Subject: Geography Year: 7
Dear Students,
Each week in Geography you will be expected to complete a piece of Geography work that should take you between 1 to 2 hours. This is the minimum expectation and there are lots of other useful things you could spend your time completing in your free time as listed below:
Watching Documentaries: Explore the following websites: Read the following books:
Chasing Ice BBC Bitesize Our Place by Mark Cocker Blue Planet Geoguessr Adventures of a young naturalist by Planet Earth Google Maps David Attenbrough Life Gapminder Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall Severn Worlds One Planet Kids World Travel Guide Population and Development – Tim Horizons: We need to talk World Atlas Dyson about population Earthtime.org Factfulness by Hans Rosling National Geographic Adventures through the Anthrpocene by Gaia Vince
Week Title of work Learning Intentions: Deadline for work 1 One planet, many people: how are To know how the world’s population has changed over time Friday 27th March 2020 populations changing? To understand reasons for the change in the world’s population growth To be able to present and analyse data 2 How can we describe the structure To know what the demographic transition model is Friday 3rd April 2020 of a population? To understand how the population of a country changes as it develops To be able to interpret data using population pyramids 3 Where is Chongqing and why is it To know the location of Chongqing Friday 10th April 2020 growing so rapidly? To understand why Chongqing is growing rapidly To be able to identify and explain how Chongqing will help the west of China to develop 4 What is life like for people living in To know the location of Chongqing Friday 17th April 2020 Chongqing? To understand why industry is growing in Chongqing To be able to explain how the growth of Chongqing may impact peoples’ quality of life 5 Where is Tibet and what is it like? To know the location of Tibet Friday 24th April 2020 To explore the human and physical Geography of Tibet TO be able to explain the interrelationship between the physical and human characteristics of Tibet 6 What are the impacts of developing To know how China is developing Tibet Friday 1st May 2020 Tibet? To understand the positive and negative impacts of development in Tibet To be able to analyse development from different peoples point of view If you have any questions about your work please email your class teacher and they will get back to you as soon as they can.
Mr Mullins ([email protected])
Mrs Dawson ([email protected])
Mrs Tahir ([email protected])
Mr Tsintas ([email protected])
Mr Reed ([email protected])
Mrs S Warhurst ([email protected])
Week 1:
Title: One planet, many people: how are populations changing?
The number of people living in a particular place is known as the population. For much of the world’s history the world’s population was very gradual, but in 1800 it reached 1 billion and since then growth has become very rapid. This has been called a population explosion.
As the world has developed, people live longer and more babies are born. This rapid increase in population places a great strain on the planet and its natural resources.
Why measure population growth?
In order to develop and improve the quality of life of the people in a country its government needs to understand the size and composition of the population and the rate at which it is changing. As a result, every ten years many countries conduct a census for its population.
Table A Table B Current world population: Year World population in billions 7,588,152,731 Today This Year 1800 1 Births 244,863 134,518,965 1930 2 1960 3 Deaths 101,420 55,716,720 1974 4 Population 143,443 78,802,245 1987 5 growth 1999 6 2011 7
Activities:
1) What is population? 2) Using Table A what was the world’s estimated population? 3) Why is the change in population since 1800 described as a population explosion? 4) Draw a line graph to show population growth since 1800 using the data in table B. 5) In each case calculate how long it took for the population to grown by 1 billion. 6) What is a census? 7) Explain why it is important for governments to conduct a census. 8) Read the article, describe the forecasted distribution of population growth around the world.
Week 2:
Title: How can we describe the structure of a population?
Pyramid A Population and Development A demographer is someone who studies population data collected from the census at local, national and global levels. Demographers study the birth rate, the number of births per 1,000 of the country’s population, each year; and the death rate, the number of deaths per 1,000 of the country’s population, per year. The difference between the birth rate and the death rate is the natural increase or decrease in a country’s population.
After studying industrialised societies demographers discovered that a country’s population growth rate passes through 5 different stages as it develops economically from this they create the Demographic Transition Model (DTM). This is a generalized picture of population change.
The Demographic Transition Model
Pyramid B
Using population pyramids Demographers use graphs called population pyramids to analyse the structure of populations. A population pyramid is a graph that shows the age and gender distribution of a population. The shape of the pyramid depends on both the number of people in each age group and the proportion of males and females. These pyramids are useful for governments to better understand their populations. They can use them to make predictions about the type of services that the population will need in the future, for example the number of schools, hospitals and homes.
Activities
1) Write a definition of the following terms: birth rate; death rate; natural increase or decrease; demographer. 2) What is the Demographic Transition Model? 3) Why did demographers create the model? 4) Using the DTM, compared with developing countries why do developed countries usually have: a lower birth rate, a lower death rate, a smaller natural increase? 5) What is a population pyramid? 6) What data does it show? 7) Pyramids A and B show the populations for two different countries. Which country pyramid shows a high birth rate? 8) Which country will need more retirement homes and medical services? What is your evidence? Week 3:
Title: Where is Chongqing and why is it growing so rapidly?
About Chongqing Chongqing is a little bit bigger than Scotland. Most of it is rural but it has a number of towns and cities. At its heart is Chongqing City, which sits at the confluence of two rivers: the Yangtze and the Jialing. Chongqing city is an inland port. Big ships can travel up the Yangtze, all the way from Shanghai (2380km away). In and around the city are all kinds of industries making steel, cars, textiles, chemicals, computers and much more. In the rural areas people grow rice and oranges and there are many pig farms.
The world’s fastest growing urban area Every day, building work is completed on an area of land the size of 23 football fields, creating flats, offices, shops and factories. Every day, around 1300 people move from rural areas to live in this urban area. That’s almost half a million people per year. Every day, more new businesses start up – and that means work for people.
Why no slums? China has planned ahead. It has built lots of flats, and there is plenty of work. New arrivals can soon being to earn money. Of course there are some run down buildings in the city. There are also many people who earn from little money.
Focus on industry More and more countries are setting up in Chongqing, including companies from the UK. Why? Land is much cheaper than in the east of China and wages are lower. The government has made it easy for anyone to start a business there. Most things made in Chongqing are intended for sale in China, rather than for export.
Where next? The Chongqing urban area keeps on spreading. Built up districts around the edges of the city are joining together. So the city will be at the centre of a megalopolis.
Activities:
1) Where in China is the area called Chongqing? 2) The city of Chongqing is at the confluence of two rivers. What is meant by the term “confluence”? What is the name of the two rivers? What is the term given for a smaller river that joins a larger river “t……..” 3) Chongqing was chosen to help develop the west of China. Explain why this location makes it a good choice. 4) China thinks factories are essential for its development. Explain how a factory such as a new car factory can help to make life better for people. 5) The urban area centered on Chongqing city is becoming a megalopolis. What is a megalopolis? 6) Can you give an example of another megalopolis?
Week 4:
Title: What is life like for people living in Chongqing?
The trouble with Hukou
Every day, people from rural areas move into urban Chongqing to live. But their status, or hukou, remains rural – and they do not have the same rights as city people. This is left over from the days of Mao. He wanted people to stay on the land, so he made it hard to move to the city. Most people think the hukou system is unfair. So it is being changed (slowly).
Activities
1) Who do you think has the hardest life, Jian or Hua? Explain 2) Jian won’t go back to his village until he is too old to work. Why not? 3) Explain what the hukou system is. (Can use your netbook to support) 4) China is reforming the hukou system – but only slowly. a. This will be good for the economy. Try to explain why. b. Why are they doing it slowly? See if you can explain. 5) China has over 60 million left behind children like Chan. a. Why are they called left-behind? b. Now list the pros and cons of leaving children behind… i. From the parents’ point of view ii. From the childrens’ point of view
Week 5:
Title: Where is Tibet and what is it like?
Tibet: on the roof of the world Tibet sits on the Plateau of Tibet. This vast plateau is over 10 times bigger than the UK, and over 4.5lm high, on average. It is called the Roof of the World. It extends beyond Tibet into China’s northwest region. At the southern edge of the plateau, on Tibet’s border, the Himalayas Begin.
What is Tibet like? Tibet is cold in winter and cool in summer. The highest parts are always cold. The wind can be vicious. Much of it is tundra, with a layer of frozen soil and no trees. But there is also some fertile valleys, good for farming. Tibet is dry for nine months of the year, because it is sheltered by the Himalayas. It gets some monsoon rain from the east in summer. The colder higher parts have snow and hail. It has thousands of glaciers and lakes. Several famous rivers rise on the Plateau of Tibet and most flow through Tibet.
What about the people? Tibet has only 3 million people. It is the least densely populated area of China (2.2 people per sq km.). Most are from the Tibetan ethnic group. (Tibetans also live on the rest of the plateau – outside Tibet- and in other areas that border it). Tibet has a number of small cities and towns. But most people live in rural areas and are farmers. In the fertile river valleys they grow barley and other grain crops, and fruit and vegetables. In the colder areas, yaks, horses, goats and sheep are raised. People used to travel with them to find pasture, and live in tents. They were nomads. The Tibetan people are Buddhists. Their religion is very important to them.
Activities
1) Tibet sits on the Plateau of Tibet. What is a Plateau (Use a dictionary or your netbook to help) 2) Tibet has thousands of lakes and glaciers. What is a glacier? How do you think they identified and counted them? 3) Much of Tibet is tundra. What is tundra? 4) Most of the earth’s tundra is in the Arctic. But Tibet is much further south. Explain why tundra is also found in Tibet. 5) There is not much precipitation in Tibet. But here are a lot of lakes, can you explain this? 6) Although it covers a big area, not many people live in Tibet. This is because……? Write your answer in at least 40 words. 7) The Chinese government wants to develop Tibet. This may be difficult. See if you can suggest some reasons why. Week 6:
Title: What are the impacts of developing Tibet?
Tensions in Tibet Tibet was not always part of China. Before 1950 it was a separate country under a Buddhist spiritual leader called the Dalai Lama. In 1950 the Chinese army moved into Tibet. At first, China and Tibet agreed that the army would have a base there, but not interfere in how Tibet was run. However in 1959 China took full control. The Dalai Lama fled to India. Many Tibetans want to be free of China. Sometimes they hold protests. People around the world also protest on their behalf.
Developing Tibet
China is working to develop Tibet.
Transport infrastructure. China has built Tibet’s very first railway, linking Lhasa to Golmud. It is now being extended. Several new highways and two more airports will be completed by 2020. Mining. China has surveyed Tibet and found that it has oil, gas and many metal ores. If they are all exploited, Tibet would have a lot of industry. Rivers. Another resource that Tibet has is rivers Land. By January 2014, China had moved Tibet’s 2.3 million nomads into resettlement villages. They said it was to protect the fragile tundra (critics say China wants the land for its own projects).
How life changed for the nomads
For perhaps 4000 years, Tibet’s nomads lived in tents, and moved around with their animals. Not any more. Some nomads will be happy with the change and think life has improved (but people usually prefer to have a choice). What about the yaks and other animals? China still wants them to be reared but in a more organized way, without nomads roaming everywhere.
What about the future? China is pumping billions of yuan into Tibet. Tibet depends on this money. Apart from agriculture and tourism, it does not earn much for itself. But something else is happening, which may affect future plans. Most of the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau are receding, and the permafrost is beginning to melt, because of global warming. Nobody knows that the results will be. Activities
1) The building of the railway in Tibet is counted as a wonderful feat of engineering. See if you can explain why. 2) Part of the railway is built on permafrost. What is permafrost? 3) The permafrost may lead to a problem in the future. Why? 4) China aims to turn Tibet into a big tourist destination. Which of the changes described will help China to achieve that aim? How will it do this? 5) China says that Tibet’s new railways, roads and airports will help to keep China secure. In what way? 6) Which do you think would be better: life on the move with you yaks, or life in the village? Why? Use the photos to help you. 7) How might life be different for Bemba Sonam’s children than it was for him? 8) Now write an advert to attract tourists to Tibet.