AQA GCSE Geography lesson for the new specification Unit 1C: In this lesson we look at depositional features found in the lower course of a river. The starter is a a countdown retrieval practice quiz with dramatic countdown music! We start by looking at natural levees and how they are formed. The pupils create a sequence of diagrams to show their formation based on information on the board. They are provided with outline drawings to start with to save time. We then look at the formation of floodplains. The pupils create a diagram based on the instructions on the board without actually seeing the diagram, but there is an example if they are struggling and they are given an outline floodplain to start with. We then look at the formation of estuaries. The pupils annotate a photograph to show the different features of the estuary formed by deposition. We finish on a 4 mark question on the formation of floodplains that was in an exam in 2017. I usually model the answer after the pupils have had a go. In a nutshell lesson includes: Retrieval practice grid starter. Formation of levees sequential diagram. Formation and features of a floodplain diagram activity with outline. Photo annotation for estuaries. 4-mark GCSE 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 1C: In this lesson we look at how both meanders and ox-bow lakes are formed by both erosion and deposition. The starter is a retrieval practice grid filled in for the rivers work so far, but it’s editable. We then look at a diagram of the Mississippi flood plain and the pupils answer some questions about the archaic meanders that can be seen plotted on the diagram and how they might be formed. We then watch a short video clip on how river meanders get started. We then look at the cross section of a meander and its various features. The pupils get an outline drawing of a meander for them to colour in by numbers to start with, then label the various features on the cross section. The pupils seem to love this colourful neat diagram. The next thing we consider is riffles and pools, after discussing how they are formed the pupils create a diagram in their books for this one. We then watch a video clip on meander formation and there are some colourful diagrams to help teacher explanation. The pupils have a strip to stick in their books, there is a feint outline of the original meander to help them in their drawings. They then explain the process. We finish with a 6-mark question on the formation of ox-bow lakes with some guidance. In a nutshell lesson includes: Retrieval practice grid starter. Question answer session on old Mississippi meanders diagram. Colour by numbers cross sectional diagram activity. Diagram activity on the formation of riffles and pools. Sequential diagram task on ox-bow lake formation. 6-mark GCSE 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 1C: In this lesson we look at erosion, transportation and deposition. The starter is “which row is the odd one out”. The pupils need to work out which row has an incorrect term in. Just gets them thinking. We then look at erosion and when rivers are eroding more effectively. The pupils learn about vertical and lateral erosion and will be making some diagrams in there exercise books. They then receive a worksheet where the processes of erosion and transportation are illustrated, the pupils use an information slide (or sheet if you prefer) and label the processes on and colour code the area of the diagram where that process is displayed. We then look at how these processes vary as you progress down the long profile of a river. The pupils get another worksheet where they read the labels and draw an appropriate diagram in each box to create an illustrated log profile. We finish with a summarising pyramid plenary. In a nutshell lesson includes: Odd one out starter. Vertical and lateral erosion diagram activity Worksheet on processes of erosion Worksheet activity on processes of erosion along the course of a river Summarising pyramid 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 1C: In this lesson we look at long and cross profiles of a river and how river valleys change shape downstream. We start with “perfect paragraph”. The pupils read a paragraph describing a drainage basin and they should try to find the errors in the paragraph and what should be added in. We then introduce long profiles, and the pupils will be plotting a long profile of a river on their worksheet. We then look at the upper, middle and lower courses of the river. The pupils shade in these sections on their graph. We complete the worksheet by looking at cross profiles and how river valley shapes change downstream. The pupils create annotated cross sections of the upper, middle and lower courses using the info slides. We finish with a 4 mark GCSE-style question “describe how the shape of a river valley changes downstream”. As always the pupils have some guidance on the question if they need it. In a nutshell lesson includes: Perfect paragraph starter. Long profile plotting exercise. Cross profile diagram activity. 4-mark GCSE-style question. 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 London’s transport strategy and urban greening have improved the quality of life for people living in London. We start with a retrieval practice grid based on previous learning from this section. We then look at the green transport strategies London is adopting. Using an information sheet the pupils fill in sections on an A3 worksheet. We next look at Crossrail, the pupils consider the reasons why Crossrail was needed and the arguments for and against Crossrail before answering some questions on how it will improve quality of life in London. We move onto urban greening, using a video clip we consider the benefits of urban greening and then the pupils create a “London Eye” pie chart which they annotate to show how London is a green city and how it is continuing its urban greening. Once we have completed the diagram we tackle a 6-mark question on how environmental change have led to an increase in the quality of life for people 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: Retrieval practice starter A3 worksheet on transport in London and Crossrail Two urban greening activities. 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 2016 specification Unit 1B: In this lesson we look at how ecosystems operate, from small-scale ecosystems to biomes. We start with a retrieval practice task based around coats. We begin by looking at what the biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem are. The students are given an example ecosystem and have to categorise the components according to whether they think they are biotic or abiotic. We then look at different scales of ecosystems and look at trophic levels. The students work out which examples belong with which trophic level . We then explore an example of a food chain, using a small-scale ecosystem (a pond) the students have to work out which creatures belong in which trophic level. We then look at biomass in the food chain and discuss why biomass declines at each level. We finish with a 4-mark GCSE style question and there is some tips for students who need it on how to answer it. 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 2B: In this lesson we look at the post-industrial economy and how it has changed the UK economy. The lesson starts with a quick retrieval practice quiz. We then introduce the idea of a post-industrial economy. The pupils then complete an information gathering exercise where they collect information on three sections of the economy that are behind these changes, development of IT technology, the services industry and finance and research and development. All the information is recorded in a A3 knowledge organiser. We then finish with a GCSE-style practice question with some 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 1C: In this lesson we look at drainage basins and what types of features you find within them. We start with a photo mystery starter, the pupils only see fragments of a map of the drainage basins of the UK and Ireland. The pupils try to guess what the complete picture might be. This leads onto a discussion about drainage basins and the Amazon Basin in particular. Next we look at the features within a drainage basin. The pupils will work from a worksheet and are given a description of a feature. They must find the feature on the diagram, write the description, and then for some features they draw their own zoomed-in picture of the feature. Following this the pupils get a grid of photographs of the various features and they need to work out what the feature is. The board is editable so they can play bingo as well if you want to create bingo cards. We finish with a simple post-it plenary based on a GCSE-style question. In a nutshell lesson includes: Geographical gallery of contemporary art starter Worksheet activities on the features of a drainage basin Photo grid of the features of a drainage basin. Post-it plenary. 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 1B: In this lesson we look at what how plants and animals have adapted to the environmental conditions in the rainforest. The lesson has a retrieval practice starter to begin with. We then look at what biodiversity is and why the rainforests are particularly diverse. We then look at rainforest stratification and plant adaptations. The students have a sheet to complete and some information slides to use to complete the sheet. This could be used as a carousel or group work task. The sheet can even be coloured in! Then the students complete a mix and match up task on the most common types of animal adaptations. The students then complete a rating task with explanation as to how significant are threats to biodiversity in the rainforest. We finish with a GCSE-style practice question with some guidance and structure provided for the students. 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 environmental challenges of urban sprawl and housing provision in London. We start with a retrieval practice grid with questions based on the London unit so far (but you just amend to whatever you want). We then look at what urban sprawl is, we then consider the advantages and disadvantages of urban sprawl in a spray diagram. The pupils are given some sentence starters to help them consider what they might be. We move on to consider if there is a housing shortage in London. We use house prices as a proxy for this and the pupils spend some time working with a graph of house prices and completing some questions related to the graph. We then consider the options London has of developing on either brownfield or greenfield sites. The pupils complete a photo annotation task on the two types and what the advantages and disadvantages of building on both types are. We then move on to a mapping activity where the pupils map the available greenfield and brownfield sites for development. They answer some questions related to London’s options to solve its housing problems and what the impact on the environment might be. Once we have completed the diagram we tackle a 6-mark question on the effects of urban sprawl on the environment and people. There is guidance should the pupils need it. In a nutshell lesson includes: Retrieval practice starter Benefits and drawbacks of urban sprawl diagram task Greenfield and brownfield photo annotation task Video clips where appropriate Mapping London’s greenfield and brownfield sites task. 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 1B: In this lesson we examine the distribution of the global ecosystems or biomes. The lesson has an ordnance survey map skills retrieval practice starter quiz. We then look at what a global ecosystem or biome is and what the general pattern of their distribution is. The students complete a cloze exercise and write a paragraph introducing the concept of global ecosystems. The students then complete a colouring by numbers worksheet to familiarise them with the distribution of the global ecosystems. They then complete a worksheet on where these ecosystems can be found, using atlases to give named examples of countries that feature those particular biomes. There is another extension to this where the students create a diagram to show the importance of latitude in the distribution of global ecosystems. We finish with a GCSE-style practice question with some sentence starters and a mark scheme provided for the students. Hope this saves you some valuable planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE Geography lesson on Sustainable Urban Living using Freiburg as an example. Included in the lesson is: Video clips on Freiburg Information sheet on sustainable living in Freiburg A3 double sided task worksheet with a variety of actvities for differing abilities Practice GCSE Questions You may wish to use alongside the Oxford AQA GCSE Geography textbook, but all resources are included. Hope this helps. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE Geography lesson for the new specification Unit 2B: In this lesson we introduce the economy and how it has changed over time and why. The lesson starts with a quick retrieval practice quiz. We then introduce the idea of the economy with the pupils completing a Frayer model, we then look at where the UK is in international standings currently and where it might be in the future. We then look at the structure of the economy, we remind ourselves of the different sectors with a sorting task and then look at how the UK’s economy has changed over time. The pupils complete a worksheet and complete a pie chart. We then look at the main drivers in this change and the pupils use information sheets/slides to complete a worksheet. We then finish with a GCSE-style practice question with some 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 2B: In this lesson we look at the evidence and reasons for a north-south divide in the UK. The lesson starts with a retrieval practice task. We then briefly look at a cartoon illustrating the economic differences between the North and South of England. After introducing the concept of a North-South divide the pupils create a ‘Road to the North South Divide’ in there books by annotating a road to show how the divide was established. We then use evidence from a data table to annotate a map showing the divide. The pupils then look at the strategies that have been adopted to re-balance the difference. They use information slides (LEP’s, enterprise zones and the Lancashire LEP) and video clips to make notes for Boris Johnson to address the public about he North-South Divide. Finally we answer an exam question with some guidance for the pupils on how to answer. 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 2B: In this lesson we look at how trade and in particular Fairtrade can help reduce the development gap. The lesson has a retrieval practice starter based around Ordnance Survey symbols. We firstly introduce what tariffs and quotas are and the pupils fill in a table where they decide if the statement applies to a tariff or a quota. The pupils complete a cloze exercise on what free trade is and we then look at the benefits of being in a trading group or trade bloc. We introduce Fairtrade and there is a video clip, we then look at Uganda and coffee farmers in the country who participate in a Fairtrade scheme and community project. The pupils complete a guided reading exercise and there is also a video for this. We finish with a GCSE-style practice question with some guidance and structure provided for the students. 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 1C: In this lesson we look at types of hard engineering and where they are best applied. The starter is a quiz where the pupils need to select the squares that have a depositional landform. There are sound effects too so it’s all very exciting. We begin by looking at why certain areas of the coast need protecting and what factors go into consideration when planners are deciding whether or not to protect the coastline. The pupils are then given some information cards and a worksheet to fill in on the different types of hard engineering, they also have a visual scale to shade in for each one according to it’s effectiveness and durability, cost and sustainability. This can be done in a number of ways (group work, round the room, carousel etc). We then seek to apply this knowledge though the pupils completing a decision making exercise. This is based on a fictional town (Sandytown). The town has been divided into zones, the pupils read the information on each zone and decide what type fo hard engineering that zone needs and justify this. We finish with a 6 mark question on hard engineering with some guidance on how they can answer this. In a nutshell lesson includes: Interactive starter quiz on depositional landforms. Video clip. Hard engineering worksheet with visual scale. Decision making exercise activity. 6-mark GCSE-style question with guidance should the pupils need it. Hope this saves you some valuable planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer