Geography

CURRICULUM AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

Our objective is to equip students with knowledge about the environment around them, including the natural, social, and economic aspects of where they live. Through internal and external activities, students are trained to master various skills ranging from using scale and finding direction to interpreting statistical data and making use of information from different sources such as the Internet.

Besides knowledge and skills, students are guided to develop proper values judgement on issues regarding their environment. We hope to arouse students’ concern about local, regional, and global environmental issues such as pollution and global warming. Students are also expected to understand and care about people who suffer from various types of natural hazards and social problems.

• To equip students with general and specific knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline of geography which will be useful to them in society and help them in their further studies.
• To develop an understanding of a range of concepts and skills which help foster students’ ability to analyse problems, think critically and make sound judgments and decisions.
• To promote students’ knowledge of the homeland and other parts of the world.
• To assist students in developing personal and social values that contribute to the betterment and wellbeing of mankind.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students are expected to be able to:

1. understand how natural environments influence human activities, and how   human activities alter natural environments;
2. describe the major characteristics of chosen places and environments and explain how these characteristics are created by the interactions within and between a range of physical and human processes;
3. describe how the interactions within and between physical and human processes create geographical patterns of different scales and lead to changes in places and environments over space and time;
4. understand and critically evaluate the concept of regional identity;
5. understand “sustainable development”;
6. recognise the role of perceptions, values and attitudes in decision-making about places and environments, and to use this understanding to explain the resulting changes;
7. recognise how conflicting demands on the environment may arise and evaluate the different strategies for managing the environment;
8. appreciate how increasing global interdependence influences their lives, their nation and the environment;
9. identify geographical questions and issues and develop a logical sequence of enquiry based on their knowledge and understanding of geography;
10. select and use appropriate geographical and generic skills for investigating geographical questions and issues, present and interpret their findings in an effective way, and draw conclusions based on evidence.

SYLLABUS FOR S1-S6

Junior form Geography Syllabus

S1
Map Reading Skills
Using urban space wisely (Can we maintain a sustainable urban environment?)
Living with natural hazards – Are we better equipped than the others?

S2
Map Reading Skills
Living with natural hazards – Are we better equipped than the others?
Food problem – Can we feed ourselves?

S3
Map Reading Skills
Trouble of Water – Too much and too Little
Changing Climate and Changing Environment

HKDSE Syllabus

	Modules
S4	Opportunities & Risks Managing River & Coastal Environments Elective (1) Dynamic Earth: The Building of HK
S5	Changing Industrial Location Sustainable city Disappearing Green Canopy Global Warming
S6	Elective (2): Weather and Climate Combating Famine
	Fieldwork-based skills

ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES

• To help students to become independent learner
• To train students’ self-management skills
• To cultivate students’ learning habit
• To build up students’ examination techniques.
• To monitor the progress of teachers’ teaching and students’ learning.

ASSESSMENT DESIGN

Form	Components	Marks	Duration
1 & 2	A. Continuous Assessment Short quizzes, dictations, projects, etc. B. Written Examination – Map Reading – Course Books (MC. True or False, Matching, Fill in the blanks, Data-response questions etc.)	10% 90%	1 hour
3	A. Continuous Assessment – Short quizzes, dictations, etc. B. Written Examination  – Map Reading – Course Books (MC. True or False, Matching, Fill in the blanks, Data-response questions, short essay, etc.)	10% 90%	1 hour
4	A. Continuous Assessment – Short tests, Assignments, Reports etc.   B. Written Examination – 40 Multiple Choice – 2 Data Response Questions – 1 Short essay	10% 90%	2 hours 15 mins
5	A.  Continuous Assessment – Short tests, Assignments, Revision tests, Reports etc.  B. Written Examination Paper I – Compulsory Part (2 Fieldwork-based Questions & Data Response Questions, 1 Short essay and 30 MC questions) Paper II – Elective Part (1 Data Response Questions and 1 Essay)	10%   90%	2 hours 15 minutes   1 hour 15 minutes
6	Written Mock Examination Paper I – Compulsory Part (3 Fieldwork-based & Data Response Questions, 1 Short essay and 20 MC Paper II – Elective Part (1 Data Response Question and 1 Essay)	100%	2 hours 45 minutes 1 hour 15 minutes

CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT

• S1 – 3: 10% of the term mark will be reserved for continuous assessment. It includes students’ performance in quizzes, daily assignments, and class learning activities.
• S4 & 5: 10% of total term mark will be counted as continuous assessment. All marks from the assignments, short tests, and revision tests, etc. will be counted. 

SBA FOR PUBLIC EXAMINATION

There is no SBA for the Geography Public Examination.