Geography at key stage 3

The scheme of work draws together parts of the programme of study to create a framework that shows how pupils might be helped to progress. See 'Progression in geography' for more information on how pupils may progress in geography.

• knowledge and understanding of places;
• knowledge and understanding of geographical patterns and processes;
• knowledge and understanding of environmental change and sustainable development;
• a range of enquiry and geographical skills.

Pupils gain this experience through two localities at key stage 1 and two localities and three themes at key stage 2. (Please refer to pages 16-20 of the national curriculum subject booklet for geography for more details.)

Transfer from primary to secondary

The scheme builds on the knowledge, skills and understanding developed through the key stage 2 programme of study. Unit 1 'Making connections' is designed to help transfer between key stages 2 and 3 by building on locality studies pupils are likely to have carried out and encouraging pupils to talk about the work they have already done. Teachers will be able to use this unit to make a diagnostic assessment of what pupils know, understand and are able to do.

Although the expectation is that pupils starting key stage 3 are working at level 4, the units take account of the fact that some pupils will be working at level 3.

• explain the physical and human characteristics of places, their similarities and differences and know the location of key places in the United Kingdom, Europe and the world;
• explain patterns of physical and human features and recognise how selected physical and human processes can damage the character of places and environments;
• describe how people can damage and improve the environment and recognise how and why people may seek to manage an environment sustainably;
• undertake geographical enquiry by asking and responding to questions, identifying and explaining different views, and using a range of geographical skills, resources and their own observations.

By the end of key stage 3, most pupils who started at level 4 will have progressed and should be able to:

• appreciate how changes in places and environments and similarities and differences between them are brought about by physical and human processes at different scales;
• describe and explain physical and human processes, operating at different scales, and their impact on geographical patterns in places and environments;
• describe and offer explanations for environmental changes with varied management responses, understand the implications of sustainable development for people, places and environments and how different views and opinions held by people contribute to change;
• draw on their own experience to identify geographical questions, follow a structured sequence of investigation, selecting and using appropriate geographical skills and resources, and present a consistent geographical argument.

Pupils who have progressed further should be able to:

• understand that many factors, including people's values and attitudes, influence decisions made about places and environments, and use this understanding to explain the resulting changes, appreciating that the environment in a place and the lives of people who live there are affected by action and events in other places;
• describe interactions within and between physical and human processes and appreciate how these create geographical patterns and help change places and environments;
• recognise that human actions, including their own, may have unintended environmental consequences, and that change sometimes leads to conflict, appreciating that considerations of sustainable development affect the planning and management of environmental resources;
• with increasing independence, draw on their knowledge and understanding to identify geographical questions and issues and establish their own sequence of investigation, selecting and using accurately a wide range of skills and evaluating critically sources of evidence, presenting well-argued summaries and beginning to reach substantiated conclusions.

These expectations, and the end-of-unit expectations, are based on the level descriptions in geography.

Teachers who use this scheme of work may find they need to adapt it to ensure it takes account of the different experiences, strengths and interests of their pupils. In doing this, they will need to take account of the statutory requirements and guidance on inclusion set out in the national curriculum.

The statutory inclusion statement sets out three principles that are essential to developing a more inclusive curriculum:

• setting suitable learning challenges;
• responding to the diverse needs of pupils;
• overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils.

The scheme of work is designed to cater for pupils working at levels 3-7. It is also designed to be challenging and raise expectations. The expectation is that the average attaining pupil will be working at level 4 in year 7, level 4 or 5 in year 8 and level 5 or 6 in year 9. The pitch in year 9 units is towards level 6. The purpose is to provide challenging targets for pupils while recognising that not all pupils will reach this standard. For pupils whose attainments are significantly above or below these expected levels, a much greater degree of differentiation will be necessary. Further guidance on this will be found in Guidance on providing for gifted and talented pupils and Guidance on providing for pupils with learning difficulties, published by QCA in 2000.

To provide suitable learning challenges for all pupils to achieve as high a standard as possible, teachers may wish to modify the whole scheme of work, or parts of units.

If modifying the whole scheme, teachers may wish to consider whether:

• particular parts of the scheme should be emphasised or expanded;
• pupils should be given more time for particular aspects of the scheme or given opportunities to progress more rapidly;
• particular pupils need opportunities to revisit knowledge and skills in different contexts;
• the attainments of pupils will provide a relevant structure for teaching geography. If this is not the case, eg for pupils who have significant learning difficulties or groups able to work at a particularly challenging level, schools may wish to use the scheme as a resource for developing an alternative. The alternative must offer pupils opportunities to experience a range of work across key aspects drawn from the programme of study.

If adapting particular units, teachers may wish to consider whether:

• the expectations and learning objectives need modifying;
• there is a need to add challenge by increasing the requirements;
• there is a need to provide small steps, short, guided and more focused tasks and supporting structures to enable pupils working below the demands of learning objectives to undertake the activity;
• the outcomes need to be changed to take account of revisions to the objectives and activities, or because pupils will operate on different levels;
• to vary contexts, resources, or teaching and learning styles to take account of the different learning needs of boys and girls, and the needs of pupils from different social and cultural backgrounds and with different lifestyles;
• the activities need to be adapted to provide support for pupils with difficulties in communication, language or literacy.

The type of support provided for pupils with difficulties in communication, language and literacy could include:

• using alternative and augmentative communication;
• reducing the amount of written work and reading;
• giving pupils the opportunity to clarify their ideas through discussion, modelling, role play and the use of tape recorders, video and photographs, rather than relying on written materials.

The 'Points to note' and 'Possible teaching activities' in some of the units suggest some ways in which the unit might be tailored to meet pupils' specific learning needs. Teachers may wish to use these suggestions in other units.

In addition, it may be necessary to use specialist equipment to give motivating and relevant experiences to pupils with sensory and physical disabilities. For pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties, there may be a need to emphasise short-term goals and provide highly specific outcomes.

Opportunities for assessing pupils' progress are built into each unit. The learning objectives are pitched at an appropriate level for the year group identified. The outcomes can be used to review progress and check whether pupils are ready to move on to the next activity or need more support or challenge. They also provide a framework for giving feedback to pupils. The expectation statements for each unit are related to the level descriptions in the national curriculum and the tasks set, and allow pupils' overall progress to be monitored.

The learning objectives are written primarily for teachers, but can be adapted and given to pupils as the objectives of a lesson or sequence of lessons. The objectives and expectations can also be used to help pupils review their own progress. Feedback to pupils, which can range from providing informal oral comments to a whole class to closely marked individual work, should relate to the objectives set.

The work pupils do will provide evidence of what they have been taught and their progress. It is not necessary to make detailed records for each pupil or activity, or to keep detailed portfolios of individual pupils' work. A grade, comment or mark can be used to indicate achievement. An assessment based on these, and in some circumstances on a summative piece of work or test, can be used when considering how individual pupils are achieving in relation to the end-of-unit expectations. Some pupils may need more help or extension activities.

In many units, pupils are given the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding through an extended piece of writing, or in planning a talk, which draws on a range of activities and learning objectives. Such activities may be used for more in-depth, and perhaps more summative, assessment. They may also provide suitable samples of work for a departmental portfolio to establish consistency of standards. Responses to these larger tasks will also help to identify where pupils may need more help or extension activities. Investigations will provide an opportunity for assessing more than one aspect of performance, including geographical skills and a combination of pupils' knowledge and understanding of places/patterns and processes/environmental change.

The response of pupils to the combination of units across the key stage will provide important evidence that can be used when making judgements about pupils' achievement against the level descriptions. Optional tests and tasks for geography (SCAA 1996) may provide further evidence.

Pupils' responses to the demands, particularly of the year 9 units, will provide evidence for teachers to make end-of-key-stage assessments against the level descriptions.

Some units include suggestions for extension activities for more able pupils, and other additional activities may be considered by the teacher as alternatives to those listed in the 'Possible teaching activities' section.