Mrs Humanities

teacher . blogger . friend

Tag Archives: AQAGeography


by 3 Comments

Resource – Welcome to GCSE Geography (AQA)

Whilst many of us are getting ready for heading back to school I thought I’d share with you my resources for the first few lessons with my GCSE students. Although it’s all one PowerPoint, I break it up as required.

I start the year off by outlining the course, the examinations and specification content.

Followed by the course outline, what they can expect and what they need to get started. At this point I’l give out books to those that wish to continue working in a book and ensure those that wish to use a folder have paper.

Next I explore the support available to students and how we encourage them to ask for help if they need it.

Next I’ll go into reviewing subject content. This year I’ll be getting students to return to subject content from year 9. They covered The Challenge of Resource Management in terms 5 and 6 and therefore I’d like to see what they can recall.

I’ll be starting with a bit of retrieval using a question grid.

Students will then self-assess as we discuss and review the answers.

Students will then use what they learnt in all three topics in year 9 to the discuss the link between resources and conflict.

This acitivity has been inspired by this resource on TeachItGeography.

I’ve taken the images out of my PowerPoint but you can find them at the above link if you wish to use them.

I’m then going to introduce ACE feedback to those I’ve not taught before by getting them to peer assess.

If time, they will make improvements and then peer assess again using PA Points focusing on terminology. Again inspired by the resource above.

In one of the following lessons, once the Assessment for Learning booklets are printed and ready to go I will then cover being responsible learners, assessment for learning and feedback in Geography.

I find that explaining feedback to students particularly useful in supporting them to understand how, where and when they will receive feedback and what to do with it. I also find it important to help them to understanding that the teacher is not the only one that can help them in their learning.

In addition I give students a copy of the ‘Welcome to Geography’ sheet and ask them to glue into the front of their book or folder for reference. This provides them with essential information as suggestions for GCSE Geography Revision. This year however I’ve added it to the AfL booklet.

If you’d like to download the powerpoint and sheet click here.

A few others have adapted and made their own versions for other specs.

OCR (A) Geographical Themes by Vicki Reed, @VickiLouise17

OCR B – Geography for enquiring minds (J384) by Natalie Batten, @Nat_Batten

Both can be found in the folder above.

If you’ve made use of the ‘Welcome to GCSE Geography’ document for other Geography exam boards or other subjects, get in touch and I will add them to the post.

Hope you can find the resources of use.

Best wishes for the new academic year.

Advertisement


by 3 Comments

Resource – Geographical Skills Revision Booklet

I wanted to create something for my students that would provide them with guidance on the wide variety of geographical skills they could come across in the exams, but in particular Paper 3.

We’ve covered so many during the course but they’re not always remembered. I wanted something that would bring it all together as much as possible. So I set about creating a skills overview booklet.

The idea of the booklet is that students can self-assess their level of confidence with the skills listed in the AQA specification.

From there they can focus their attention on particular sections.

At the end there are past paper and sample paper questions.

I’ve been somewhat lazy with the production of this resource, making use of booklets and resources available online. I take no credit for any of the material compiled and have provided a list of sources at the end of the document and below. However I was somewhat forgetful at referencing the sources as I made it, sorry. A massive thanks goes to those that have made the original material that I’ve collated together into this booklet.

https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/geographical-skills-revision-booklet-ks3-and-ks4-11872979

http://www.oaklands.hants.sch.uk/_site/data/files/documents/subjects/geography/A7986022DFBD4AE39D4EA09A74E9A197.pdf

https://www.teachitgeography.co.uk/resources/ks3/maps-and-map-skills/exploring-and-mapping-the-world/understanding-contour-lines/25112

https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/aqa-gcse-geography-skills-workbook-11058377

http://arkwilliamparker.org/sites/default/files/GCSE%20Geography%20Revision%20Booklet-%20AQA%208035.pdf

http://thewilnecoteschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Geographical-skills-booklet.pdf

https://www.teachitgeography.co.uk/skills

If there are any original sources I’ve failed to identify, please let me know and I will add details to the list.

To download the booklet click the download button below.

Hope it can be of use.


by Leave a comment

Resource – Alaskan Oil Hexagon Task



As part of the current GCSE specification we explore the opportunities and challenges associated with development. Our case study is on Alaska so we take a look at developing tourism and oil extraction.

In this lesson we look at the opportunities and challenges associated with the exploitation of Alaskan oil reserves.

We start with a bit of background information on Alaska’s remaining oil reserves, the history of exploitation and the development of the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline.

Students then use the textbook resources and their own research to complete the hexagon thinking task as outlined in the instructions below.

The aim of the task is to make students understand the challenges and opportunities associated with oil extraction as well as the interconnections between the different elements shown on the cards.

I show students a range of clips in addition to the background information I provide including some of the following

Past views – 2002

To download the hexagon sheet, click here.


by Leave a comment

Mrs Humanities shares… the 10 most viewed posts of 2018

2018 was quite an incredible year for me, it went from being offered a book deal to appearing on BBC Breakfast. In 2016, when I went through depression and a breakdown, I could barely envisage a future in teaching, to be able to use the experience to help others has been life changing for me. But I’m not here to talk about that but you can read more in my review of 2018 here.

What I am sharing in this post are the top 5 most viewed posts of 2018. They were bloomin’ popular. So here goes…

1 // Resource – GCSE Case Study and Exam Question Revision Booklet

In this post I shared a revision booklet to facilitate student independence in the revision process. Designed for AQA Geography but easily adaptable for other specifications.

The booklet provided students with a list of case studies, templates to summarise the case studies and exam questions to apply the content. With over 5,000 downloads of the booklet, I hope it’s helped students (and teachers) across the country.

2 // Resource – How to Revise in Geography

Creeping in just behind was the ‘How to Revise in Geography’ guide. Inspired by Greg Thornton’s post on How do we revise for history? which I recommended in my post on Mrs Humanities shares… 5 Epic History Revision Resources I decided to make a resource for my Geography students. It clearly hasn’t just been of benefit to my students, with almost 5,000 downloads of the document I’m hoping it’s been of help to many young people beyond my own classroom and school.

3 // Mrs Humanities shares… 10 Great Geography Revision Resources

I’m starting to see a theme now. Clearly revision has been on the minds of many this year. Perhaps it’s the pressure of accountability measures, maybe the tougher nature of the new 9-1 exams or maybe teachers just want to improve their student’s approach to revision, either way most popular post number 3 was another revision one. This time I shared and highlighted the work of a range of Geography teachers from the Twittersphere including
@teachgeogblog , @Jennnnnn_x , @InternetGeog , @GeoNewbz  and other. Many of these I have made use of in my own classroom.

4 // Zombie Apocalypse Atlas and Map Skills SoW

This one is always a popular post. In it I have shared resources to the scheme of work I produced to develop and embed atlas and map skills through the scenario of a zombie apocalypse. I’ve taught it a couple of times and every time it has been loved by the students.

I’ve seen it (via twitter and emails) used in classrooms across the world, which is incredible. It’s been adapted into other languages (Welsh and Chinese) and has been download over 40,000 times since I first published it back in Autumn 2015.

5 // Resource – Differentiation Strategies CPD

Next up was a resource I produced to support teacher training on differentiation. The presentation provides a variety of tried and tested strategies for differentiation and scaffolding to support and challenge students. You can even download the ready-to-go PowerPoint presentation.

6 // Mrs Humanities shares… 5 Whole Class Feedback Examples

Unsurprisingly the next few most read posts of 2018 are associated with feedback and marking. In this one, I shared 5 examples of whole class feedback to support teachers, departments and schools making the move from marking to feedback.

7 // My Marking and Feedback Toolkit

Since publishing this post in January 2017, it’s been a popular one. In this post I share the strategies that make up my marking and feedback toolkit. I tried and tested a range of strategies over a couple of years to find what worked best for me, my style of teaching and most importantly my students. In that time I changed schools and had to start again with the narrowing down process but it didn’t take me long to find what worked. This post goes on to highlight those 5 strategies.

8 // Mrs Humanities shares… 6 Epic History Revision Resources

Back to revision again, this one shared 6 epic resources for revision in History. I no longer teach history but I do like to keep up with pedagogical developments and resource sharing just in case I ever return to it. This post needs up-dating as I’ve seen many more fantastic resources since I first posted it, that will happen in due course I promise.*

*but please don’t hold me accountable if I do completely forget 🙂

9 // Marking, feedback and DIRT

This is one of my first posts on marking and feedback from way back in June 2015. The area of interest has come along way since then, but it’s a great post for those new to the profession or those being introduced to the idea of #feedbackNOTmarking.

In the post I share a range of strategies I’d tried in order to improve feedback but reduce workload. These then made up part of a CPD session for new and current staff at the school I was working at. The post also provides a downloadable resource with all the strategies included.

10 // Mrs Humanities shares… 10 fantastic displays for the Humanities

The final most popular post of the 10 was this one where I shared 10 fantastic display ideas for Humanities. The post shared 10 great examples of displays I’d come across on Twitter from the likes of @mrsrgeog @sehartsmith @MrJPteach  @EduCaiti and several more.

And that sums up this post on the 10 most popular posts of 2018. Hope you’ve found something of use and inspiration this year. Thank you for the continued support throughout 2018.

Best wishes for 2019.


by 9 Comments

Resource – GCSE Revision G.Y.M

This is a project I’ve been meaning to do for a while now to support revision and recall inspired by Jen Monk’s ‘Geog your memory’ resource.

The idea is that through the use of a mail merge you create a variety of ‘geog your memory’ resources which can be used at the end or throughout the course.

It’s nothing fancy but super easy to do.

First create your template in word.

Next create your spreadsheet and collate your questions in whatever order suits you and your needs. I’ve done it mixed to support revision with my year 11 class. I’ve used the sample paper questions and created some of my own to test student knowledge and recall.

Next is the mail merge. These are super easy once you get the hang of it.

Here’s a step by step guide.

Step 1 – Data Source

Open up your template in word. Go to the ‘Mailings’ tab and click on the ‘Start Mail Merge’ icon. Select ‘Normal Word Document’. Then go to ‘Select Recipients’ as shown below. Select the option ‘Use an Existing List’. This will open up a the ‘Select data source’ window. Just find your excel spreadsheet in your files and select OK.

Step 2 – Inserting your data

Next you want to add the data to your mail merge. Place your cursor where you want to insert information. You can see I’ve clicked in the first definition box. Once your cursor is placed, click on the ‘Insert Merge Field’. Then from the dropdown list select the data option you want to insert.

Insert the fields into the remainder of your document.

Step 3 – Finish and Merge

Once your data fields are inserted into the template document you’ll want to merge the data into the file. Click on the ‘Finish & Merge’ icon. From the drop down menu select ‘Edit Individual Documents’.

When the pop-up opens, select ‘All’ and press OK.

This will open up a new document with all of your data inserted into several versions of the original template.

And there you have it, a whole selection of ‘Geog your memory’ sheets for students.

If you don’t want to make your own, guess what I made some for you to download and amend. Download the Word Template, the Excel Spreadsheet of questions for AQA Geography and the document with 30+ GYM sheets ready-to-go by clicking the button below.

Hope you find the resources and tutorial useful.


by 1 Comment

Resource – Welcome to GCSE Geography

Yesterday I shared this post on twitter and since then I’ve had a number of requests for a copy of the document.

I’ve amended it slightly to make it more generic and adaptable for other schools to make use of.

welcome to GCSE Geograpy #AQAGeography

You can download a copy by clicking the button below.

download here

Don’t forget I’ve also uploaded a range of revision materials for students and teachers to make use of.

Resource – How to Revise in Geography
Resource – Assessment for Learning Booklet AQA Geography
Resource – GCSE Case Study and Exam Question Revision Booklet
Resource – AQA Revision Booklet adaption by @MrTomlinsonGeog

Hope you can make use of this resource and the others.

Best wishes,

Mrs Humanities

 


by Leave a comment

Resource – Lagos Redevelopment DME

resourceA simple activity that stimulates students abilities to make informed decisions in preparation for AQA Paper 3. Students are given resources on the redevelopment of the waterfront of Lagos in order to make a decision on whether the waterfront redevelopment should take place. After discussion students answer the exam style question.

tasksources

There are a wide range of videos that could be shown to the class alongside the resources to develop their understanding of the redevelopment.

Some suggestions include

EKO ATLANTIC Lagos Nigeria. Whats Inside??

Residents of Nigeria’s floating slum thrive

Lagos: Evicted slum-dwellers demand right to return

Download the resources by clicking below.

download here

 

Mrs Humanities


by 9 Comments

Resource – How to Revise in Geography

how to revise

Inspired by Greg Thornton’s post on How do we revise for history? which I recommended in my post on Mrs Humanities shares… 5 Epic History Revision Resources I decided to make a resource for my Geography students.

I’ve taken a slightly different approach, giving a range of approaches to revision but thought it might be useful for others as well.

At the bottom of the page you can download a version for GCSE and IB Geography.

how to revise in geography

how to revise geography

page 3

page 4

page 5

Each idea or method has a link or two offered with it that will allow students to access apps or resources to support them.

To download a PDF version for GCSE click the image below.

download here

To download a PDF version for IB Geography click the image below

I’ve also added a generic editable version on TES here – https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/how-to-revise-in-insert-subject-guidance-sheet-11852796

Hope you find and your students find it of use.

Mrs Humanities


by 3 Comments

Resource – AQA Revision Booklet adaption by @MrTomlinsonGeog

gcse revision (1)No to long ago I shared a post with my revision booklet for AQA Geography students to encourage them to take ownership and responsibility of their revision. Mr Tomlinson  got in contact to ask if he could adapt and share the finished the result. I’m all for sharing to reduce the workload of others so said yes.

He’s kindly given me permission to share his version with you.

In this recent adaption you will find information on case studies, scaffolded exam style questions for AQA Geography Paper 1.

list

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

If you fancy a copy, you can download from here.

Mrs Humanities

 


by 2 Comments

Resource – AQA Geography AfL Grids

To encourage student responsibility for their learning and progress I use assessment for learning grids with my GCSE Geography students. I’ve recently completed the grids for all topics of the course and have also updated them to include the Key Ideas from the specification so thought I would share them.

The idea behind the grids is that they outline the content of the topic to the students, students have the opportunity to reflect on their prior knowledge and understanding of the content and then have the opportunity to reflect on the development of their knowledge and understanding of the topic after completion. This enables my students to identify areas for priority when it comes to revision of the topic. I’ve done similar with the Before and After Topic Review sheets, however the format I’m sharing today is clearer and easier to construct.

I’ve constructed a general template and completed it using the specification content.

template

Students print these off at the start of the topic and complete the before column using the following key:

Red =I have no prior knowledge of this.
Amber = I have some understanding of it but need to deepen my understanding.
Green = I already have a sound understanding of this part of the topic.

Afterwards they self-assess with the following key

Red = I do not understand this aspect of the topic and need to make it my revision priority. I may need to seek help.
Amber = I have a good understanding of it but need to develop my understanding of this part of the topic.
Green = I have a confident understanding of it and could teach it to another student.

Hazards imageResources image

We complete ‘past paper questions’ throughout the topic – these are from the SAMs as well as past GCSE papers, some we have constructed ourselves. Students complete the grids as they receive feedback, setting themselves targets for how to improve exam style questions or content to revise. Students regularly have opportunities to act on feedback and demonstrate their progress.

Now the part you probably actually came to this post for… the AfL grids. Click here for them. 

Hope you can make use of them.

Mrs Humanities