The last leg........ unless we decide to cover 'coasts' too!

The last section of the specification that we HAVE to cover is settlement.
It includes:
Site . dry and wet point, aspect, shelter, defence, resources and communications. Many siting factors important in the past are now no longer important due to technological change. Settlements with a favourable site especially in respect of communications e.g. gap towns, route
centres and bridging points often grew into trading centres.

Size . the hierarchy of settlement linked to population size, services and sphere of influence.

Function . types of settlements and how their function may change over time.

Urban morphology models of an MEDC and LEDC city , contrast in morphology. This includes detailed study of one MEDC & one LEDC city. We will mainly study LEEDS & Rio de Janairo.

The characteristics of the urban zones . the CBD, inner city, suburbs and rural urban fringe in the MEDC and the CBD, high class sector, shanty towns in the LEDC.
Definition and causes of urbanisation.

The different pattern of urbanisation in MEDCs and LEDCs.

The problems of urbanisation.

Social, economic, environmental issues in the CBD and inner city in MEDCs and in the shanty towns in LEDCs.

Contemporary solutions to problems of the CBD and inner cities in MEDCs and to shanty towns in LEDCs to achieve sustainable development.

Tasks

Site and SituationWhen we talk about the site of a settlement, we are refering to the land on which the hamlet, village, town or city is built. A number of site factors would have been important when choosing the inital site of a settlement. These would have included the relief of the land; the availability of natural resources; water supply and the fertility of the surrounding land.We also talk about the situation of a settlement, this is the location of a place relative to its surroundings (which may include other settlements, landscape features such as rivers, uplands etc.)

What factors have infuenced the SITE and SITUATION of Boston Spa?

Start with factors that affect the site & situation of settlements. The S Cool Revision site is really good for this (or use the text books). You need notes on the factors that determine the site & situation of a settlement. DO NOT JUST PRINT OUT from S-Cool! Then answer the question about Boston Spa. Complete this plus homework task before the next lesson.

Homework: Watch this! Its a production by BBC schools in Northern Ireland & its examples are from Northern Ireland but it will provide an excellent review of the introduction to the topic.

Paper 1

Skills, Rivers, Glaciation, Plate Tectonics! All of the details for these sections are now outlined on the blog. There are a number of posts about the physical aspects of Rivers & Glaciation, but less on the human aspects of these topics. All aspects of earthquakes & volcanoes are covered BUT not fold mountains.

Rivers: What do you need to know?

Long and cross profiles, processes of erosion (hydraulic power, corrosion, corrasion, attrition), transport (traction, saltation, suspension, solution) and deposition.

The characteristics and formation of waterfalls, gorges, meanders, ox-bow lakes, levees, flood plains and deltas.

River basin management issues – the causes and effects of flooding in river basins in the context of both LEDCs and MEDCs. Mississippi and Bangladesh.

The short, medium and long term strategies used to attempt to manage the floods.

Contemporary issues concerning use of ‘hard’ v ‘soft’ strategies and attempts to
achieve sustainability.

The social, economic, environmental and political issues that have an impact upon
strategies and the values and attitudes of interested groups.

Look at Geography Room (A level blog) for notes/ powerpoints on the two river basin management case studies.

How to Revise!

I have 'booted' this post up. There are plenty of subject specific posts in the blog. I will highlight some of the key ones.

Exams looming? No need to panic, just get organised! Find somewhere quiet to work, somewhere that you feel comfortable. Take frequent breaks, work in short bursts. Every 30 minutes or so, change topic or subject. When you're revising, the trick is to be active. That means not simply reading your books and hoping that it'll sink in, but actually doing something with the information. But what should I actually do?You may find some of these links useful! Think carefully about the questions that are asked - How will you manage your time? Where is the best place to revise? What do you need to revise? What are the different techniques that can be used for revision? How can I concentrate when I am revising? The first link is to the Aston University student support site. Don't be put off by this - the issues are the same for University Students. The second link is to 'Know it all' which is a site that I mentioned for the trial exams.What are the stages of revising a topic?Stage 1 - get your material together. Make sure you have all the course handouts and copies of all the key readings, and that you know where the notes you took during the course are Stage 2 - get a feel for the course. Read over the handouts and your own notes Stage 3 - look at previous exam papers (see Student information) Stage 4 - select your topics for revision (see above) Stage 5 - the solid work Remember what type of learner you are & work to your strengths.Use different techniquesMake it stick -go over stuffLook ,cover, write, checkFill diagrams in from memoryUse highlightersMake 'expert cards'Make jigsaws -separate terms & meanings then match them upPractice exam questionsUse online revision siteslisten to podcasts (eg on Biitesize), record your ownTeach a topic to someone elsePost other techniques that work as a comment to this blog!Visit this (and other) Geog Blogs..... Often!