Geography

Year 9

Subject: Geography

Unit 5: Coastal Environments
Living on an island, our interactions with the coast are important. In this unit, students will study the processes and landforms created by coastal erosion, transport and deposition. They will explore the impact that these processes have on people living in coastal areas.
Coastal management is a subject of debate due to high cost of building and maintaining sea defences. Students will explore some of the strategies used to manage vulnerable areas of the coast, especially on the east coast of England where erosion rates can be up to 2 metres per year.
Some students will also consider the costs and benefits of managing the Jersey coastline.

The main assessment task will look at the features of the Dorset Coast.

Unit 6: The Rise of China
Students study China as a place where change is happening.
China is a country that is home to a quarter of the world’s population and is likely to overtake the USA as the world’s largest economy some time in the next 40 years. Students consider the similarities and differences between China and the UK, and how and why these may change in the future. China has many links with the UK, yet at the same time its culture is in stark contrast to ours.

The main assessment tasks will be an essay and written test.

During this unit students will study the causes and effects of earthquakes. They will also study how people respond to these events and try to prevent loss of human life.

Students will compare the effects of earthquakes and tsunamis between more economically and less economically developed countries. The many tectonic events of 2010 from Earthquakes in Haiti, Christchurch in New Zealand and the massive quake in Japan, serve as opportunities to consider the wide reaching effects of these events. Japan is perceived as the most earthquake prepared country in the world, yet the devastation caused by the tsunami shocked the world.

The main assessment is a comparative essay and informative leaflet.
 

Unit 8: Globalisation: Should I buy a Valentine rose?
We live in a globalised world. The choices we make – what we buy, where we travel – have impacts that are all increasingly global rather than local or national. Even a simple act, such as buying someone a rose for Valentine’s Day, has effects that reach out across the globe. This unit helps students to understand the impacts of consumer behaviour, and their own rights and responsibilities as consumers.

The unit also examines international trade and the interaction between agriculture and the environment and develops students understanding about the geography and culture of a less economically developed country – Kenya.

The main assessment tasks for this unit are currently being finalised.

The end of year exams will assess elements from all units studied in Year 9.