Is OPEN EVENING approaching? Is it time to refresh a few displays? Here are a number of my creations over the years for inspiration. *Picture 2 inspired by @missgeog92 Picture 1&2: Where will Geography take you? These displays demonstrate a... Continue Reading →
Recently, I wanted to show a fellow colleague my appreciation for her support and advice throughout the course of this academic year. With the help of two dedicated Year 11 students, I was entrusted to revamp a number of my... Continue Reading →
An updated wider reading display for geography, history and religious education. In order to; Promote wider reading relating to topics studied throughout the year Increase student interactions with display material along our humanities corridor Demonstrate that reading goes beyond the... Continue Reading →
Netflix is a global phenomenon, available in 190 countries, with 139 million customers having the availability to stream over 15,400 TV shows and movies across all of its regional libraries. Netflix estimates that its users spend a total of 1... Continue Reading →
A summary activity to enable Year 11 students to draw connections between different elements of their GCSE course. Each student is provided with one A3 sheet with the course topic titles on i.e. urbanisation in global cities. Students are then... Continue Reading →
With new GCSE specifications placing greater emphasis on students understanding and application of geographical skills, it is important to provide opportunities for students to develop and practice such skills throughout their geography education. These practical and hands on activities can... Continue Reading →
A versatile activity which can be used for a number of topics such as natural disasters and climate change. Most recently I decided to use this activity whilst studying the impacts of deforestation in the tropical rainforest with Year 7.... Continue Reading →
At the end of a topic, or even the academic year, I like to get students to collate every geographical term they have been exposed to. This allows students to see how many geographical words we have learnt or used... Continue Reading →
UK physical features is a new addition to a number of new GCSE specifications. Creating a model is a fantastic opportunity to allow cross-curriculum links with Art, Design and Technology. Students are provided with a range resources (such as foam, cardboard, string,... Continue Reading →
We simply do not have enough time to explore geological time, considering it goes back 4.5 billion years. Therefore, a more manageable approach would be a 24 hour perspective. This activity allows students to explore the concept of geological time... Continue Reading →
Completed by Year 7 as a homework competition, and I was blown away by the amazing work which was produced!
These are regularly produced and shared on twitter when new documentaries or episodes are broadcast, such as Planet Earth and Blue Planet II. So I decided to introduce this concept to my Year 7 students, as an activity to complete... Continue Reading →
In previous years, when exploring plant adaptations in the rainforest, students have created their own 3D tree (see previous blog post HERE). So this year I wanted to do something different and create a rainforest triarama. This task allowed students to... Continue Reading →
I have finally been able to use Sarah’s (@sarahcnokes) structure of the rainforest poem, previously shared on twitter. The activity requires students to first read the poem and identify any descriptive words associated with the layers of the rainforest. A... Continue Reading →
What better way to finish for Christmas than with a few mystery Christmas grid reference puzzles. Each puzzle requires students to colour various grid squares in with a specific colour. Once completed the puzzle will reveal a Christmas themed image.... Continue Reading →
To mark the 100th anniversary since the end of the First World War, our theme for the week has been remembrance. During tutor time, this week, my form took a moment to reflect and write personal thank you pledges to... Continue Reading →
Revision clocks (created by @TEACHGEOGBLOG) assist students in condensing an entire topic into twelve sub-topics. In each segment students summarise key information required for their revision, using recommended headings (provided by the teacher). They can present this using diagrams, images, graphs,... Continue Reading →
Last week, students investigated the global distribution of certified fair trade farmers. How it worked? In pairs, students were provided with a data sheet, A3 world map and lego blocks. Firstly, they agreed on a key using the various sizes... Continue Reading →
The focus with Year 7, this term, has been to explore the subject of Geography through the development and practice of geographical skills. The aim being to enhance/embed their geographical experiences from primary school, whilst introducing them to new skills... Continue Reading →
An interactive introduction to plate tectonics, in my classroom, begins with students creating a foldable structure of the earth diagram. This activity is very open ended allowing students to showcase their creative flare, resulting in a beautifully presented front page... Continue Reading →
'A tale' is an activity I was introduced to during my PGCE* and it has been used every year since with students of various abilities and key stages. At the start of the lesson students begin to understand how to state... Continue Reading →
In my previous department we always recommended GCSE students have a revision guide, at a minimum, to refer to when completing homework or preparing for formative and summative assessments. But, we also place great emphasis on the importance of using a... Continue Reading →
A grid square table cloth is a versatile resource to create. All you need is a plastic table cloth (available from your local pound store), a ruler and a sharpie. Once the table cloth is complete arrange it across a number... Continue Reading →
If you are starting your NQT year this term, you are probably experiencing an array of emotions from excitement to nervousness. So to help you get started and embrace the amazing journey you are about to experience, here are my... Continue Reading →
Today was my last day in a school I have worked at for 5 years since completing my PGCE. Although I am incredibly sad to be leaving a school which has supported and encouraged me every step of the way,... Continue Reading →
Post it notes are a fantastic tool in many ways, especially when needing to track progress within a lesson or during a test without having to stop and start the activity repeatedly. How does it work? Students are each given... Continue Reading →
Maps are an invaluable resource in Geography. Therefore I try to incorporate jig saw puzzles into many schemes of work to force students to recall their locational knowledge and spatial awareness. I have found this strategy (with kinaesthetic aspects) reinforces students spatial... Continue Reading →
A new revision resource updated for AQA GCSE Geography 9-1. A popular and engaging way to summarise a topic or get students recalling previous knowledge. Based on the classic connect four game, students answer a question successfully to place a... Continue Reading →
‘No more than 5 words’ is a simple strategy to encourage students to try and recall prior information recently read. This strategy works brilliantly alongside ‘home and away’. Students are first placed into home groups, where they are asked to... Continue Reading →
For revision this week my Year 11 students have been completing an AQA #thinkingquilt, an idea which I adapted from Karen Knight (@KNNTeachLearn). This A3 double sided resource is split between Paper 1 (Living with the physical environment) and Paper... Continue Reading →
A new revision resource updated for AQA GCSE Geography 9-1. A set of revision pong sheets complete with topical questions and forfeits. Set up a typical 'beer pong' table with cups at each end. The revision pong sheets can then... Continue Reading →
Case studies are an integral part of Geography, but more often than not my students struggle to condense crucial information into a more manageable size for revision. The human section of the new AQA specification, for example, has such a... Continue Reading →
A new revision resource updated for AQA GCSE Geography 9-1. These snooker sheets are designed for students to 'pot' balls by selecting questions in order to accumulate points in relation to the rules of snooker. The higher the points available,... Continue Reading →
A new revision resource updated for AQA GCSE Geography 9-1. These challenge grids are designed for students to select questions in order to accumulate points, each question varies with difficulty in line with new GCSE style examinations. The aim is for... Continue Reading →
I have used this resource a lot over the last few months in order for students to tackle extent to which, assess or evaluate the significance of challenges, opportunities, impacts or responses of various case studies. The aim of this... Continue Reading →
An easy and effective method for students to demonstrate a lack or limited understanding of a topic before the lesson takes place, compared to the end when their understanding of the lesson is clearly demonstrated. This activity is always a... Continue Reading →
As a cross-curricular homework activity, last term, students were asked to create a cake encompassing a river theme. Students were allowed to work individually or in small groups in order to design, make and model a river feature into an... Continue Reading →
In recent months I have focused my attention on implementing a number of marking and feedback strategies. With the rationale being to reduce teacher workload and improve student use of statistics alongside case study examples. My current Year 10's have... Continue Reading →
In recent months I have focused my attention on implementing a number of marking and feedback strategies. With the rationale being to reduce teacher workload, and improve my students' understanding of assessment objectives and marking criteria. I took the opportunity... Continue Reading →
Progress is a critical aspect of any lesson especially when being observed. One of my tried and tested progress tracking strategies when facilitating group debates or discussions is the spiders web (recommended by Isabella Wallace and Leah Kirkman authors of Talk... Continue Reading →
From all the map skills students are required to understand according to the curriculum, contours are what some of my students struggle to grasp the most. Although I would love to invest in a augmented reality sandbox my department lacks... Continue Reading →
After exploring the global impacts of climate change on people and the environment this week, students summarised the impacts emoji style. A quick and simple strategy to summarise learning, or a tool to encourage synoptic links. Plus, students love emoji's!
Over the years I have taught many a student, and marked numerous examination papers (particularly for AQA) where students constantly repeat the question in their answer or begin questions with the same opening sentence e.g. The case study I will... Continue Reading →
This term I was finally able to use Kelly Campbell's (@K_M_Campbell) Tracking Hurricane Irma worksheet, previously shared on twitter. The worksheet involves a serious of tasks for students to complete throughout the lesson in order to understand the path and destruction Hurricane... Continue Reading →
A pop-up cross section of a hurricane is one of my go to activities when teaching students the features of this particular weather hazard. Students use a pre-printed template and follow a series of steps to produce this interactive resource.... Continue Reading →
Last year Mrs Humanities (aka Victoria) shared this intriguing strategy as a way of offering students the chance to take responsibility for disappointing marks in an assessment. As a result of failing to read the questions carefully, lack of preparation... Continue Reading →
Last year I took the time to develop a number of Christmas puzzles to give students the opportunity to practice grid references. For each puzzle students were required to colour various squares in with a specific colour. Once completed the Christmas... Continue Reading →
Out of the box questioning is a fantastic strategy to promote and challenge students critical thinking, analysis and problem solving skills. 'If geography was...' is just one example of lateral thinking, as a means to describe questioning requiring out of... Continue Reading →
An alternative way of presenting information learnt in class, offering students the opportunity to summarise their learning in a more innovative way. This approach differs from typical note taking as students are asked to demonstrate their understanding of the lesson... Continue Reading →
Many departments have sought every opportunity, since the introduction of the new GCSE specifications, to embed as many examination questions into their curriculum as possible. The intention being to provide students with as much practice as possible running up to... Continue Reading →
Mrs R (aka @mrsrgeog) many months ago shared her brilliant 'GCSE support bookmark' in order for students to use when completing GCSE examination questions (see below). I have #magpied her original concept (available here) and adapted the bookmark to include generic... Continue Reading →
