Head of Department - Mr J.W. Beck BA (Hons), DipEd (Massey) DipTchg
Email: j.beck@kingscollege.school.nz

Why do Geography?

If you think that Geography is primarily the study of place names then you will be pleasantly surprised to learn that Geography as a discipline has developed into a subject that offers the following:

1. It alerts us to our environment
2. It helps students make informed judgments on vital issues
3. It increases our understanding of local, national and international geographic issues
4. It appeals to students who have an interest in finding out what causes our surroundings to be as they are
5. It provides excellent job opportunities
6. It teaches a wide range of skills useful in later life.

So where does Geography lead?

At the tertiary level, Geography as a subject may be studied right through to a doctorate. An understanding of the changes occurring in New Zealand and overseas environments, combined with an ability in geographic skills, provides a sound background for appointments in a wide variety of fields. These include urban and regional planning, resource management and environmental planning.

The passing of the Resource Management Act (1991) has increased the demand for trained geographers who have specialised in environmental law or environmental planning. This demand is centred on territorial authorities and organisations alike. Geographers also find appointments in private companies (such as Fletcher Building and the Waihi Gold Company), Government departments (MAFQual/MAFTech, DOSLI, Crown Research Institutes), and territorial authorities (district, city and regional councils).

Some geographers become planning cosultants and therefore own their own businesses, while others who specialise in Physical Geography become surveyors and cartographers such as with the Royal New Zealand Navy's Hydrographic Survey branch. Some become expert policy analysts or join catchment boards as advisors.

At an academic level, Geography and /or Geology can be taken as a stand-alone major within a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree. The advent of conjoint degrees' enables a BA (or BSc) to be taken in tandem with a second degree (Law, for instance). This combination would enable graduates the widest flexibility in choosing the sort of organisation best suited to their talents. The list of possible careers could be widely extended. Indeed, one can easily see just how versatile Geography is!

There is so much to know and understand about the world we live in. Geographers have the chance to unravel some of the mystery and glimpse the wonders of this amazing planet on which we dewll.

It remains a truth that everyone should study Geography for at least one year while they are at college.

The main aim is to help students study natural environments such as forests, rivers and land forms and the environments that people create (eg towns, farmlands and factories). Geography also aims to help students see how people's activities affect natural environments and how natural events (eg volcanoes, floods, cyclones) affect people. The study of Geography will help students develop the skills needed to think about problems and the abilities needed to take effective actions in our democratic society.

The Year 11 Geography programme provides for students to study seven units. Four of these units (Achievement Standards) will be assessed externally and three by internal assessment within the college.

The four units which will be externally examined are:

• 1.1 Examine population patterns, processes and issues
  (essentially in New Zealand and Monsoon Asia)
• 1.2 Examine extreme natural events
  (especially volcanic eruptions and tropical cyclones)
• 1.3 Examine resource use in a farming and mining context
  (emphasis is on dairy farming and uranium mining)
• 1.4 Apply skills and ideas with direction in a geographical context

The three internally assessed units at Level 1 are:

• 1.5 Carry out directed geographic research


• 1.6 Examine a contemporary geographic issue


• 1.7 Examine a global study

It is intended that field studies will be carried out at a Clevedon dairy farm, on White Island and in Rotorua.

The Maori dimension may include:

• Tikanga Maori (customs and traditions)
• Tino rangitiratanga (rights and responsibilities for managing the land)
• Aroha (love/empathy)
• Taonga (treasure/resource)
• Kaitiaki tanga (€œcare€ for environment)
• Tapu (sacred)
• Manu whenua (right to management of iwi lands)

Students may study at Year 12 and Year 13 (with HOD approval) even if they have not taken this subject previously.

Specific course costs

Year 11 geographers will again be going on the volcanic field study to White Island cost approximately $240.

IGCSE
A new course, comprehensive, global and fascinating for all. Leading to CIE examinations and an internationally recognised qualification in Term 4.

Year 12 Geography for National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 2

The work you do throughout the year will be assessed in two different ways:

• Internal Assessment (IAAS) - assignments and activities carried out throughout the year and assessed here at King's College.
• External assessment (EAAS) - an exam in three parts, sat at the end of the academic year and assessed by NZQA assessors.

The Year 12 Geography programme is assessed against five achievement standards and two unit standards. Each has a credit rating. When you gain credit for an achievement standard or unit standard the credits contributed to your NCEA. You can also gain different grades for each achievement standard: Achieved, Achieved with Merit, Achieved with Excellence. However, unit standards are assessed as either Not Achieved or Achieved. The grade you achieve will be determined by the quality of your work as measured against national standards.

The credits you gain will not be affected by your grade however.

Achievement Standards for Level Two and the credit weighting of each are:

AS 90331 Natural Landscapes - 3 credits
US 5090 Settlements - 4 credits
AS 90333 Development - 3 credits
AS 90334 Apply skills and ideas in a geographic context - 4 credits
AS 90335 Conducted guided geographic research - 5 credits
US 5092 Analyse a contemporary geographic issue - 3 credits
AS 90337 Examine a global study - 3 credits

A-Level Course
A very well-designed global study of ˜real-geography'. An external examination in an internationally recognised qualification which gives access to all NZ universities.

A-Level Geography is a two-year course. However, A-Level subsidiary (AS) can be taken by itself and involves sitting Paper 1. Year 12 or Year 13 students may enter this course.

A2 is the advanced (Year 13) course and involves sitting papers 2 and 3.

Paper I: Core Physical Geography

1. Hydrology and Fluvial Geomorphology

1.1 The drainage basin system
1.2 Rainfall - discharge relationships within drainage basins
1.3 River channel processes and landforms
1.4 The human impact

2. Atmosphere and Weather

2.1 Energy budgets
2.2 The Earth - atmosphere energy budget
2.3 The human impact

3. Rocks and Weathering

3.1 Elementary plate tectonics
3.2 Weathering and rocks
3.3 Slopes, processes and development
3.4 The human impact

Paper I: Human Core

1. Population change

1.1 Natural increase as a component of population change
1.2 Migration as a component of population change
1.3 Population-resource relationships
1.4 The management of population change

2. Settlement dynamics

2.1 Relationships between settlements
2.2 Changes in rural settlements
2.3 Urban trends and issues of urbanization
2.4 The changing structure of urban settlements

This course was run in 2003 for the first time as part of the senior geography programme at King's College.

This course will be taught as a one year course, using Unit Standards, offered through MIT. All resources will be provided by the ATTTO (Aviation, Tourism and Travel Training Organisation). MIT will administer the course in providing all resources, assignments and marking and it will be taught here by our staff as a Year 12 course at King's.

It is envisaged that it will be an ideal course for mixed level students in Year 13, those repeating Year 12 and for those who do not wish to do geography at NCEA level 3.

Entry into this course will be by approval from Senior Dean and Head of Department.

The A2 course is studied in Year 13.

A2 Curriculum Content

Paper 2: Advanced physical geography options
1. Tropical Environments
1.1 Tropical Climates
1.2 Tropical Ecosystems
1.3 Tropical Landforms
1.4 Sustainable management of tropical environments

2. Coastal Environments
2.1 Wave and Marine Processes
2.2 Coastal Landforms of Cliffed and Constructive Coasts
2.3 Coral Reefs
2.4 Sustainable management of coasts

Paper 3: Advanced human geography options
2. Environmental Management
2.1 Sustainable energy supplies
2.2 The management of energy supply
2.3 Environmental degradation
2.4 The management of a degraded environment

3. Global interdependence
3.1 Trade flows and trading patters
3.2 The management of international trade
3.3 The development of international tourism
3.4 The management of a tourist destination

Specific course costs

The Year 13 geographers will be visiting Rotorua to study Tourism Development and degraded environments, cost approximately $100.00

The work you do throughout the year will be assessed in two different ways:

• Internal assessment (IASS) - assignments and activities carried out throughout the year and assessed here at King's College
• External assessment (EAAS) - an exam in three parts, sat at the end of the academic year and assessed by NZQA assessors.

The Year 13 Geography programme is assessed against seven achievement standards. Each has a credit rating. When you gain credit for an achievement standard the credits contribute to your NCEA. You can also gain different grades for each achievement standard: Achieved, Achieved with Merit, Achieved with Excellence. The grade you achieve will be determined by the quality of your work as measured against national standards. The credits you gain will not be affected by your grade however.

Achievement Standards for Level Three and the credit weighting of each are: