Middle School Curriculum 2024-2026

Geography

History

Edexcel IGCSE Geography 4GE1

Edexcel IGCSE History 4HI1

Why study Geography? Geography is the subject that tackles ‘head on’ the complexities of meeting the needs of today without compromising those of the future. It offers an integrated study of the fascinating relationships between people, places and the environment and allows pupils to explore many of the pressing challenges of the 21 st Century. Through diverse activities, pupils will extend their knowledge and broaden their interest in the world around them. Fieldwork is undertaken locally and on the Dorset coast. What does the course cover? The course covers a broad range of physical and human environments and the dynamic interrelationships between them. In Physical Geography, pupils study hazardous environments including the challenges represented by earthquakes, volcanoes and tropical cyclones, how these forces of nature develop and their impacts and management. In their study of coastal environments, pupils discover spectacular landscapes and consider the challenges of defending against coastal erosion and sea level rise and of protecting specialised and precious ecosystems such as coral reefs. This unit involves fieldwork and primary data collection.

Why study History? The History course at Ibstock provides a thrilling journey through some of themost momentous events and periods of the 20th Century. It helps us understandwhy some of themost extraordinary events came to pass and how the consequences of these events have shaped theworld that we live in today. The study of Historywill equip you with important skills to take into adult life. Orally, History gives you the opportunity to develop your ability to construct and deliver ideas in open debate, somethingwhich has become increasingly important in everyday life. Youwill learn tomarshal your ideas and evidence to build powerful, convincing and logical written arguments and you will master analysis and testing of complex evidence, such as speeches, printed extracts and newspaper articles. It is nowonder, then, that historians go on to pursue a variety of high-powered careers including law, finance, journalism, themedia, politics and education. What does the course cover? The course covers some of the most memorable and significant moments of British andWorld history in the 20th Century. We start with the extraordinary story of America in the post-war world up to 1974. Our study begins with the McCarthy witch-hunt era and then moves into a longer study of the development of civil rights in the 1950s and 1960s. A major element of this study is the fight for black American civil rights, but we also cover other protest movements including the women's movement and the student movement. Our America course ends with the notorious Watergate Scandal, which rocked the entire nation.

We then study the causes and course of the First WorldWar, charting increasing international tensions from 1904 leading up to the assassination in Sarajevo, before undertaking a detailed review of the war itself, notable individuals, the methods of warfare and the factors bringing it to an end. We move on to Stalinist Russia, considering Stalin’s manoeuvring of himself into leadership of the USSR and his elimination of opponents. We study the reflection of communist ideals in industry and agriculture and follow the course of the USSR through the Nazi onslaught and its emergence as a global superpower. Our last unit, on ‘China: Conflict, Crisis and Change 1900-89’ focuses on China during an extraordinary era of change over the best part of a hundred years. Our study begins with China still being ruled by an emperor and takes us through the era of the warlords up to the triumph of the Chinese Communist Party in a civil war. We then move on to changes under Mao and the impact of the Cultural Revolution before finishing with an appreciation of China in the years up to 1989. How is the course assessed? The final grade is based on performance in two written examinations where pupils answer a variety of questions from short answer to longer essay questions. Candidates will demonstrate their sourcework skills using primary evidence supplied. Pupils answer one question on each of their depth studies: Dictatorship and conflict in the USSR, 1924–53; A divided union: civil rights in the USA, 1945–74. Paper 2: Historical investigation and breadth study 50% of final mark 1 hour 30 minutes Pupils answer one question on their investigation: The origins and course of the First WorldWar, 1905–18 and one on their breadth study: China: Conflict, Crisis and Change, 1900-89. Paper 1: Depth studies 50% of final mark 1 hour 30 minutes

In Human Geography, pupils study urban environments, assess the reasons for and challenges presented by the dramatic rise in urbanisation, and discuss the complex issues around sustainability, social and economic inequality. In the Economic Activity unit, the dynamic global economy and how different places fit into it is studied, issues relating to resource management and the challenge of meeting global energy needs whilst reducing carbon footprints. In Globalisation and Migration , the acceleration in global trade and its impacts are considered, looking at the impact of the boom in international tourism and exploring pathways to more sustainable travel. The fascinating world of international migration and its effects are also studied. How is the course assessed? The final grade is based on performance in two written examinations:

Paper 1: Physical Geography 40% of final mark 1 hour 10 minutes

Pupils answer short and longer tariff questions on Hazardous and Coastal Environments, including their own and unfamiliar fieldwork.

Paper 2: Human Geography 60% of final mark 1 hour 45 minute s

Pupils answer short and longer tariff questions on Economic Activity and Urban Environments, including a fieldwork-related question, and on Globalisation and Migration.