Baltic flour mill - architectural view

An architect's view of the Baltic Flour mill, Gateshead. Fits in perfectly with whatr we've been doing on Gateshead's inner city redevelopment

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Diary of a self confessed Geography geek

I have created an alter-ego, Brian Stack, a young Geographer who by his own admission is an utter Geography geek. Brian does have his uses though. He is currently visiting various places that have formed part of your GCSE Geography case studies. Beginning in the CBD of Middlesbrough, Brian has the misfortune of terrible things happening to him wherever he goes to. However, he can be relied upon to report accurately on aspects of the places and the processes going on, so as well as hopefully being entertaining it should be informative too.

To catch up with Brian, click on the following link there will be regular updates...

www.totalgeographygeek.blogspot.com

Help for revision and lesson work (GCSE)

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After a long break, the blog is back! Lots of help will be found here to help you in the lead up to exam time, and just as general help with the topics we are doing in class...

How to use Spearman's Rank for your GCSE coursework

I have outlined below how to use Spearman's Rank Correlation Co-efficient for comparing different sets of data. Those of you who have done the Saltburn and Yarm work can also use this, as long as you ensure that you do at least 12 sets of data. Those people doing Rivers obviously have 15 sites we covered at the Glenderaterra Beck. Along with this powerpoint, do also use the structured sheet I provided you with in class.

Coasts - An introductory movie

Look at the following movie and write down as many aspects of coasts as you can see...

Flooding...

All rather topical really...

You are all working well on your coursework at the moment. As an aside, you may want to take a look at this movie I've put together on the Boscastle floods of 2004. Click on the link below to be taken to the relevant place. It would be just as relevant to look at the ones in Rotherham and Doncaster once the long term effects can be assessed.

More coursework help and activities are on their way, which I've been working on, so do keep checking for updates :)

Download: Posted by prioryman at TeacherTube.com.

Some pictures from The Lakes trip 07...

Some pictures of the Glenderaterra (if you are struggling for any for doing annotated photos) can be found at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9062648@N08/sets/72157600422099979/show/

Ross does Rivers...

Well done to all of you for ensuring that your methodology sections were sent in to me on time. Not only that, but they were of a high quality. Still lots to do in the next two weeks though, and keep your eyes open for more resources for your introduction and data presentation sections over the coming days.

Fresh from the success of his expedition into Yarm and Saltburn, our character 'Ross' now does Rivers...use this to help you with your Location study, expectations and hypotheses, as well of course as the files and powerpoints available on the VLE!

Click me...I've got something to say!

Get a Voki now!

Doing annotated photographs for your Data presentation section....

Site 3 at the Glenderaterra Beck, originally uploaded by Mark Cowan.

A useful way of not only getting across your understanding, but also picking up marks on the data presentation section, is to do annotated photographs. You would insert your picture into MS Word, then add arrows with detailed labels.

Try clicking the above picture. It will take you Flickr. Here you can hover over the picture of Site 3 for suggestions of things you could comment on!

I'll do one for the Settlement coursework some of you are doing in the coming days!

Bangladesh floods

I recently discovered a great programme - Quandary - for making interactive stories. I've done one for the Bangladesh floods of 1998. Try it out by clicking the following link...

http://uk1.hotpotatoes.net/ex/21613/RRDWBXSP.php

Let me know what you think of the above via the comments option below. Do you think a similar sort of thing for what should be included in the different GCSE coursework sections would be useful?

When you do your Introduction, check out this cartoon to give you ideas...

Working on your GCSE Methodology section? A checklist!

A tutorial (with my awful voice) on how to do scattergraphs using Microsoft excel...

How to do proportional pie charts - watch this carefully if you are doing Saltburn and Yarm or Keswick!

25% please

Your coursework is worth 25% of your final Geography mark. The importance of this cannot be overstated. I did a few calculations, and this means that if the coursework is 25%...

Coasts, Rivers and Plate Tectonics are each worth less than 10% each

Settlement, Managing Tourism and Resources, Industry and Map skills are each worth around 10% each.

You do around 20 hours on each of the topics on Industry, settlement, etc (classwork and homework)

So translated, full marks on your coursework are the equivalent to two and a half topics on Paper 2...this would equate to around 50 hours of work.

This seems a lot of time, but you have several hours in class and overall it is certainly worth it. Today's Paper 2 exam sprung up a few surprises and some of the questions were genuinely difficult. Thankfully, most of our students have gone into this exam safe in the knowledge that they have a healthy coursework percentage already.

Some food for thought!

Saltburn and Yarm...

Well, tomorrow we start the Year 10 Saltburn and Yarm fieldwork. In summary. don't forget the following:

Consent form - without it you cannot go!

Trainers - yes, for once we are actually allowing you to wear them. Make the most of the opportunity!

Disposable camera - no point in taking your 'flashy' digital one for it to get broken, but it is a good idea to get some pictures

A clipboard or something generally to rest on

A freezer bag to cover your work in case its wet.

Pens and pencils to complete the surveys

Mr. Cowan

A big success!

Well done to those who made Blencathra '07 a fantastic experience!

I think everyone (both Y10 and staff) will agree that was a fantastic few days of fieldwork in the Lake District! The weather was great, fieldcentre staff were helpful and accommodating, and the work was interesting and obviously very important for the follow up work we do for coursework. You now have a choice of which piece of coursework you will folow-up - the effect of tourism on the shopping patterns of Keswick or a study of the Glenderaterra Beck and how channel variables change downstream. That decision needs to be made fairly quickly and work will go on in the next few weeks on each of the sections, which were highlighted in a previous post.

I would like to post some pictures on here and on the VLE - if you have any you want to go on here, I will choose a selection from those sent to my e-mail address at mfc@egglescliffe.org.uk
Thanks to those of you who have already sent me some. A sub-selection can be seen above...

Tourism in LEDCs done and dusted...

Well, that's four lessons we've had on Tourism in LEDCs, having covered Kenya (mass tourism) and Zimbabwe (Green tourism). There will be no more 'conventional' lessons again this year because each lesson will be focusing on coursework.

Hoping for a good few days of weather in the Lakes, and with a bit of luck for it to go on into next week when we are in Saltburn and Yarm. Mind you, you only need to say the words 'Geography fieldtrip' and it is a sure guarantee of rain. There we are - those two words could be a solution to the world's drought problems!

This topic of Tourism is frequently examined on Paper 2 of the real exam.

If you click below you'll notice on p23 there is a question where you could easily talk about Kenya. But look carefully at the wording of the question. Environment - in the past, students focused on why the country would attract people, rather than on what is attractive about the environment to people from places in Western Europe (i.e. - UK)

http://www.aqa.org.uk/qual/gcse/qp-ms/AQA-3031H2-W-QP-JUN04.PDF

Finally, whilst general surfing myself I stumbled across this really impressive video on the advantages and disadvantages of tourism to Kenya, by students in Year 10 at another school in Bury. Very impressive, as I'm sure you'll agree, so a big thank you to them...

Kenya...

As we know, Kenya (in parts) suffers from 'too much tourism'. There are lots of clips which cover the natural beauty of Kenya, and also its main attractions. Check these out...



This is obviously the tourist board take on things, but can you list 5 possible problems that could arise from some of the activities on the video?

Equally, we watched the Masai in the lesson talking about how their culture and traditions have changed. Look at this quick video clip below. Is this the true face of the Masai? Or is it just a tourist trick geared towards bringing in much needed income? You decide...

Zimbabwe CAMPFIRE lesson

Just goes to show that the elephants get everywhere in Zimbabwe! Can we blame the locals and farmers for getting a bit fed up and worried about their crops, livestock and children?

Thought we had a good lesson on Zimbabwe's CAMPFIRE scheme today. A few of you looked a bit shocked at the idea that we shoot animals to preserve them! A lot of people are against the idea but what would the alternative be? Perhaps there would be few elephants at all in Zimbabwe if the farmers weren't on-side and seeing the elephants as a resource. In this sense its a strange example of eco-tourism or green tourism, but an interesting one nonetheless. Hope you can all sleep after the rather disturbing thought from the two gents at the back that the elephants might be shot just as they are approaching their final resting place!!

For further ideas (and interesting ones) on Zimbabwe, click here

http://www.globaleye.org.uk/secondary_spring2002/focuson/case1.html

What's the fieldcentre like?

Obviously many of you are heading off to the Lakes this week, but where exactly are you going on your magical mystery tour?

Well, this is a general view of the valley where the village of Threlkeld can be seen...

The actual centre itself is set in a beautiful location. It has small, narrow roads leading up to it. Remind me to tell you what happened to me on the coach going there for the first time four years ago! Painfall memories...

The OS map below shows quite nicely where it is found!

Here is the centre from the outside, though I'm not sure this picture really does it justice as it looks a bit ramshackle, but that's not the case at all...

What do you need for the Lakes?

For those of you packing for the lake district you may be wondering if you have remembered everything. You may also be wondering how on earth you will fit it all in! Well, help is at hand in terms of what to bring. Use the following as a checklist...

Things to take for Blencathra 07 (not exhaustive, but covers the main things!)

Clothes for all weathers - lots of thin layers is better than a few thick ones for keeping the heat in. Don't be fooled into thinking it will be hot in the Lakes - it has happened once in the times I have been...!

Suncream - Hang on! Doesn't this contradict the above? Well, partly, but its also exposed where we will be and you can quickly catch the sun. You may fancy the prospect of being the next David Dickinson but trust me, sunburn can be nasty!

Footwear - blisters are the next best (or worst) thing to sunburn. You will need walking boots and/or wellies. If you haven't got your own, bring money (about £5) to hire them from the centre.

A clipboard - invaluable in Keswick on the first day for resting on and storing your information. If you haven't got one or its just too late to get them (you really should have been more organised, shouldn't you! ) then a hard backed folder will do just fine.

A freezerbag - not for food but for covering your work in Keswick if it is raining. You can then still see what you are doing without ruining your work!

Money - You don't have to bring a wad of cash to flash, but do bear in mind that on the first day you need to buy your lunch in Keswick, and there is a tuck shop at the centre that is open on a night, so do bring some money.

Waterproofs - An absolute necessity - you will have a miserable time if you get soaked. Not only that, but it can be dangerous!

Stationery - important you have colours, ruler, calculator, pens and pencils, etc for the follow up work in the lab.

Camera - you might not want to bring your best digital one, as these have a habit of being dropped in rivers! A disposable is good though for taking some quick shots to include in your coursework.

Your favourite teddy to keep you company (joke).

Obviously there will be other things you'll need but hopefully the things above will help to jog your memory!

See you there!

Mr. Cowan

GCSE fieldwork...

24th May 2007

Straight after half term we embark on fieldwork. The importance of this can't be overstressed, as the coursework counts for 25% of your final GCSE mark and most of this work will be completed by the end of the summer term. By the summer it is expected that you will have completed (at the very least):


INTRODUCTION

METHODOLOGY

DATA PRESENTATION

DATA ANALYSIS

This will only leave the EVALUATION section needed to be completed over the summer. Keep checking this blog for further details and help that will appear in the coming weeks and months

Mr. Cowan

Welcome

Welcome to my Blogspot!



This is a site dedicated to students I teach Geography to at Egglescliffe School. In future weeks resources will appear here, as well as reminders of homework, help on tasks, links to videos and so on.



Keep checking the site for updates.



Happy blogging!



Mr Cowan