Level 1 Geography

Geography is the study of the environment around us.  We look at aspects of physical, human and environmental geography, developing an understanding of the interactions that occur between the cultural and natural environment. 

We will be learning about:

• Spatial distribution of features in the environment - we study a variety of global patterns and why things are located where they are -  specifically focusing on the the factors and causes of the spread of COVID in March 2020, which caused it to be be in certain parts of the world and not others. They will be using ArcGIS software and creating a Story map to present their findings.
• Research -  conduct a field trip where research and data collection will occur in the field.  We will be studying water quality from source to the river mouth -  specifically starting off at the beautiful Putararu Blue Springs, following the river down to the town of Te Aroha testing water quality at sites along the way.
• We will be improving students' breadth of knowledge of the natural processes that are necessary for natural hazards to occur  -  we will be looking at earthquakes, volcanoes, tropical cyclones, tsunamis, and flooding, looking specifically at case studies  of Mt St Helens in relation to volcanoes, and Christchurch in relation to earthquakes.
• We will also be learning about perspectives and how they influence planning and decision-making that is carried out in New Zealand and the Pacific.  We will be studying a variety of geographic issues around the concept of resources, specifically looking at hydroelectricity here in New Zealand with the Waikato River, and how Karapiro dam was a contentious issue.  We will also look at the conflict around wind farms in NZ, specifically Raglan and overseas. Students will be required to develop an understanding of how perspectives influence our use of the earths resources, in New Zealand and the Pacific.

We plan for the Level 1 course to be a comprehensive introduction to a range of geographic ideas so that students will have a broad understanding of geographic topics and issues by the end of the year.

To see what Level 1 students have done this year follow us on instagram@sjcgeography