Topic title: Tectonics
Year group: 9
When taught: September to December
What are we learning?
- What is the structure of our Earth?
- What are plate boundaries?
- What are Volcanoes?
- How do they affect people – Haiti?
- CASE STUDY and Decision-Making Exercise – Montserrat
- What are Earthquakes?
- How do Earthquakes affect people?
- CASE STUDY – Japan Tsunami
- Why do people live in tectonically active zones?
- Can we plan for and protect ourselves from Earthquakes?
Why is this important to know?
- Develops synoptic links between physical tectonic processes and interaction with human activities.
- It supports students’ locational and place knowledge through studying Montserrat, Haiti and Japan.
- It helps develop an in depth understanding of physical processes particularly at plate boundaries and the resultant impact on human activity and physical landscapes.
- It begins to challenge misconceptions of hazards occurring due to distance from the Equator.
- Develops written techniques. Use of GSA (General, Specific, Anomaly) to describe distributions on maps and graphs. Use of PEEL (Point, explain, evaluate, link) to develop extended written responses through supporting points with evidence and evaluation.
Where does this link into our past and future learning?
- This closely links to the Year 8 topic on Development by looking at who is affected by tectonic hazards most and why.
- Our next topic looks at population. The Year 9 exam is a decision making paper which requires connections to be made between the tectonics and population units.
- In Year 11 in the Challenge of Natural Hazards unit the key concepts and terminology from this unit are revisited and deepened.
- This topic deepens skills such as problem solving and team work.
- Geographical skills are taught alongside this unit for 1 hour each fortnight which is linked to the key concepts in lessons.
How will we be assessed on this topic?
- The unit is assessed at the end of the unit but also in the Year 9 exam. The Year 9 exam is a decision making paper requiring connections between tectonics and population to be made with Indonesia as focus.
What makes a strong piece of work in this topic? What are teachers hoping to see?
- Accurate use of plate boundary names (Destructive subduction, destructive collision, constructive and conservative) as well as key terms such as focus and epicentre.
- Good use of GASMan (General trend, Anomaly, Specific evidence, Manipulation) to describe trends on graphs and maps.
- Effective use of extended writing techniques; PEEL (Point, explain, evidence and link).
What key words are there in this topic?
Quizlet: Click here
What can I try if I want to stretch and challenge myself on this topic?
- Research a recent natural tectonic hazard. Produce a fact file on it by including where it occurred, when, what type of plate boundary, why it occurred, how strong it was and what the impacts were.
What wider reading can be done on this topic?
Encyclopedia of Earth: a complete visual guide
