As we draw towards the end of a long but productive term, I wanted to take this opportunity to share some of the fantastic work completed by our young Geographers.
In Year 7, students went all high tech recently and had a go at delivering a weather forecast (which they wrote themselves) using the green screen. Looks like fun!
Year 8 have produced some fantastic Bob the Boulder storyboards, giving them an overview of the process, landforms and changes that we see in rivers as they flow from source to mouth. Bob has had some wild adventures!
The Geography Club have been having fun with cartopareidolia recently, which is the phenomenon of seeing faces, people and animals in the shapes of maps. My favourite has to be how the map of Venice in Italy looks like Patrick the Starfish (if you squint your eyes a bit!)
The department has had a special request this week from Mrs Snowdon, who professed her secret love of rocks, and wanted some interesting facts that she can wow her family, friends and colleagues with. Here are a few to get you going Mrs Snowdon…
The oldest rocks on Earth, called zircons, are about 4.4 billion years old. They were discovered in Western Australia and provide a glimpse into our planet’s early days.
Geologists use the Mohs scale, which was set up in 1812 to measure how hard a rock is. The higher the number, the harder the rock. Diamond, the most famous gem and the hardest material on Earth, is a 10 on the Mohs scale.
Certain types of rocks, like gypsum can grow over time. This happens when mineral-saturated water evaporates, leaving behind mineral deposits that accumulate and form rock.
Some rocks float! Pumice, a type of igneous rock, can float on water. This is due to its unique formation process, which involves rapid cooling and depressurization of gas-rich magma, creating a rock filled with air bubbles.
The colours inside some rocks and minerals have been used by artists for thousands of years. For example, the powder of a mineral rock called cinnabar makes a brilliant red colour that was widely used in art in the Middle Ages.
And finally, to link it back to English, there are slightly different words that we often interchange (and use wrongly!) when talking about this subject…
Mineral – A naturally occurring solid compound with an orderly internal structure.
Rock – An exposed section of the Earth’s crust that is made up of minerals.
Stone – A piece of rock.
Mineraloid – Naturally occurring but non-crystalline solid compound, (e.g. obsidian for all you Minecrafters out there).
Another bumper batch of Bob the Boulder assignments have recently been submitted by Year 8. Although over the years the method for assessing these has evolved, the core of the project has remained the same – the journey of a river from source to mouth as observed by the title character. Starting high in the upland areas of the UK and observing landforms like v-shaped valleys, waterfalls and meanders on the way, rivers are a vital part of our landscapes.
Below is a selection of the work on display on the Humanities corridor. Come along one break or lunchtime if you want a closer look.
Another bumper batch of Bob the Boulder assignments have recently been submitted by Year 8. Although over the years the method for assessing these has evolved, the core of the project has remained the same – the journey of a river from source to mouth as observed by the title character. Starting high in the upland areas of the UK and observing landforms like v-shaped valleys, waterfalls and meanders on the way, rivers are a vital part of our landscapes.
Below is a selection of the work on display on the Humanities corridor. Come along one break or lunchtime if you want a closer look.
Another bumper year for models with the Humanities corridor rammed full of amazing entries. Alongside the traditional cakes, Lego and cardboard models, this year saw some very original designs and mediums. Both Mr Ward and I have overseen MANY volcano model competitions over the years, but both of us agree that the standard of skill and Geographical content has never been higher. Well done to everyone that submitted an entry.
Six entries in particular really stood out and as such have been awarded prizes;
Zaakirah M – lots of effort to the landscape surrounding the volcano, plus lots of accurate vocabulary and a great ash cloud.
Renatta C – a very informative model of Cotopaxi volcano.
Leah C – this volcano lit up -what else is there to say!
Cheuk Y and Alisa M (joint entry) – showed off their awesome Minecraft skills to reproduce a Hawaiian eruption style volcano.
Eleanor A – not one volcano but three! Informative and accurate display detailing the different types of volcanoes.
Maisy E – accurate labels and vocabulary and a brilliant ash cloud – very realistic!
Think you know where this is? Email in your answers to g.bowles@penworthamgirls.lancs.sch.uk. Remember – be specific with your guesses! A medal for every entrant and a geo-tastic prize for the first correct answer in my inbox!
Year 10 GCSE Geographers (many with Starbucks in hand) assembled on Fishergate at 9:30am on Friday 30th June, ready to test if Preston follows the Burgess Model of Urban Land Use. This involved moving outwards from the city centre to the edge of Preston, to perform various tests to collect data and try to ascertain if the buildings, traffic and environment quality changed as hypothesised. The cohort showed all the resilience that we expected from a group of Geographers in the face of some pretty inclement weather in the afternoon. After the group took in the delights of Penwortham for their lunch, we convened in the Training Suite, for what was a very productive afternoon writing up our findings. The findings of the day will be tested on the Paper 3 exam next summer and this is always a real strength for Penwortham Girls’. The attitude and commitment shown by these students on the days suggest that next year will be no different.
The long awaited rescheduled trip to Fleetwood (cancelled during the STEM Festival due to bad weather), happened on Wednesday 28th June. 64 Year 9 Geographers taking the subject next year, carried out a fieldwork investigation along this stretch of coast. The weather was kind, contrary to the forecast, for the majority of our time there. We hypothesised about tourist facilities, the physical processes that shape the beach and the coastal defences to collect data to test our theories. The Geographers were a joy to spend time with. All the staff present got a really good vibe from the students and have been left feeling that they will make a very successful GCSE cohort. Roll on September!
Another bumper year for models with the Humanities corridor rammed full of amazing entries. Alongside the traditional cakes, Lego and cardboard models, this year saw some very original designs and mediums. A number of excellent Minecraft entries caught my eye and the addition of ash clouds in a range of ingenious ways to a number of the volcanoes, really added a new dimension too. Both Mr Ward and I have overseen MANY volcano model competitions over the years, but both of us agree that the standard of skill and Geographical content has never been higher! Well done to everyone that submitted an entry. Prize winners and highly commended students will be revealed in the end of term newsletter.
