“Geography is a subject which holds a key to our future.”
-Michael Palin
Overview
Staff:
- Miss S Ivery (Head of Department)
- Mrs F Kane
- Dr P Walsh
Department background:
Geography is a popular subject in the Junior School and at GCSE, AS and A2 level. The department is very proud of the grades achieved at GCSE and A level in recent years. The overall aims of the Geography Department are to stimulate at all levels an ability and interest in the subject and also to develop an awareness, knowledge and respect for the environment from the local to the global scale.
We study a broad and interesting range of topics at Key Stage 3; aiming to help our students become citizens of the world and responsible members of society. We celebrate and explore Geography on a daily basis and also through our annual “Geography Action Week.” At GCSE and AS/A2 Level we follow the CCEA Specifications.
The department strives encourage pupils’ interest and understanding of Geography through varied extracurricular activities including fieldwork, Christian Aid workshops, an A Level lecture programme at Queen's University and online seminars. We also organise regular international trips to a range of exciting locations – see the Geography Trips tab!
Fieldwork
FieldworkFieldwork
A major element of Geography studies at Assumption Grammar School is to give students the opportunity to conduct investigations into a wide range of topics and issues. An investigative approach is encouraged as an integral part of class work as well as fieldwork. Fieldwork is a compulsory aspect of the GCSE, AS and A2 Geography courses.
GCSE students carry out a river study for the fieldwork element of their Unit 3 examination; this year our students investigated the River Shimna in the Mourne Mountains. At AS level, students carry out a biogeographical study of Murlough Sand Dune ecosystem near Newcastle and at A2 level, an expedition to the Titanic Quarter in Belfast broadens students’ understanding of the Sustainable Settlements unit. In the Junior school, fieldwork opportunities have included excursions to the Giant’s Causeway, a microclimate study of the school and a day spent investigating the different ecosystems of Lough Neagh. We have also invited organisations into the school for classroom based investigations, such as Christian Aid and Zoolab
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Geography trips
One of the key features in the Geography Department is a love of travel. We aim to foster a desire to see and explore the world’s many different environments in our students. Since 2001, the department has organised a number of educational visits.
2019 – Washington DC and New York City, USA
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Travel is a key feature in the department and since our Millennium visit to Niagara Falls and Toronto in 2001 we have organised a number of educational visits.
Careers in Geography
Useful Links
Below are some useful websites for students studying Geography.
http://www.georesources.co.uk/
This website is for Geography students of all ages. It is packed with information, case studies and even virtual fieldwork excursions!
This is the UK's geographical association website. It contains lots of good articles, information and advice on choosing geography as a GCSE and A level subject and it tells you how geography can help you in future careers.
This is the home of the royal geographical society. Again they have information on geography as an option choice. They have maps and up to date geography in the news information.
This is a useful website as it has some general geography information and then it is broken down into a section for each year group with different topics for each group.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
This website has fact files on every country in the world. It includes maps, flag and facts about the social, economic and environmental factors of each country.
Useful for information when studying weather and climate.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/zkw76sg
This is useful for both pupils at KS3 and GCSE when they are studying for assessments and exams. Just go the homepage and search for the relevant topics. There is also an excellent selection of short videos on a variety of topics.
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/education/teens
Another useful website for weather and climate information. This includes lots of case studies that we cover in class.
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/resources
Lots of good information on trade and aid and real life stories.
http://mapzone.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/mapzone/index.html
This site has lots of activities to help you improve your map skills as well as interactive games.
http://geography-site.co.uk/pages/links.html
This site has lots of links to different topics.
http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/world.htm
This is a good site for general facts and atlas work.