GCSE Geog Blog

Economic Systems and Development Revision

2008-05-11T10:10:00.001-07:00

Use this powerpoint to recap the key topics in this section:

And this mind map which gives more detail and prompts about the industry section:

Revision flashcards

2008-05-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

To help with your revision here are a series of downloadable flash cards for a large selection of key terms and their definitions. The Flashcards can be download in PDF format (Adobe Acrobat Reader required)

Downloading and making the flashcards - simply download and print the cards (there are 5 to a side of A4) - cut round the block of 10 boxes - then cut into 5 strips (i.e. keep the key word and definition as a row) - fold in half and hey presto you have a flashcard! (you may need a little glue between the two sides - but should be ok without!)

Tropical rainforest flashcards

Settlement flashcards

Rivers flashcards

Population and Settlement Revision

2008-04-28T12:52:00.000-07:00

Use this powerpoint for a list of key topics to revise in this module as well as a reminder of a case study of a growing settlement in an MEDC (Linby in North Nottinghamshire) and the effects of migration.

| View | Upload your own

Also use this mind map as an overview of the topic and to guide your revision. Why not print it out and add as much information to it as you can?

Also, a reminder in full of the Linby case study (a growing settlement in an MEDC)

In contrast, you also need to know a case study of a growing settlement in an LEDC. Use this BBC Bitesize section to explore some of the causes of urban growth in LEDCs and the effect it has on people's quality of life.

Revision Podcasts

2008-04-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to your final term of Year 11! I know that lots of you have already started thinking about revision; if you still need to buy you revision guides, see Miss Jordan.

The BBC's bitesize service is a good place to get you started ... they have even started doing podcasts you can download onto your mp3 player for revision on the move!!

Try listening to these ones in particular:

Changes in a river's course from source to mouth
Adaptation of vegetation to a tropical climate
Industry: Decline of heavy industry in More Economically Developed Countries (MEDCs)
Foreign Aid

Fieldtrip to Castleton

2007-10-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

Interactive Water Cycle

2007-09-20T10:17:00.001-07:00

Try the drag and drop water cycle activity on the BBC Scotland website to revise your knowledge of its key parts. You can click on this image to go stratight to the site.

The Hydrological Cycle

2007-09-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

Revise your knowledge of the key terms for the Hydrological Cycle using the flash cards on this site. Then test yourself with this quiz.

River Processes

2007-09-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

River Processes
As a river flows along its course it undertakes 3 main processes which together help to shape the river channel and the surrounding valley. These processes are erosion, transport and deposition.

RIVER EROSION
River erosion is the wearing away of the land as the water flows past the bed and banks. There are four main types of river erosion. These are:

Attrition - occurs as rocks bang against each other gradually breaking each other down (rocks become smaller and less angular as attrition occurs)
Abrasion - this is the scraping away of the bed and banks by material transported by the river
Solution - chemicals in the river dissolve minerals in the rocks in the bed and bank, carrying them away in solution.
Hydraulic Action - this is where the water in the river compresses air in cracks in the bed and banks. This results in increased pressure caused by the compression of air, mini 'explosions' are caused as the pressure is then released gradually forcing apart parts of the bed and banks.
Watch this animation to see these processes in action.

RIVER TRANSPORT

Material may be transported by a river in four main ways: solution, suspension, saltation and traction (see diagram). The type of transport taking place depends on (i) the size of the sediment and (ii) the amount of energy that is available to undertake the transport. In the upper course of the river there is more traction and saltation going on due to the large size of the bedload, as a river enters its middle and lower course there is alot of finer material eroded from further upstream which will be carred in suspension. Watch this animation to recap the 4 types of transportation.

DEPOSITION
Deposition is where material carried by the river is dropped. This will occur when there is no longer sufficient energy to transport material. Deposition of material may result in the formation of distinctive features such as slip off slopes (on the inner bends of meanders); levees (raised banks) and of course the floodplain itself. Remember - it is the largest material that will be dropped first as it requires the most energy to be transported. eroded from further upstream which will be carried in suspension. This animation shows sediment deposition as a river enters a lake - look at what size material is deposited first.

Now test your understanding:Try out these drag and drop games to match up the key processes of erosion and transport with their correct definitions.

River Erosion drag and drop
River Transport drag and drop

Rocks rock!

2007-08-29T07:34:00.001-07:00

Access this BBC Bitesize page to add detail to your notes on the different types of rocks (click on the icon!)

Welcome back to Year 11!

2007-08-29T07:24:00.000-07:00

I got my name in lights with notcelebrity.co.uk

Section 11: Evaluation

2007-06-25T12:55:00.000-07:00

This section is to summarise what you did in your coursework and consider what went well / what didn't go so well. Make sure you cover these key points:

1. How did you collect your data?

Was this successful?
Did it tell you what you needed to know?
Was there any bias in your data collection? Maybe you collected some of it on a sunny day and some of it on a rainy day, or perhaps your sampling methods weren't very well planned (see previous post on this).
Was any of your data unrealiable? Maybe you could only find out of date information or had to use an old map etc.

2. How would you improve your project if you did it again?

Was there one part of your coursework that you think lets it down? (maybe the analysis, the data collection or the original hypotheses)
What could you do to improve this?

3. What could you do to extend your study?

Maybe you could investigate another hypothesis
Or you could use an additional method of data collection to find out more information about one element of your work?

Read this document for some more detail.

Section 10: Conclusion

2007-06-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

What have you found out in your investigation?

In this section you need to give a clear overview of what you have discovered about your neighbourhood, especially focusing on your hypotheses.

Say what your hypotheses were
For each, say whether you found them to be true or false
And refer to what evidence you have to back this up.

There is some example work on the G drive.

Section 9: How does my neighbourhood compare with others?

2007-06-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

You must complete this section if you want to get a B grade or higher in your coursework. This is the section which links your coursework with some geographical ideas or theories.

Again, this section comes in 2 parts:

1. Compare your neighbourhood with another neighbourhood

Find a friend who has done environmental quality surveys in a different part of Long Eaton.
Swap environmental quality surveys with them.
Make sure you include a map to show the location of the 2 neighbourhoods.
Compare the information that your friend has collected with the information that you collected - you could present this information as graphs.
Describe what the data tells you about the two neighbourhoods - are they very similar or very different? Do they have some common features e.g. parking problems, or good street lighting.

2. How does your neighbourhood compare with models of land use?

You should compare your neighbourhood with land use models like Burgess or Mann.
The Burgess model suggests that environmental quality should improve the further you travel from the CBD.
Where does your neighbourhood fit into this model?
There is some information about land use models on the G drive.

Section 8: Improving my neighbourhood

2007-06-25T12:30:00.001-07:00

You should select an issue that is relevant to your neighbourhood. Ideas include:

some run down or empty buildings
a park that is neglected
some waste land or open space that could be put to better use
a lack of services in your neighbourhood
litter / vandalism / lack of street lighting

You should describe:

1. What the problem is - including a map and some labelled photographs

2. What you would do to improve the area - you could be really creative here - design a plan of what it will look like (you can do this by hand); include some images from the Internet of similar designs / services etc;

Traffic counts

2007-06-24T04:53:00.000-07:00

As well as writing this blog, I also spend far too long reading blogs written by other Geography teachers! Whilst trawling the blogosphere today, I have come across this survey which you may find useful for your data collection.

Traffic Counts

You could use the results of this survey in section 7: Describing my neighbourhood.

Sampling Methods

2007-06-22T12:31:00.000-07:00

Read this word document to remind you of the discussion we had about sampling methods. To open it, click on the tiny link at the bottom of the image!

New coursework deadline

2007-06-20T10:26:00.001-07:00

The coursework deadline had been moved to:

Friday 6th July 2007

This is to take account of the fact that you have had exams, as well as coursework in other subjects due in around the same time. This is a final deadline and will not be moved again. You go on work experience the following week, so aim to have your coursework complete and ready to hand in on or before that date!

Section 7: Describing my neighbourhood

2007-06-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

Section 7 is the largest part of your coursework and is your chance to show that you can collect, present and understand information about your neighbourhood. You should split this section into:

a) Describing my neighbourhood
Some general information about your neighbourhood using data you have collected from surveys. You should be aiming to include information from at least 3 of these – types of houses, age of houses, litter, vandalism, noise pollution, traffic problems, environmental quality etc.

b) Testing my hypotheses
For each of your hypotheses you should show what evidence you have collected and explain what this shows about your neighbourhood. Finally, have you shown your hypothesis to be true or false (it is fine to say that it was wrong!)

Make sure this section is well structured, with sub-headings and thorough explanations of all graphs, photographs etc. You should include a range of data such as maps, graphs, tables, photographs etc. The more data the merrier – as long as you explain it thoroughly!! There are some examples of how you could present this work on the G drive – in Geog coursework folder called ‘Student work’.

Y10 Exam revision

2007-06-11T00:34:00.000-07:00

Your exam will be on Tuesday 19th June at 1:15pm. It will last 1hr 30 minutes and will be divided into 3 sections:

Question 1: World cities and LEDCs
Question 2: Settlement and OS map skills
Question 3: Economic Activities

Use this powerpoint to guide your revision

Case study of Linby

Defining where 'My Neighbourbood' is

2007-05-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

You should assume that the person reading your coursework knows nothing! Therefore you need to tell them very clearly where the area is that you are going to study and what the main features are. This can be done quite simply by producing an annotated map, like this example shows.

Collecting data

2007-05-23T07:20:00.001-07:00

Your main aim during half-term is to get your primary data collected. This could include:

surveys

photographs

traffic counts

environmental quality surveys

Everyone should complete an environmental quality survey for each street in their neighbourhood. Lost the sheet? No excuses ... download a new one here!

There are also many other methods and types of data that you could collect - look here for some ideas:

Coursework Guidance

2007-05-23T07:10:00.000-07:00

Use these documents to help you with the write-up for your coursework. Also read the last few posts which give some hints and tips.
Remember, there will be no school network over half-term!

Coursework Guidance - the definitive guide on what to include!

Setting the Scene

2007-05-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

AN INTRODUCTION TO LONG EATON

In this section, write about the town of Long Eaton to tell the person reading your work what the town is like.

Include things like:
· A map to show the location of Long Eaton in the UK and the Midlands.
· A description of Long Eaton’s location
· Size of population
· A little bit of history about Long Eaton
· Services and recreation facilities in Long Eaton
· Types of businesses and work places in Long Eaton – can you name any companies?
· Local communications and transport (roads, air port, public transport)
· One or two photographs of something well known in Long Eaton?(not too large though)

HEALTH WARNING!

Remember, you will not get any marks for information you have copied from the Internet!! Exam boards have technology that compares coursework to information available online!

This word document is a very good example of what you could do and the types of things that should be included:

Background

2007-05-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

You are expected to do your coursework about an issue that is important and relevant to your life / other people, therefore you need to explain why your coursework is relevant. Some people might call this the rationale - the reason behind doing something.

You need to write a paragraph to put your work ‘in context’. This means explaining why it is useful to study towns and cities and how people live in them…………… So, you could explain that most people do live in urban areas, so there must be some good reasons why. Say what you think these reasons are.

Setting Your Aims

2007-05-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

THE AIMS OF THE INVESTIGATION

• To describe and explain the features of my neighbourhood.
Now write a brief paragraph about what your neighbourhood is like and how you will investigate it (such as, by collecting and analysing primary and secondary data).

• To investigate 3 hypotheses about my neighbourhood.
Write them down in a list (have a look at the sheet that has some examples of hypotheses).

• To investigate a local environmental issue (or problem) in my local area and suggest how this issue (or problem) can be solved or improved.
Now briefly say where the local issue is and what the local issue (or problem) is.

This document shows how you could set out this section:

Beginning your Coursework

2007-05-13T08:57:00.000-07:00

My Neighbourhood: Here Today, Better Tomorrow

General advice:

This is YOUR (!) coursework and it is up to you to set yourself goals and targets for what you want to achieve.
You have a word limit of 2500 - 3000 words.
The deadline is Friday 22nd June.
Your coursework is about your neighbourhood - this is an area of between 7 and 10 streets surrounding your house.
Your work should be presented professionally and everything should be word processed.
All maps, graphs and photographs should have titles and labels where appropriate.

Finally, you could try to enjoy it!

Things I found on You Tube

2007-05-09T11:07:00.000-07:00

There is a huge amount of relevent videos on You Tube - have a look at just a few here:

Two approaches to tourism in Brazil

2007-05-07T08:46:00.000-07:00

Ecotourism raises money for conservation as the profits of the tourism are used to preserve the biodiversity of the area and to help local communities develop in a sustainable way. It can also be used to educate tourists and local people about the natural environment and how it can be respected and protected.
Sustainable tourism is tourism that does not damage culture or environment and improves the lives of those involved in it.

The Ariau Towers Hotel

Visit the website here to see what type of tourism goes on here.

The Mamiraua Tourist Project

Visit this website to see details of holidays in the floating lodges!

Access this information sheet with key details of the two very different holiday destinations in Brazil.

Newly Industrialised Countries (NICs)

2007-05-01T01:33:00.000-07:00

A newly industrialised country (NIC) is a country which have undergone rapid and successful industrialisation since the early 1980s. These countries are usually found in Asia's Pacific Rim and include places such as Thailand, Singapore and South Korea.

View this slideshow to see the effects of rapid industrialisation on NICs such as Thailand.

Tourism - blessing or curse?

2007-04-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

The development of air travel and growing competition between airlines has reduced the cost of flying in recent years. This has also led to an increase in travel to long-haul destinations, bringing many LEDCs within range of the tourist. Many LEDCs have used tourism to develop their economies. In many ways tourism is an ideal economic activity, however it can also create many problems.

The Multilpier Effect demonatrates how tourism can help economies to develop e.g.
New hotel built
Tourists come
Tourists spend money
More jobs created. Local shops and businesses make more money
Spending power of local people increases
Leisure facilities developed
New airport and water and electricity facilities improve
Transport facilities improved
More hotels built
More tourists come

But, tourism can also cause problems for people living in LEDCs. Some of these problems are on this sheet.

Spot the difference between a mass tourist and a sustainable tourist here:

Homework question
Many LEDCs have used tourism as a way of developing their economy.
1. Name an LEDC you have studied where tourism has been used as a route to development.
2. Describe the positive and negative effects of the development of tourism on the quality of life for people living there.
3. Overall, so you think tourism has benefited your chosen country?

Tourism in an MEDC

2007-04-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

Using Benidorm as a case study, you will look into tourism in an MEDC and the cycle that it has followed.

4 key questions

Why did Benidorm develop as a mass tourist destination?

What were the impacts (social, economic and environmental) of this growth?

Why did it decline?

What has been done to rejuvinate the tourism industry in Benidorm?

The Tourism Cycle shows how a resort such as Benidorm has changed over time. Download the worksheet here:

TNCs in LEDCs

2007-04-30T11:04:00.000-07:00

TNCs (or Transnational Corporations) are large companies which which have offices or factories in several countries and are global because they operate across national boundaries. Examples of TNCs include Nike, Wal-mart, Microsoft, BP, McDonald's and many many more.

Why do they choose to locate in LEDCs?
Most TNCs have their headquarters in MEDCs such as Nike who ares based in Oregon in the USA. However, many TNCs are now choosing to locate branches in LEDCs - why is this? All we need to do is compare the average wages of people in different countries to see why this might be!

TNCs can be huge! Some make more money in a year than some countries do! They often find that by choosing the locate in LEDCs, they can;
(a) manufacture goods for sale more cheaply and,
(b) be near to large markets (places with large populations where goods can be sold).

Are TNCs good or bad?
There are a number of advantages and disadvantages to LEDCs of having a TNC locate in their country. You can download this list as a Word document by using the control below.

Homework question

To what extent can investment from TNCs help LEDCs to develop?