Windsor Girls’ School Geography Department
KS3 Scheme of Work: Extreme Climates
The Big Picture
This unit introduces students to enquiry-based learning which is intended to promote their curiosity about the world in which they live and
independence as learners. Students will gain understanding of world extremes and how humans and climates interact with and impact upon
one another through a series of class investigations and independent homework research and activities.
The unit is split into three main topics.
1. Why does Antarctica matter? 6 lessons considering the global environmental importance of the continent and why we should concern
ourselves with this remote and inhospitable place.
2. Why is Las Vegas so thirsty? 1 lesson looking at man’s relationship with hot desert environments and sustainability issues.
3. What has rain got to do with Hawaii? 1 lesson investigating the environmental processes at work in these island paradises and the resulting
local impacts.
The unit helps students to develop key geographical skills and practices which will be essential for their KS4 and KS5 studies; literacy,
numeracy, group work, decision making, map work, data analysis, independent working and investigation skills are embedded within the topics.
The unit should engage students through a range of fun, memorable and effective learning strategies which use a range of differentiated,
visual, auditory and kinaesthetic activities to cater for all learning styles and abilities.
Why does Antarctica matter?
Focus: A series of enquiry lessons devised for students to gain understanding of the environmental importance of Antarctica.
Opportunity: Royal Geographical Society’s Young Geographer of the Year Competition and the centenary of Shackleton’s Endurance
expedition (a tale of endeavour and remarkable leadership to inspire students).
Aim: To develop an understanding of this unique environment (one of the last untouched wildernesses on earth) and examine why we should
Mrs F Tremelling
Windsor Girls’ School Geography Department
concern ourselves with this far-removed continent by investigating how man’s actions affect it and how it affects us.
AFL: SIR marking of explorers factfile, homework & marking of completed of worksheets. Questioning & feedback (oral and written)
throughout.
Summative Assessment Task: By the end of the topic students will have produced an A3 poster setting out two or more reasons why
Antarctica matters with a concluding paragraph. Marking in accordance with department marking policy (grade and effort number).
Success Criteria: Each student’s poster demonstrates their knowledge of Antarctica, sound investigative techniques, data analysis and
representation as well as including key geographical terminology and a high standard of literacy. There is clear understanding of the physical,
human and environmental geography at work within both local and global contexts and geographical skills have been developed. The poster
itself describes two or more reasons why Antarctica matters, includes at least two annotated diagrams, graphics or maps and contains a
conclusion outlining which reason the student believes is the most important.
Mrs F Tremelling
Windsor Girls’ School Geography Department
Big
Question
Learning
Objectives
Lesson 1:
To be able to use ICT
Where on
to investigate
earth is
Antarctica.
Antarctica?
To be able to describe
What is the the location and size of
significance Antarctica.
of its
To be able to explain
location?
the significance of its
location.
Resources
Literacy
& skills /
ICT
Differentiation
Bell task – On white boards 1. Draw what Antarctica looks like from
space. 2. Around the drawing write down as many things as they
already know about it. [Prior knowledge/baseline check] World
maps only show a very small part of the picture when it comes to
Antarctica – misconceptions can be dealt with at an early stage in
the topic
Power point
Key words
displayed
on word
wall
- Visual aids of
presentation to
help lower ability
/ EAL students
Starter – students share prior knowledge, class discussion.
Blank world
maps
Use of
glossary
to
encourage
use of key
words
-Appropriate &
good sized font
for SEN students
Activities
Direct Instruction – introduction to scheme & competition.
Main – 1. Where and how far away is it? Pairs task. Using Google
Earth to locate Antarctica & measure distances from other places
around the world. Plot onto annotated world map & write a
paragraph to describe. Include size using Discovering Antarctica
fact files. Question worksheets to be completed and students use
laptops and Google Earth and instruction sheet to investigate
location, some key human features e.g. bases and latitude and
longitude.
2. What is significant about its location? Pairs task. Using daylight
and time tabs alongside the worksheets, students can gain an
understanding of why the continent is so cold – power of sun’s
radiation at different times of the year. Then direct instruction, class
discussion and questioning about the idea of the astral summer and
summer and winter sea ice differences using Nasa mapping.
3. In pairs students explain the significance of Antarctica’s location
to one another. Challenge built in.
Plenary – Write down two things they have learnt this lesson. On
Mrs F Tremelling
Mini white
boards
Laptops
Worksheets
Instruction
sheets
Homework
success
criteria
Written
paragraph
-Peer tutoring
- Sentence
starters
Numeracy
- Connectives
word mats
available
GIS
(Google
Earth)
- Extension tasks
Internet
research
Pairs &
group
work
Decision
making
-By input
Windsor Girls’ School Geography Department
post-its each student write down questions they want answering
about Antarctica. What can we answer already? Displayed
throughout topic and ticked off when students know their question
has been answered in an activity.
Assessing
relevance
of info.
Homework – Create a fact file about one Antarctic explorer (choice
of 4 – group to decide who does which).
Lesson 2:
What is
unique
about
Antarctica?
To be able to identify
the continent’s flora and
fauna (including
endemic species).
To be able to create an
Antarctic food web.
To be able to explain
why the biodiversity of
Antarctica is unique.
Bell task – Swap fact files (different explorers) & peer assess by
SIR marking.
Starter – Students to watch a video clip and write down 5 facts
about the Emperor penguin and Antarctica. Introduction to an
endemic species, animal adaptations, Antarctica’s hostile
environment – including temperature (can tell story of freezing
nostrils when outside for any time!).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-U8h1SCDbU
Main – carousel activity in groups to answer enquiry question and
consider Antarctica’s unique biodiversity (including endemic
species), animal adaptations and how the food web of Antarctica
works. Differentiated worksheets to be completed; extension tasks
and challenge built in. Depending on ability of the group, can work
through the food web as a class.
3. Students then write a paragraph explaining the fragility of this
web (independent task).
Plenary – Odd one out! Students watch the clip and work out which
parts are to do with the Antarctic and which are not..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hObov-E540o
Students to check to see if any of their initial post-it questions have
Mrs F Tremelling
Power point
Video clips
Carousel
resources
(information
sheets – lots
of visual)
Differentiated
worksheets
to be
completed
Food web
sheets &
images
Key words
displayed
on word
wall
Use of
glossary
to
encourage
use of key
words
Creating &
annotating
a diagram
Group
work
Independe
nt work
Written
paragraph
- Visual aids of
presentation to
help lower
ability/ EAL
students
-Appropriate &
good sized font
for SEN students
- Sentence
starters.
-Differentiated
tables for
completion
(higher & lower)
- Writing frame /
sentence starter
- Connectives
word mats
available
- Extension tasks
Windsor Girls’ School Geography Department
been answered.
-By input
Homework – write an acrostic poem using what students have
learnt in today’s lesson for the word Antarctica.
Lesson 3:
What is
Antarctica
like?
To be able to describe
Antarctica’s landscape
and climate.
Bell Task - Memory game – in pairs, students list of as many
Antarctic flora and fauna as they can remember from last lesson.
Challenge – say if they are endemic or not.
Power point
To understand how
glaciers form and move.
Starter – Students watch a clip showing Antarctica’s landscapes
and they write a list of adjectives to describe what the continent is
like (merit for the most interesting and longest lists). Helps students
to visualise what the continent is like. Selected parts of clip.
Carousel
resources
(information
sheets – lots
of visual)
To examine different
aspects of Antarctica
using De Bono’s
Thinking Hats
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIujRh4g6lw
Main - carousel activity in groups to answer enquiry question and
consider Antarctica’s unique landscape and climate (introduce idea
of topography and glaciation), Look at climate facts, consider cold
desert and develop understanding of climate graphs. Students
introduced to studying Antarctica through de Bono’s thinking hats
(building on previous learning on biodiversity). Differentiated
worksheets to be completed; extension tasks and challenge built in.
Depending on ability of the group, extension to create a climate
graph for McMurdo base.
Video clips
Differentiated
worksheets
to be
completed
Images
Climate
figures for
McMurdo
Key words
displayed
on word
wall
Use of
glossary
to
encourage
use of key
words
Group
work
Independe
nt work
Creating a
climate
graph
Plenary – Which LOs have students met and why. Have any further
post it questions been answered.
- Visual aids of
presentation to
help lower
ability/ EAL
students
-Appropriate &
good sized font
for SEN students
-Differentiated
worksheets for
completion
(higher & lower)
- Connectives
word mats
available
- Extension tasks
-By input
Homework – creating a collage of Antarctic images.
Lesson 4:
Why do
people go
Antarctica?
Do I understand that
Antarctica is resource
rich? Can I categorise
Antarctica’s visitors?
Mrs F Tremelling
Bell task – 4 images students to consider how are the images
connected and discuss the connection with a partner. Introduces
tourist activities.
Starter- Students to write a hypothesis as to the reasons why
Power point
Graph paper
Key words
displayed
on word
wall
- Visual aids of
presentation to
help lower ability
/ EAL students
Windsor Girls’ School Geography Department
What’s in it
for us?
Can I explain why
tourists visit Antarctica?
Can I use data and
graphs to make
predictions and explain
patterns?
people go to the Antarctic on their learning review wheel.
Data sheets
Main – 1. Students to create a spider diagram of Antarctica’s
resources (prior knowledge check). Direct instruction - introduce
idea of world leading science & resources of the continent. No one
lives in Antarctica, but people go there to either enjoy or use
resources - pairs task of matching key words and definitions &
categorisation activity similar to card sort.
Card sort
cards
AFL – progress check with review wheel update.
Main - 2. Focus on tourism based on location inspiring wonder and
awe and a unique holiday experience. VIDEO CLIP – students
watch and note down tourist activities in Antarctica and use visual
clues on power point.
Categorisatio
n sheets
Review
wheel sheets
Video clip
Use of
glossary
to
encourage
use of key
words
Data
analysis &
representa
tion
Numeracy
Use of
glossary
to
encourage
use of key
words
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOXJ5RCu6jE
Written paragraph to explain why people visit Antarctica.
Main - 3. Using data, create appropriate graph showing numbers of
tourists visiting the continent over time (bar graph). Students to
describe the pattern and predict future tourist numbers. Extension
task built in.
-Appropriate &
good sized font
for SEN students
-Peer tutoring
- Writing frame /
sentence starter
- Connectives
word mats
available
-Differentiated
categorisation
sheets (H/L)
- Extension tasks
-By input
Pairs &
independe
nt work
Plenary – students to consider if their hypothesis at the start was
right or wrong and complete learning review wheel.
Analytical
thinking
Written
work
Lesson 5:
How is it
under
To understand some of
the threats to Antarctica
and their impacts at
Mrs F Tremelling
Bell task – Read Geography in the News piece (Earth ‘Overshoot’
Day). Discuss with a partner what this means.
Power point
Creativity
Key words
displayed
on word
- Visual aids of
presentation to
help lower ability
Windsor Girls’ School Geography Department
threat?
varying scales.
What are the
impacts of
these
threats?
To be able to explain
the impact of fishing on
the Antarctic
ecosystem.
To assess the threats to
Antarctica
Starter – Students to watch the adelie penguin thief clip and then
THINK – PAIR – SHARE what the connection could be with the
news article.
Video clip
wall
/ EAL students
News Articles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlbxRBfGAr0
Information
sheets
Use of
glossary
to
encourage
use of key
words
-Appropriate &
good sized font
for SEN students
Pairs work
- Writing frame
Written
tasks
- Connectives
word mats
available
Main – students introduced to concepts of local and global current
and potential future threats to Antarctica.
1. Students to colour code information sheet and decide if the threat
is a local or global threat and whether it is happening now or may
happen in the future.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140304antarctica-research-toxic-adelie-penguins-mcmurdo-station-science/
2. Geography in the news – fishing in the Antarctic. Introduced to
concept of local impacts of threats. Look at food web from lesson 1
& students to explain potential impacts on species through reduction
in krill in a written paragraph.
3. Geography in the news – global warming leading to ice melt.
Introduced to local impact & to concept of how this in turn impacts
globally.
4. Ranking the threats. Students to decide which is the most
significant threat to Antarctica & justify their decision by written
explanation of why they made 1 their most significant and 5 their
least.
Plenary – Tweet it! Students to send a tweet to David Cameron
outlining the threats Antarctica faces.
Homework – Start to consider the layout of their poster and looking
Mrs F Tremelling
Poster
success
criteria
Evaluating
Decision
making
Independe
nt work
- Sentence
starters.
- Extension tasks
Windsor Girls’ School Geography Department
at the success criteria, do they need to print off any graphs,
diagrams, maps or re-create something done in class? Draft layout
on A3 for next lesson.
Lesson 6:
To understand how
What is
Antarctica is currently
Antarctica’s protected.
future?
To consider different
Should it be viewpoints on
protected?
Antarctica’s future and
come up with your own
decision.
To present an argument
for a possible future for
Antarctica.
Bell task – Using waste in the Antarctic image – discuss whether
this should be happening in Antarctica.
Starter – To consider the future we need to know what has
happened in the past. How has human activity in Antarctica
changed in the last 100 years? Look at images moving forward in
time to consider – students use visual clues to consider changes.
Main – Direct instruction on the Antarctic Treaty – students watch
clip and determine what is good and what is not so good about the
Treaty - does the treaty go far enough? Are the oceans surrounding
protected?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsrYGvMr4Nc
Video clip
Viewpoints
sheet
Sugar
paper/A3
paper for
presentation
Sentence
starters
Key words
displayed
on word
wall
- Visual aids of
presentation to
help lower ability
/ EAL students
Use of
glossary
to
encourage
use of key
words
-Appropriate &
good sized font
for SEN students
Pairs &
group
work
- Connectives
word mats
available
DI - Use the resources or protect? Potential in 2048 to look at
mining & will it become necessary to use oil and gas from there?
What about people? Growing population – do we need a new
continent to live on? So protect or exploit?
Written
tasks
Students to consider the viewpoints of different interest groups by
reading the sheets then showing they understand who is for
protection and who is for using/developing the continent by
categorising the viewpoints.
Decision
making
Students then decide who they agree with and why – written
justification.
Mrs F Tremelling
Power point
Evaluating
Advocacy
developm
ent
- Sentence
starters.
- Extension tasks
-Differentiated
presentation task
Windsor Girls’ School Geography Department
Groups then assigned a future for Antarctica and they have to come
up with arguments for the future they have to promote (to develop
advocacy skills – can differentiate by giving more able pupils
challenging/unpopular futures). Each group have 1-2 minutes to
present, then vote taken.
Plenary – students need to explain why their group’s future was
voted for/not voted for.
Homework – draft concluding paragraph – main reason why
Antarctica matters.
Lesson 7:
So, why
does
Antarctica
matter?
To complete the A3
poster to the best of
their ability.
Mrs F Tremelling
Bell task – swap draft paragraphs and peer assess by SIR marking
(focus on literacy, accuracy & clarity).
Students given time to complete posters for topic summative
assessment.