I would expect GCSE students to have studied rock types and the rock cycle either in KS3 Geography or in their Science lessons, but it is important that they have a good understanding of it. The 2016 exam specifications focus on the characteristics and distribution of rock types and their influence on the physical landscape, rather than their formation. Starter To jog students' memories, I would place cards on the whiteboard or their desks with names of rock types, how they're formed, characteristics and examples with photos. Students match the cards into rock types in groups or pairs. Elicit answers as a class. Main activities This video is a fun, memorable way of looking at rock formation. I particularly liked the demonstration of the changes in rock type using jelly beans. Students take notes during the video and complete a rock cycle diagram. Now they understand the rock types and the rock cycle, students write the "Autobiography of a Rock". I assign each student with a rock type (so they can't copy their neighbour's work) and they tell their story of being a rock changing into each type of rock. Plenary A short quiz to test what they've learnt. For example: I formed from magma cooling at the surface. What type of rock am I? I used to be limestone but now I'm marble. How did I change? I have fossils of seashells in me. What type of rock am I? Homework Students could research the everyday uses of these rock types. Although uses of rocks isn't part of the exam specification, it could link into looking at human uses of the landscape, such as quarrying.
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![]() I would use the first class of this module to introduce the topic and set the context. Here are some ideas to use in the classroom. Starter By GCSE level, I would expect students to have a relatively good understanding of the geography of the UK. To check and consolidate what they know, and to start the topic off on a fun note, I could do a short UK Geography quiz as a starter. This could include general information such as size, highest point, most southerly/northerly point, locations of cities and rivers. The Telegraph Travel website has a quiz, "How well do you know Britain's landscapes?", which is very tricky! But this multiple choice format with a photo could be used to create a quiz of UK landscapes. This quiz can be found at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/10803513/Quiz-how-well-do-you-know-Britains-landscapes.html Main activities I show students famous physical landscapes, for example the White Cliffs of Dover, Ben Nevis, the Lake District or those included in the RGS lesson plan resources (see link below). Students could work in groups to name and guess the location of the landscapes, perhaps by sticking them on a map of the UK. I then show a relief map of the UK (such as that shown right), and give students a series of true or false statements e.g. there is no land above 300m, most low-lying land less than 50m is in the north. They then write a paragraph describing the relief of the UK. Elicit as a class how we can divide the country into lowland and upland.(based on Royal Geographical Society lesson plan: Limestone landscapes and their uses. Available from: http://www.rgs.org/NR/rdonlyres/FA6D07B9-2FBE-437E-9245-F67DDD35755D/0/Limestonelandscapesandtheiruses.pdf) Then the class brainstorms characteristics of these areas, with prompts such as climate, habitat type, altitude, geology, before filling out a factsheet, possibly by categorising given descriptions or features into columns. Then students categorise the original landscape photos as examples of upland or lowland landscapes. Finally, using the same photos I ask students if they can see any evidence of human activity or if they can think of possible human use of the landscape e.g. agriculture, tourism, forestry, and how this would impact the landscape. Plenary Students write three facts they've learned about upland areas and three for lowland areas. Elicit a selection of answers from students. Homework Students design a tour of some of the UK's famous landscapes for visitors to the country. This allows them to practise describing locations geographically, and encourages them to describe the physical characteristics and visitor attractions of the landscape. This idea is based on an interesting lesson plan from the Royal Geographical Society called "Introducing Britain's Geography", which is aimed at Year 7 or 8 students. The lesson plan and resources can be found here: http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Engaging+wider+audiences/Britain+from+the+Air/Educational+Resources/Secondary+resources+-+Geography.htm Another idea for a homework activity is to ask students to write their own short UK Geography quiz, with answers. A longer-term project, for example over a holiday period, could ask students to create a 3D relief map of the UK or of a particular landscape. I saw this in a class during my school observations. Students were asked to create a 3D colour-coded model based on an OS map. Their results were very impressive and the students seemed to have enjoyed the task. |
AuthorMy name is Heather and I am going to begin my SCITT course to train as a Geography teacher. ArchivesCategories
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