This story connects directly with that, and makes for worrying reading.
It's a report by Asda which looks at the potential impact of climate change on our food security. Time to get an allotment perhaps...
Monday, 28 April 2014
Climate Change threatens our food supply
This story connects directly with that, and makes for worrying reading.
It's a report by Asda which looks at the potential impact of climate change on our food security. Time to get an allotment perhaps...
Svalbard calling...
Two Year 9 groups got the chance to talk to Svalbard earlier today, when we hooked up via Skype with Jamie Buchanan Dunlop of Digital Explorer.
Junior school pupils will remember Jamie from his visit to the school for the Big Outdoors Day.
I've done quite a few projects with Jamie over the years, and his latest trip is up to Svalbard to support work on the oceans, and the impact of acidification....
This links with our work on Endangered Biomes which will feature on the Year 9 exam.
You can follow Jamie's trip via the Facebook page, and also Twitter feed @de_updates
Miss Kyndt's blog
I'm not the only one blogging in the Department - further support and materials are also available for you on Miss Kyndt's blog.
Saturday, 26 April 2014
WWF Footprint Calculator
One of the ways that Geography can help you is to help you explore, and appreciate your impact on the planet, and also the ways that it can be reduced.
One way of measuring this impact is to work out your 'footprint'.
This WWF calculator provides an estimation based on a series of questions.
As you can see, I didn't do well... I think my travelling was the main culprit...
Why not have a go and see how you compare with me...
One way of measuring this impact is to work out your 'footprint'.
This WWF calculator provides an estimation based on a series of questions.
As you can see, I didn't do well... I think my travelling was the main culprit...
Why not have a go and see how you compare with me...
Thought for the Day
From 'Mending Wall' by Robert Frost
I let my neighbor know beyond the hill
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
We have to use a spell to make them balance:
'Stay where you are until our backs are turned!'
We wear our fingers rough with handling them.
Oh, just another kind of out-door game,
One on a side. It comes to little more:
There where it is we do not need the wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, 'Good fences make good neighbors'.
I let my neighbor know beyond the hill
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
We have to use a spell to make them balance:
'Stay where you are until our backs are turned!'
We wear our fingers rough with handling them.
Oh, just another kind of out-door game,
One on a side. It comes to little more:
There where it is we do not need the wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, 'Good fences make good neighbors'.
Pale Blue Dot
Planning some Year 7 work for the next few weeks based on this short film, the Cassini spacecraft and Earthrise images, and the Young Geographer of the Year competition (PDF download of guidelines from link)
Take a look, and find out a little more about Carl Sagan's famous speech on the Earth and why we should take more care of it.
Pale Blue Dot from ORDER on Vimeo.
Take a look, and find out a little more about Carl Sagan's famous speech on the Earth and why we should take more care of it.
Pale Blue Dot from ORDER on Vimeo.
Wednesday, 23 April 2014
Endangered Biomes - Year 9
Over the next few months, Year 9s will be exploring a range of biomes which face threats.
A biome is an environmental area which has a characteristic climate, and therefore vegetation and wildlife. They include tundra (in the Arctic), desert and tropical rainforest.
We will also be exploring the Oceans as an area of the planet which is facing increasing threats, particularly from plastics, which concentrate in certain areas of the ocean, but are also found as microbeads which can come from lots of everyday products.
Get yourself in the mood for studying tropical rainforests by listening to these soundscapes.
A biome is an environmental area which has a characteristic climate, and therefore vegetation and wildlife. They include tundra (in the Arctic), desert and tropical rainforest.
We will also be exploring the Oceans as an area of the planet which is facing increasing threats, particularly from plastics, which concentrate in certain areas of the ocean, but are also found as microbeads which can come from lots of everyday products.
Get yourself in the mood for studying tropical rainforests by listening to these soundscapes.
Food - Year 7 Exam
The Year 7 exam is on the theme of FOOD.
This is summed up in the diagram below.
This is summed up in the diagram below.
Everything we've done on food relates to:
a) Bananas - supply chain / Foncho and Fairtrade
b) Cocoa - food miles / imports etc.
c) Burger - health and malnutrition
d) Egg - animal welfare / intensive battery farms / organic
e) Fish - fish stocks in the oceans, sustainability
Some notes will be with you at the end of the week...
Tuesday, 22 April 2014
Monday, 21 April 2014
A thought for the week...
“The pain and joy of the borderlands - perhaps no greater or lesser than the emotions stirred by living anywhere contradictions abound, cultures clash and meld, and life is lived on an edge -come from a wound that will not heal and yet is forever healing.
These lands have always been here; the river of people has flowed for centuries. It is only the designation "border" that is relatively new, and along with the term comes the life one lives in this "in between world" that makes us the "other", the marginalized.” Norma E. Cantu
These lands have always been here; the river of people has flowed for centuries. It is only the designation "border" that is relatively new, and along with the term comes the life one lives in this "in between world" that makes us the "other", the marginalized.” Norma E. Cantu
Summer term about to start
Enjoy the final few days of the Easter break.
We are about to start a very busy Summer term in the King's Ely Geography Department, with a busy four months as we head towards July and the end of term.
Year 7
We have some work on FOOD to finish off first, with our menus that are good for the world handed in in the first week back so that they can be assessed. Remember that you have been given the criteria for how these will be marked.
There are exams to prepare for, which will include questions on food, reports to receive, and also a new unit of work which is based around a national competition.
The Young Geographer of the Year competition has been organised by the Royal Geographical Society. The details of the competition can be read HERE. You can also see some of the winning entries from last year here.
The theme for this year's entries is 'How can Geography help you ?' and we will be exploring that theme, and everyone will be writing an entry.
There are some great prizes that can be won.
We will also be doing some more work outside as the weather improves, and doing some work using Digital mapping.
Year 8
After our ROSES assessment has been completed, we will be moving onto a new unit on the theme of WALLS.
This will link in to the exam, and there are some final reports to receive too. The WALLS unit is based on the idea of division and boundaries.
There are lots of places in the world where boundaries cause problems.
Can you think of any famous boundaries marked by walls in locations around the world ?
Year 9
You will be going through the final assessed piece on the topic of ENDANGERED BIOMES. This will take us to landscapes and environments which will be familiar to you, and others that will be unfamiliar.
Year 10, 11, 12 and 13
The best of luck for your exam preparations, the actual exams themselves and end of term work that some of you will be doing.
As always, over the Easter holiday, there has been plenty of Geography happening. There was a terrible avalanche on the slopes of Mount Everest, which killed a number of sherpas, there were earthquakes in Rutland, and the search continues for the missing Malaysian plane.
A merit to any King's Ely pupil who finds me in the first few days of the new term, and tells me about a Geographical story that occurred over the Easter break.
A merit to anyone in Year 8 who is the first to tell me of a particular WALL that is famous, or important.
See you later this week.
Hunt out your school uniform and make sure you comb your hair :)
We are about to start a very busy Summer term in the King's Ely Geography Department, with a busy four months as we head towards July and the end of term.
Year 7
We have some work on FOOD to finish off first, with our menus that are good for the world handed in in the first week back so that they can be assessed. Remember that you have been given the criteria for how these will be marked.
There are exams to prepare for, which will include questions on food, reports to receive, and also a new unit of work which is based around a national competition.
The Young Geographer of the Year competition has been organised by the Royal Geographical Society. The details of the competition can be read HERE. You can also see some of the winning entries from last year here.
The theme for this year's entries is 'How can Geography help you ?' and we will be exploring that theme, and everyone will be writing an entry.
There are some great prizes that can be won.
We will also be doing some more work outside as the weather improves, and doing some work using Digital mapping.
Year 8
After our ROSES assessment has been completed, we will be moving onto a new unit on the theme of WALLS.
This will link in to the exam, and there are some final reports to receive too. The WALLS unit is based on the idea of division and boundaries.
There are lots of places in the world where boundaries cause problems.
Can you think of any famous boundaries marked by walls in locations around the world ?
Year 9
You will be going through the final assessed piece on the topic of ENDANGERED BIOMES. This will take us to landscapes and environments which will be familiar to you, and others that will be unfamiliar.
Year 10, 11, 12 and 13
The best of luck for your exam preparations, the actual exams themselves and end of term work that some of you will be doing.
As always, over the Easter holiday, there has been plenty of Geography happening. There was a terrible avalanche on the slopes of Mount Everest, which killed a number of sherpas, there were earthquakes in Rutland, and the search continues for the missing Malaysian plane.
A merit to any King's Ely pupil who finds me in the first few days of the new term, and tells me about a Geographical story that occurred over the Easter break.
A merit to anyone in Year 8 who is the first to tell me of a particular WALL that is famous, or important.
See you later this week.
Hunt out your school uniform and make sure you comb your hair :)
Saturday, 5 April 2014
Bananageddon - TR4 is coming
Once again, the news has caught up with us, and in today's Independent newspaper, there was a story about a disease which threatens to wipe out the bananas that we eat.
Panama Disease Tropical Race 4 is the name of the disease, which is spreading through areas where bananas are grown. A scary story for millions of people potentially...
How sustainable is your mobile phone ?
Another really useful resource for the Geography of Stuff.
This resource from The Guardian looks at the good news and bad news of mobile phones, and the components that make them up.
This resource from The Guardian looks at the good news and bad news of mobile phones, and the components that make them up.
England's £90 World Cup shirt
There was 'outrage' a few weeks ago when it was announced that fans would have to pay £90 for a replica of England's World Cup football shirts.
'The Sun' talked about what a rip-off it was.
However, King's Ely pupils in Year 8 would (I hope) be aware of the real story here.... and the Daily Mirror picked up on that today. This connects directly with our work on the Geography of Stuff, Rana Plaza, Rosa and Annie and the sweatshop improvement activity that we carried out.
This could well be mentioned when we return to school for the Summer term and get closer to the World Cup finals.
'The Sun' talked about what a rip-off it was.
However, King's Ely pupils in Year 8 would (I hope) be aware of the real story here.... and the Daily Mirror picked up on that today. This connects directly with our work on the Geography of Stuff, Rana Plaza, Rosa and Annie and the sweatshop improvement activity that we carried out.
Friday, 4 April 2014
Chile Earthquake
I hope Year 9 have been keeping track of the events in Chile following two large earthquakes in the last few days. Geography doesn't stop even though we're on holiday.
There is plenty on the BBC and other news sites, and maps have also started to be produced using ESRI ArcGIS Online, which we will be exploring in the summer term. One aspect of this has been the low casualty rate, which is down to the preparedness of the authorities for events like this.
We've also had the poor air quality of the last few days, with an air flow which has dragged sand from the Sahara Desert up over the country. Did any of you notice it on your car ? Mine is so dirty that I didn't notice...
For Year 8s, I've been reading this book as I've been asked to write about my new book 'Extreme Survival' and connect it with the idea of exploration. Year 7s can look forward to using this in the Michaelmas term this year.
I've also been busy with the launch of a new website which kicks off thinking around the idea that London should be a National Park.
Enjoy London if you're heading there over the holiday...
Enjoy London if you're heading there over the holiday...
Sphero
We've been playing with the Sphero in Geography Ambassadors, and there has just been a release of some new lesson materials, linked to the idea of coding, which we might have a go at during the summer term.
Tour de France
In the Summer term, we may well look at the Tour de France and the impact on the local area. A stage of the Tour starts from Cambridge in the weekend after we finish for the summer break, and I expect quite a few staff, students and parents from King's Ely will be watching as the cyclists move through the area.A new app from the Ordnance Survey has now been launched.
Saddle up...
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