Exploring the Concepts and Content in IGCSE and IBDP Geography
ElectroCity is a game developed by Genesis Energy where you can build and maintain the growth of a city in a multitude different ways. It teaches students about sustainable urban growth and energy consumption, in an intriguing and memorable way.
ElectroCity link: http://www.electrocity.co.nz/
The link below is to a nifty little game I have used in class to let students discover the consequences of biotic and abiotic resource extraction from the ocean. Nice to use as an activity to introduce content, use it as an activity to summarise what they have learned, or both!
Game from Crystalline Green Ltd: https://crystalline-green-ltd.itch.io/ocean-mining
Last year, my grade 12s really enjoyed this activity for their revision and it ended up being quite straight forward to run. If you don’t have one, make an account at www.padlet.com. As a teacher, on a Smartboard, projector, Prowise; whatever you use, you can copy and paste one of the questions into a padlet. Share the link to your padlet with your students, who can then via any device access it and respond to the question. I did it in groups, so in teams of 3 students could come up with their answer. Then, as a class, when all groups had answered, we looked at the responses on the big screen to analyse who did the best and compare/contrast responses.
Padlet: www.padlet.com
Hazards and Disasters Revision Questions: Hazards and Disasters Questions
Urban Environments Revision Questions: Urban Environments Questions
Global Interactions Revision Questions: Global Interactions Questions
Mind you, these questions were based on the old syllabus, but there are still many relevant and useful questions that have ties to the new syllabus. Also, some questions are quite specific to what I taught in class, so be aware that they will be of no used to you.
The link below is to a good activity/game with regards to Urban Environments and Land Use. I have used it previously with IGCSE students, but it could definitely be adapted for IBDP students. I would recommend doing it at least over two periods; when I did it with my IGCSE students, it took around 2 hours before we could begin to wrap things up.
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/settlement-game-6446289
The link below is to a feature run by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development on Social Housing in Vienna. This is in many ways linked to the social deprivation area of the syllabus, as well as a more eco-city designed detailed example.
https://www.huduser.gov/portal/pdredge/pdr_edge_featd_article_011314.html
The link below leads to a download of photographs I have taken of this social housing district of Vienna in the spring of 2018. I have annotated them in order to display features of thoughtful urban planning.
Click the link below to access the general outline of an IA I did two years ago with my grade 12 (IBDP 2) class. It was geared towards the old syllabus, though it still can work well with the new one. Use it for an idea if you are thinking about designing a new Urban Environments IA!
Geography Internal Assessment Design
A short and sweet case study about the causes and consequences of air pollution in Beijing, China. Published by Ohio State.
GIS is no longer the ‘future’ of geography, it is the now. Browsing through Linkedin jobs, it is clear that any single job related to geography makes it a baseline requirement that the applicant have experience with GIS.
Click the link for an online, free training with the world-renowned GIS company, ESRI. It is a great introduction to the mechanics and usefulness of GIS. It is a course that is helpful for students and teachers alike, and at the end you get a certificate (PD hours!). You will need to make a (free) account.
Click the link to access the PDF document I have made meant to help my EE students have a clear and practical understanding of how to approach the grade descriptors. I have collated ideas from the grade descriptors, assessment criteria, Geography EE reports, and ideas from workshops I have been on, both Geography and extended essay.
Alberts Geography EE Checklist
Below is the PDF download to a Collins revision list/glossary of foundation level geographic terms. Using this can really beef up terminology usage and thereby improve essay writing as well as understanding of short answer questions. The pictures and diagrams throughout can be very helpful to understanding the definitions.
Collins Glossary of Geographical Terminology
(Image taken from link)