Coasts Lesson Plans - for GCSE and KS3

1. KENTED have put together a very nicely illustrated scheme of work and resources for Key Stage 2 (although some ideas adaptable to Key Stage 3). HERE are the resources. Certainly the little role-play is something I'd consider using with Year 7 groups. There's an excellent booklet to download with lots of stuff about Sammy Seagull - click the SAMMY SEAGULL link for the resource. Recommended. Updated link September 2006 - note the other resources on this page...

2. The South West Grid for Learning have an excellent area all about the JURASSIC COAST OF DORSET and East Devon with some excellent graphics and the chance to take a virtual trip. Lots of detail to flesh out case study work. Learning resources on locations like West Bay and Lyme Regis. http://www.swgfl.org.uk/jurassic/ Recommended.

3. FLAMBOROUGH HEAD information. Go HERE and answer the questions on the WORKSHEET thanks to M Willard for putting these up.

4. An idea which is adapted from Thinking Skills work. Produce a series of double sided cards or 'dominoes': each one has a word related to coasts (or any other topic obviously...) on one side of the card and a definition which doesn't match on the other. You also need to make sure that the words are in a sequence, so that the first word has the definition of the last word on the other side (an idea taken from some numeracy cards which we use in our school with our form groups)

These are called LOOP cards. You could also try a variant of TABOO, where students have to guess / define a word without using various other words.

Could also develop some ODD ONE OUT materials e.g. Abrasion, Corrasion, Groyne - a variation I noticed recently was that each of the Odd Ones Out fits into one of the other groups, so that all the words are actually used at some point. The Odd Ones Out are then put into a final group. This could get a bit involved !

5. The HOLBECK HALL HOTEL

Use Microsoft Publisher or Word to produce a newspaper article.

There is a small selection of images available on the Internet to add to the article, or appropriate clip art may be located. Students need to perhaps put themselves in the places of the guests.

STARTER

Ask the pupils to close their eyes and imagine themselves lying in bed in a posh **** hotel, with a wedding to go to in the morning. Suddenly you're woken by a banging on the door, and someone is shouting that you have to get out of your room. What reasons could you think for this happening ?

Mr. Swales is walking his dog along the beach. He throws a stick for his dog. Suddenly he takes out his mobile phone and dials 999. Why is he doing this ?

Once you've had their ideas, show them the image (from Geog.2, p.16 or on OHT or Digital Projector)

We also had a rather good image as part of the booklet of photos for this year's GCSE exam, showing the landslip from above. This is the best image I've seen so far of the Holbeck Hall.

This activity lends itself well to ICT. Producing a newspaper front page, or a 'postcard from the edge'...

It's also been used quite a lot elsewhere since I originally posted it here.

Another one of my better ideas.... it's certainly been 'borrowed' a few times...

A red folder needs to be created with the words 'Old Harry: This is your life' - need to create the various sections of the book, explaining how the rock which he is made from was created, and looking to the future. Remember that Old Harry was married for a time, but his wife left him in the 1890's (and he never re-married....) Students produce the sheets and the best ones get to go in 'the big red book'....

Need to have a diagram or 2 or 3 showing the sequence of erosion by which Old Harry was created.

Noel Jenkins has a good Powerpoint which has a sort of repetitive 'rap' to get the sequence across....

Photos can be labelled using appropriate photo software. There are many photo archives online, and many people offer photos out of the goodness of their heart.

See the RESOURCES page for these and others, including Ian Murray's GEOGRAPHY PHOTOS.

The JFK school in Hertfordshire have produced some excellent ICT resources. They have also placed online an excellent resource: a project for EDEXCEL 'B' students (but useful for other syllabuses...)

Go to: http://www.jfk.herts.sch.uk/north_norfolk/ for the information. Has some very useful sections: information on a Case Study of the NORTH NORFOLK COAST. There is also a look at changing coastlines over time, and it includes the interesting snippet of the change in name of the term MANAGED RETREAT to MANAGED or COASTAL REALIGNMENT as the former sounds a little too negative. Has maps, details on the processes, study of floods in 1996, and close ups on areas such as the Freiston Shore over the other side of the Wash There are details on beach management at Overstrand, and details on the relative merits of HARD and SOFT engineering, and salt-marsh conservation. This is an excellent resource and is a Recommended visit.

Has a range of excellent photos of the defences at places along the coast, such as Sheringham, where there are even costings of some of the various methods used.

This village at the southern end of START BAY is still marked on the map, but hasn't got much remaining. The fishing village was virtually wiped out in a storm in January 1917. This was due to the dredging of thousands of tons of pebbles to build the Devonport docks. This had been done since 1898, and the beach had visibly changed as a result. Just north from here is SLAPTON SANDS: a BAR behind which is a freshwater lagoon (although the sea is doing its best to turn it to saltwater....) - get pictures of coastal features like this from GEOGRAPH.

I was intending to do a resource on this some time ago, and I still will when I get the time. I was in touch with various local people, some of which I have since seen on the 'Coasts' series, and will develop this soon - promise! Try an image search and you'll see what I mean about the ruins of the village perched on a platform at the base of the cliffs.

11. Some new resources by Rob Chambers at GEOBYTES - click on Department, then Online Resources, then SLN Resources

This made the news in January 2007: a container ship which ran aground off the coast of Branscombe, part of the Jurassic Coast near Sidmouth, and a place we visited a couple of summers back....

I'd show some pics of beach pollution - Flickr or some such site will have lots (could always link it in with MSC Napoli at the moment)
Students need to come up with criteria for beach they would be happy to visit. What would they like to see ? What sort of management or facilities ?
Print off criteria used for various awards and see how closely they match.
Perhaps design a questionnaire that could be used by a beach inspector..
Show students some slides of a beach area local to you (or assembled from Flickr) and get them to grade it using their inspection criteria ?)

A new project which has a whole range of lessons to download which would be enough for a whole new scheme of work on coastal management. A good cross-curricular link with France too...

Thanks to LittleMiss from SLN for giving link to the Yorkshire Post gallery on Coastal Erosion. Some frightening pictures....

Also fits in nicely with the 'Shifting Sands' video - and the famous cow-fetish Geographical Eye video with Muriel Gray voiceover...

Was recently contacted by Chris, who is behind a newish site called SURFING GENIE

The website aims to get us all visiting UK beaches rather than heading off abroad, and also provides a key resource for those interested in surfing, which is a growing sport in the UK.

Has link to an animated GIF showing the surf height in the Atlantic, and perhaps most useful is a search function which allows you to find a beach to suit your needs within the UK.

Abrasion	A type of erosion which involves rocks being broken down into smaller particles.
Cliff	The distance of open sea over which the wind can blow to create large waves.