GCSE Geography Field trip to Iceland
The Year 10 GCSE Geography Field trip to Iceland will take place on 15th-19th July over 5 days. Pupils will explore volcanic landscapes on the Reykjanes peninsula; study waterfalls, beaches and glaciers of the south coast, follow the Golden Circle tour including Gullfoss, Thingvellir National Park, The Secret Lagoon spa and the Great Geysir geothermal area. New features of this year's tour include the ice cave at The Perlan Centre in Reykjavik and the geothermal swimming pool at Laugarslaug.
Year 8 Geographers are also developing effective fieldwork and mapping skills through the use of Geographical Information Systems. Students have carried out research into National Parks and have plotted interactive tours using Google Maps, ready for their presentations in class. Pupils particularly enjoyed developing a sense of awe and wonder at the range of beautiful landscapes found in National Parks across the World, and they enjoyed developing their mapping skills using iPads and PCs.
Year 9 Geographers will visit Bowness on Windermere to carry out their data collection for their fieldwork enquiry into the impact of tourism in National Parks. All year 9 pupils will have the opportunity to attend a day trip on either the 13th or 16th September 2022. Class details and pupil lists will be confirmed during the first week back in September.
Year 10 Geographers conducted their GCSE fieldwork in Cleveleys and Blackpool in preparation for their Paper 3 Skills and Fieldwork Techniques examination.
During the Physical Geography investigation, pupils assessed the effectiveness of coastal management strategies at Cleveleys by conducting a bi-polar analysis of the sea wall, wooden groynes, rock groynes and flood gates. Pupils also assessed the impact of longshore drift by measuring sediment deposits on the updrift and downdrift side of coastal groynes.
At Blackpool, pupils investigated CBD regeneration in an urban area by conducting environmental quality surveys, a land use transect and an annotated field sketch.
Pupils learnt about the importance of fieldwork skills as they planned their fieldwork investigation, carried out a risk assessment, conducted data collection, data presentation and analysis, and drew detailed conclusions. Students learnt to work well in a team and to evaluate outcomes.
Mrs S. Thompson
Teacher of Geography