AQA GCSE Geography lesson for the new specification Unit 1A: In this second lesson in the section we look at the natural causes of climate change. We start with a quick knowledge check on climate change with a quiz. We then look at orbital changes, sunspot activity and volcanic eruptions as mechanisms for causing climate change. The pupils will have a worksheet to fill in and there are information sheets for each mechanism. This could be done as a round the room activity or group work, it’s up to you. We use Tambora as an example of volcanic activity affecting climate. We finish with GCSE-style question with some suggested content if they need help. In a nutshell lesson includes: Climate change quiz starter Worksheet activity on mechanisms for natural climate change Video clips where appropriate GCSE-style question with guidance on suggested content. Hope this saves you some valuable planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE Geography lesson for the new specification Unit 1A: In this fifth lesson in the section we look at how we can manage the impacts of climate change. the starter is designed to test the pupils understanding of the significance of the USA’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement by asking them to make connections between the pictures. It can open up discussion too, We then look at 4 methods for reducing carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. Alternative energy sources, carbon capture, planting trees, international agreements. The pupils will have a worksheet with several tasks to complete such as describing the method, explaining how it reduces CO2 concentrations, rating the method for sustainability and explaining their rating. We finish the lesson with a GCSE-style question on international agreements with some guidance on how to answer if they need it. In a nutshell lesson includes: Discussion starter on the Paris Climate agreement Worksheet task on the four methods of mitigation Information cards Video clips where appropriate 6 mark GCSE-style question with content guidance Hope this saves you some valuable planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE Geography lesson for the new specification Unit 2A: In this lesson we look at social opportunities in one borough of London, Shoreditch. We start with a photo interpretation of Shoreditch today so the pupils can start to think about what Shoreditch is like and what type of people may live there. the pupils will have a worksheet to work through as the lesson progresses. we start by looking at Shoreditch in the 1980’s (1981 really due to census data). The pupils get a feel for what the borough was like then. We then introduce modern day Shoreditch with a video. The pupils then use an information sheet to complete tasks regarding various aspects of life there including housing, ethnic and cultural mix, entertainment etc. We briefly consider the negatives of urban change in the area before tackling a GCSE-style question on the positive impacts urban change has had on people in a HIC. The pupils do have some help with some points to get them going if they need it. In a nutshell lesson includes: Photo interpretation starter Worksheet task on old and new Shoreditch Video clips where appropriate GCSE-style question with guidance Hope this saves you some valuable planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE Geography lesson for the new specification Unit 2A: In this lesson we look at economic opportunities in London, focusing on the regeneration of the London Docklands. We start with a photo interpretation of the London Docklands in the late 1970s. The pupils start to think about why the area has declined and how it might affect the residents. We then introduce the concept of urban regeneration and start by looking at the history of the Docklands and the pupils complete spray diagram of reasons why the area feel into disuse. We then look at the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) and the pupils create an annotated diagram ‘the road to regeneration’ using information from the board. Once we have completed the diagram we tackle a 6-mark question on economic improvements in a HIC city. The pupils do have some help with some points to get them going if they need it. In a nutshell lesson includes: Photo interpretation starter Several tasks around the London Dockland’s and the LDDC Video clips where appropriate GCSE-style question with guidance Hope this saves you some valuable planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE Geography lesson for the new specification Unit 2A: In this lesson we look at both the national and international importance of London. We start with a retrieval practice grid which you can populate with your own questions relevant to topics you have covered. We then do a quick photo interpretation activity on London to get the pupils thinking about why people would visit and what activities are going on in the city. The pupils then consider reasons why London is important. I usually create a spray diagram as a class. We then use some facts about London to organise them on a worksheet on national and international importance. We add any ideas from our spray diagram and then categorise them into social, economic and political. We finish with a 6-mark question on the importance both nationally and internationally on a city in an HIC. the pupils have some guidance on how to answer the question if you wish to use it with them. In a nutshell lesson includes: Retrieval starter quiz Photo interpretation activity Importance of London nationally and internationally worksheet GCSE-style question with guidance on how to respond Hope this saves you some valuable planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE Geography lesson for the new specification Unit 2A: In this lesson we look at where people in the UK live and the reasons for our population distribution. The starter is based on the population total for the UK and the pupils have some questions to think about. I usually do this as a discussion. There is also a can you name 15 cities starter which works well for high ability groups. We then look at cities in the UK. the pupils have a map and need to find the location of some of the major cities in the UK, we then briefly talk about their distribution. Next the pupils consider the human and physical factors that affect population distribution before putting this knowledge to work on a worksheet with several tasks and questions. We finish with GCSE-style question on human and physical factors that affect population distribution. In a nutshell lesson includes: Two starters on population and cities. Map task on the major cities of the UK Worksheet on the population distribution in the UK Video clips where appropriate GCSE-style question with guidance on how to respond. Hope this saves you some valuable planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE Geography lesson for the new specification Unit 2A: For this section we use London as our case study. In this lesson we introduce London, it’s location and site factors and its population. We start with a simple quiz about London to test the pupils general knowledge of the capital. We then look at the location of London and the pupils describe London’s location based on the C.L.O.C.K formula. But you could use any method. We then have a look at the history of London before the pupils undertake an ‘art attack’ activity where they are creating an annotated sketch map of the location of London and it’s settlement site factors. We then look at London’s population, looking at general facts, population structure and ethnicity. We finish with a simple GCSE-style question plenary. In a nutshell lesson includes: Quiz on general knowledge of London. Locating London activity ‘Art attack’ activity with guidance on producing an annotated sketch map Video clips where appropriate Population pyramid activity Graph interpretation task on ethnicity in London GCSE-style question with guidance on how to respond Hope this saves you some valuable planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE Geography lesson for the new specification Unit 2A: In this lesson we look at how urban change has led to social and economic inequalities in London. The starter is called “perfect paragraph?” The pupils will see a response to a GCSE-style question and need to spot the errors in the paragraph, we then discuss if anything needs adding to the answer. We then look at inequalities in London and we use an Iceberg Analysis to determine causes of social inequalities and short and long terms effects. The short term effects go in the iceberg above the water. The longer term effects go underneath the water. We then consider what indicators could we use to map social deprivation. We use percentage of people on benefits as an indicator and the pupils create a choropleth map of London. We consider the pattern and the pupils look at what the benefits and drawbacks of presenting the data this way is. Once we have completed the diagram we tackle a 6-mark question on social inequalities in a HIC city. I usually do this as a live writing exercise, but there is guidance should the pupils need it. In a nutshell lesson includes: Perfect Paragraph Starter Iceberg analysis of cause and effects of social inequalities Choropleth map activity using percentage of people claiming benefits as an indicator. GCSE-style question with guidance or live writing exercise. Hope this saves you some valuable planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE Geography lesson for the new specification Unit 2A: In this lesson we look at air quality and waste management issues in London. There is a photo interpretation starter around landfill in London, e usually discuss how landfill and disposal is not a sustainable method of waste disposal. We then look at air quality in London, we consider the causes of poor air quality in the city and the pupils explain the causes using the hexagons. We then consider which is the most likely cause of air pollution in London. We then use nitrogen dioxide as a proxy for air pollution and the pupils create a map to show where the concentrations are high. We discuss why this might be. We briefly look at London’s cycle super highways as a potential solution to air pollution. Moving on to waste management the pupils create a pie chart to show how London disposes of its waste, we use the pie chart and look at the city of London’s hierarchy for dealing with waste and consider how successful they have been at meeting their targets. Once we have completed the diagram we tackle a 6-mark question on waste disposal. There is guidance should the pupils need it. In a nutshell lesson includes: Photo Interpretation Starter Causes of air pollution hexagon task. Mapping activity using nitrogen dioxide as a proxy for air pollution Video clips where appropriate Pie chart activity GCSE-style question with guidance or live writing exercise. Hope this saves you some valuable planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE Geography lesson for the new specification Unit 2A: In this lesson we look at the emergence of megacities and the reasons for urbanisation. We start with a quick photo starter of Tokyo. We introduce the two concepts of natural increase and rural-urban migration. The pupils have a worksheet to fill in regarding push/pull factors, firstly adding their own ideas, then with some input from the teacher, then they categorise into social, economic and environmental. We then look at megacities, with a introductory video. the pupils then plot the location of the megacities as of 2018 using longitude and latitude coordinates. The pupils then have some extension tasks around their map. We then have a brief interlude to consider what living in a megacity might be like and watch a short clip on Tokyo and living in such a high density population. We then finish with a comparison of a map showing megacities from 1975 and answer a GCSE-style question. In a nutshell lesson includes: Photo starter Video clip Push/pull worksheet exercise with questions. Long & lat skills task followed by map interpretation. Video of Tokyo GCSE-style question using map with guidance Plenary quiz Hope this saves you some valuable planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

A worksheet/revision activity on the structure of the rainforest and plant adaptations. Aimed at GCSE but would work for KS3 aswell. Mixture of questions and colouring to be done too. Hope you find it useful. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

This is a worksheet that I use with the pupils to look at primary and secondary effects of Typhoon Haiyan. The pupils write any ‘storm statistics’ they can find on the storm related to the symbols next to them. I hope you find it useful.

Simple retrieval practice starter slide for use in geography lessons. Please feel free to download, use and adapt. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

A tropical storm-themed retrieval practice starter slide. With differing levels of question difficulty according to the storm category. Please feel free to download and adapt. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE Geography lesson for the Nigeria: A Newly Developing Economy section. The lesson is roughly one hour long but can be extended or shortened. We start by considering what quality of life means with a starter task. We then complete an activity which looks at how an improving economy can improve quality of life. We then move onto a skills task which involves the pupils plotting out indicator data for Nigeria and determining what this shows about quality of life in the country over the last 30 years. The pupils complete and extract task on whether all Nigerians have experienced better quality of life then complete a diagram to show what barriers to improving this are still to be overcome. We then conclude with a 6 mark GCSE style question with some guidance for the pupils if they need it. Included is: starter activity on quality of life Annotation task on how improving economy improves quality of life Graphical skills task on indicator data and interpretation questions Extract highlighting and interpretation task. Explanation task on barriers to improving quality of life 6-mark question with guidance and timer Hope this helps. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

An editable template to use when looking at the forces for and against a change from occurring. The driving and restraining forces can be scored to allow pupils to predict what the outcome might be. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

Sailboat analysis but with potential future problems (rocks) and helpful factors (fair winds). Hope it proves useful. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

GCSE christmas activity sheet on coasts. The pupils inform Santa all about the wonderful coastal features he flies over using their geographical knowledge. It also includes colouring activities so is perfect for a more relaxed final lesson of the term, yet still includes real geography! Needs to be printed or photocopied as A3 for best results! https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

GCSE christmas activity sheet on rivers. The pupils inform Santa all about the wonderful river features he flies over using their geographical knowledge. It also includes colouring activities so is perfect for a more relaxed final lesson of the term, yet still includes real geography! Needs to be printed or photocopied as A3 for best results! https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE Geography lesson for the new specification Unit 1A: In this third lesson in the section we look at the possible human causes of climate change. We start with a simple retrieval practice grid based on previous learning. We then look at what the scientist think and how a consensus has grown about the impact of anthropogenic influences on the climate and we watch a clip that summarises this. We then create a diagram in our books and the students are guided step by step through the greenhouse effect, creating the diagram as they go. The pupils then watch video clips on the three main greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxides. The pupils make notes around their hexagons using the video clips to help. We finish by looking at the ‘enhanced greenhouse effect’ and a 9-mark gcse-style question with guidance on how to answer for the pupils. We finish the lesson with a GCSE-style question post-it plenary. In a nutshell lesson includes: Retrieval practice starter Greenhouse effect diagram. Hexagon task on the main greenhouse gases Video clips where appropriate GCSE-style question. Hope this saves you some valuable planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer