may be made. Visit the weather station to study the following instruments: Stevenson screen, barometer/barograph, anemometer, sunshine recorder, raingauge. Recognise the significance of atmospheric pressure in determining the weather.

Understand how local conditions may affect the weather. Make observations of temperature, wind speed and humidity around the school grounds using the investigation described in the textbook.

Study the seasons, understanding the meaning of the solstices and equinoxes. Compare the weather in different parts of the British Isles in summer and winter, recognising the influence of relief and ocean currents. Study rainfall: relief, convectional and frontal.

Recognise that the weather can sometimes be dramatic. Understand how hurricanes are formed and the damage they can cause.

Key Geography Foundations - pp.14-23

Climate

Understand in simple terms how air is circulated in the atmosphere (tri-cellular model) and how this relates to climate zones (warm, moist tropics; hot, dry deserts; temperate mid-latitudes; polar regions). Video tape 57/1 should be used as a general introduction. Time permitting, other tapes can be used to illustrate different climatic zones (tape 41/7 - Arctic, 42/8 - Desert, 43/2 - British Isles).

Pupils should recognise the link between climate and vegetation, studying closely this link in tropical rainforests and hot deserts.

Key Geography: Interactions - pp. 10-15. Formal exercises examining the mechanics of global climate are not necessary, but the Geography Today series has a number of textbook exercises and worksheets which may be used as extension exercises, time permitting.