Welcome to Geography 2008 -9

Well here we are - welcome to your Higher and Advanced Higher course this year.

Well done on your results and I look forward to working hard with you all this school year.

The photograph above is a Geograph photos taken by Mike Peacock of the waterfall on the Afon Berthen in Nant Ffrancon in North Wales. We will be studying waterfalls as part of the Hydrosphere section of the HIgher course.

For the HIgher class the links for the soil work we were doing today are on the Macaluay Institute web site - click on the picture below. ( These arms could be yours when we do our fieldwork later in the week !!)



For Advanced Higher we will be concentrating on fieldwork methods and trying to get decisions made relating to your Geographical Study and Critical Evaluation Issues essay - lots to do so we need to get cracking !

See you tomorrow.

Last few hints

Keep calm tonight - don't do too much and get an early night ! Have a proper breakfast and bring a healthy snack and water to have between the papers. Remember your 6 deep breaths. I will see you all in the morning and before you know it it will be lunch time ! You have worked hard this year and everyone has made progress - you know so much more than you did in August ! Read the questions really well and don't forget those examples throughout but particularly on Paper 2. Mrs Ch & I wish you all the best. I'll send all those good vibes down from Room G !

Last few days

I know a lot of you are very busy with Maths tomorrow and then French. At this stage remind yourself of your case studies so that you can use named examples - the examiners are looking out for them - used correctly of course. Look back at the posts from this time last year which link to revision ideas and sites. I am out doing fieldwork tomorrow but will check school email and the hotmail account if you have any worries.

Plan your revision over this last day or so - remember to make it effective and meaningful - facts retained not just lots of vague reading. Practise your diagrams - particularly the ones you don't like and have a last look at those psammosere plant names ! I will include a psammosere photo tonight.

Revision

Today we have been talking about focus in your revision. Plan what you are going to revise / have a purpose / revise those things you find hard ( not the ones you like!) and make sure that you can recall what it is you have learnt ! You are better spending 30 mins and remembering 6 important points from it than 3 hours and only having a vague recollection of what you have just read.

Short & Snappy & focussed. Just how we revised YDNP in class today - key points / don't repeat the question get straight into your answer and use your examples - you know them so include them.

I have seen all of the E group individually now and will see the rest of you in the B group on Monday. Please be encouraged by what I have said to you and try to follow my suggestions and it will all help you to do the best you can which is what we are all working towards :)

More on the landslip

Glad to know that some of you had already heard about the land slip. Thanks to a virtual geography colleague for all the links below.

Landslip at Black Ven, Lyme Regis
Links to pdf article below and guide to landslide watch status http://www.dorsetforyou.com/index.jsp?articleid=329889
Residential guide to landslips and their impact -http://www.dorsetforyou.com/media/pdf/s/f/Landslipping_Lyme_05.pdf http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1934737/Biggest-landslip-in-100-years-hits-Jurassic-coast.html
excellent useable study of instability east (Stonebarrow) and west (Black Ven) of Charmouth http://userweb.port.ac.uk/~gilesd/pdf/Project%20Presentations/Martine%20Mildon%20242001.pdf
pictures and links http://www.bbc.co.uk/dorset/nature/jurassic_coast/
How a news story evolves! http://www.newssniffer.co.uk/articles/120946/diff/8/9
Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/may/07/endangeredhabitats.conservation?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront
And Guardian on fossils http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2006/jan/17/fossils.uknews
I have a few photos from Lyme Regis in September 2007 http://www.stacey.peak-media.co.uk/PURBECK/LymeRegisSep2007/LymeRegisSep2007.htm
And finally …. The word http://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/lymchar.htm
Ian West’s superlative site on all things geological on the Wessex coast

Mass movement - biggest land slip for 100 years

A bit spooky this as we have been working on mass movement today. I have just heard on the 6.00 o'clock news about a major landslip on the Jurassic coast. There may be other reports but start with these links to find out more from the BBC web site. They include video footage and interviews with local people.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7388310.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/7386923.stm

Wet fieldwork

Hope you have dried out now and can remember some of the features of the psammosere we managed to see through the rain drops ! The "E" section have already played the flashcard game and psammosere word search remember it is SO important to know those plant names really well indeed. You wil not get full marks unless you do - you have been warned. The "B" section can look forward to playing the games on Wednesday as well as seeing the powerpoint of photos ! Whilst watching the presentation see if you can spot which are this years and which last - I don't think it will be too difficult ! Can you name the different stages of the psammosere shown in the photos above ?