OCR 'PILOT' GCSE GEOGRAPHY RESOURCES

This page ARCHIVED - August 2008

AN EXTREME ENVIRONMENT: exploring landscapes and processes

This involves the study of an 'extreme' environment. What is it that makes an environment 'extreme' ?

This explores the idea of landscape and landscape processes - some physical geography in there, such as weathering...

We will be using the CAPE FAREWELL pack, which is produced by the GA. We have purchased the STUDENT and TEACHER pack and will probably purchase a student pack for each student. This obviously relies on ICT input, and this may be a controlling factor in this unit. The STUDENT packs cost around £6, and we will also be trialling A4 exercise books. The pack can be obtained from the GA SHOP by following the link. Thanks to Fred Martin for sending additional information, and to Val Vannet and Steve Johnston for some excellent Svalbard images, which will appear on a gallery 'soon' (ish)

Image from Cape Farewell website of GA Pack

CLICK THE IMAGE OR HERE for MORE ON THIS PACK....

See the comments further up the page about the RGS IBG DISCOVERING ANTARCTICA site which went live on June 7th 2006, and is a dead cert to win some awards !

Also how about a visitor to your school ? Perhaps a Polar explorer ? Or someone who has worked for British Antarctic Survey.

One lesson per week will be held in the computer room. You will use these lessons to work through the pack and put together your coursework submission for each of the 3 units.

The ART in the ARCTIC programme was broadcast in February 2006, and again as part of the Climate Chaos season in May 2006. Keep an eye out for repeats.

Apparently another Cape Farewell expedition is planned for 2007 - message to David Buckland: if you are reading this and need someone else to come along on the trip, let me know - I'm up for it !

Another location which offers useful resources is the recently improved website for SOUTH GEORGIA.

This is a location I have long wanted to visit because of its links with SHACKLETON.

There is an excellent new site by following THIS LINK, which also has links to a WEBCAM.

Thanks to Fred Martin for providing further images and information relating to Svalbard and Cape Farewell.

I also have a copy of ART IN THE ARCTIC, which was shown as part of the BBC4 series of programmes on CLIMATE CHANGE in February 2006 - it includes artists like Anthony Gormley and Rachel Whiteread working on Spitsbergen with ice fragments. This is the 2nd Cape Farewell voyage.

Things to look for:

are they able to look at other people's opinions and any bias

point of view of unfamiliar environment

applying understanding of world around them to the extreme environment

what is an extreme environment

ICT element: graph / images off internet

Access to ICT suite important...

NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL in Norwich have gone for ANTARCTICA as their focus area. Try a search on the excellent NOTRE NET to find some materials.

There are also plenty of ANTARCTICA materials on the RGS site: Unlocking the Archives

Could even base a lot around SHACKLETON and his expeditions.

http://www.michellevandijk.nl/spitsbergen/index2.html - has useful information (link obtained from GA website)

http://www.snsk.no/internet/default.asp?Lang=EN - site of coal company which operates in the area: the only coal company in Norway (link obtained from GA website)

Paula Cooper's resources are available on the GA website.

There are a number of tourist companies who make trips to Spitsbergen. Perhaps you could get some fund raising going to raise the £1700 it costs for a trip via some of these companies on ice breakers.

Could also refer to David Cameron (he's the Conservative Party leader in case you didn't know...) and his visit to the area in April 2006 to highlight Global Warming (and apparently got through 30 000 gallons of fuel in the process...)

One company is called NATURAL HORIZONS. They offer trips around the archipelago, and use icebreakers to explore areas which are otherwise difficult to reach. Check out their website which has a few video clips and other materials.

Pole to Pole begins at the North Pole, and Michael Palin then visits the island of Spitzbergen before crossing it on snowmobile and joining the Hurtigruten...

Life in the Freezer - David Attenborough series from the 1990s - may find a cheap copy on video or DVD - some excellent footage...

Also see Michael Palin's SAHARA series if you are doing DESERTS instead (or mentioning them at the start of the session as a comparison)

or (that man again) Michael Palin's HIMALAYA series

http://www.palinstravels.com - see text extracts and images from all these series !!

http://www.spitsbergentravel.no/eng/

Spitsbergen page with lots on the attractions of the area.

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/scan/rossarticle.htm - a personal perspective on travelling to Svalbard

You can download a brochure on SVALBARD from the Svalbard Tourist site

http://www.svalbard.net - this is available as a PDF in several languages...

This would make a good resource to add to the school network for students to access as a PDF

http://travels.larp.se/svalbard/svalbard.html - Urban Fredrikkson visited Svalbard in 1995 - here's his diary of his travels - did he enjoy it ? What is there to do in Svalbard as a tourist ?

http://www.hurtigruten.co.uk - excellent site with downloadable PDF dossiers and brochures....

SVALBARD PACK

Available from the GA Shop

Put the CD in the drive (you'll need the necessary software to view FLASH files....)

Splash screen when CD is entered into drive. Click Enter to start	Introduction - click CONTINUE to see the story of the journey	The menu gives access to the CD contents, which can also be seen by EXPLORING the disc.

Activities will be shown in the grid on the EXTREME LESSONS page, and will be added to as the year progresses.

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