Geography in the News

Major geographical events today in the Pacific Ring of Fire region.

1. Pacific Ocean Tsunami
A tsunami triggered by a strong quake in the South Pacific has killed more than 100 people in several islands.
At least 77 people were reported dead in Samoa, more than 25 in American Samoa and at least six in Tonga.
Residents and tourists fled to higher ground as whole villages were destroyed. Boats were swept inland and cars and people out to sea.
The 8.3-magnitude quake struck at 1748 GMT on Tuesday, generating 15ft (4.5m) waves in some areas of the islands.

Read More at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8281616.stm

Find out more about how Tsunami's occur:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7533972.stm

2. Indonesian Earthquake

At least 75 people are dead and thousands are trapped under rubble after a strong earthquake shook western Indonesia, officials say.
Buildings, including at least two hospitals, were brought down by the 7.6 magnitude quake, centred about 50km (30 miles) off the coast of Sumatra.
Officials say the death toll is expected to rise.
It comes hours after a tsunami from a separate quake killed more than 100 people in the South Pacific.
A tsunami watch issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in the wake of the Indonesian quake has been lifted.

Read more at:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8282670.stm

Find out more about how earthquakes occur at:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7533950.stm

The World from my window

The World around us is always changing, you might not notice differences each day but over longer periods of time you will. I have been taking a photograph from my kitchen window over the past months as I am lucky to beable to watch London changing.

The view from my window in January 2009

It doesn't look like much is going on yet

March 2009 - there are definatly changes taking place- what do you think is being built?

September 12th 2009 and the Olympic Stadium is finally taking shape

Can you use Google maps to locate the stadium? A clue is to look for Hackney Wick.

Try observing the World from your window over the next few months, take a picture each month and observe London changing.

The World According to . . .

In our introductory lesson today we looked at how other people view or 'interpret' the world.

Remember, the skill of 'interpreting' is giving an explanation of something that is not immediately obvious. Thank you to Egzon for defining the term brilliantly in today's lesson.

In GCSE Geography you will be required to use the skill of interpretation to explain what is happening, or what is shown, in maps, graphs, photo's or cartoons.

In our lesson, a few of you were interested in finding out more about different map interpretations of the world. Here is the link to the website as promised;

http://www.worldmapper.org/

Homework Reminder

Your homework task was to complete your "The World According to Me" Map, and is due in on

Wednesday 16th September

I have already received some fantastic pieces of work, and judging by the excellent efforts in the lesson today, I am positive I am going to receive some brilliant work for display.
Please come and see me before the lesson on Wednesday if you have any problems completing the task.

Geosquishing Photography Contest

This term the Geography Department are running a photography contest for all our GCSE Geographers.

In conjunction with our first unit theme of 'My Place' we are challenging you to Geosquish famous landmarks around London!

So, what is it?

Geosquishing is the act of squishing large objects between one or both hands.

Like this . . .

Or, like this. . .

The competition will begin on Monday 14th September and will finish at the end of the half term holidays on Monday 2nd November 2009.

So grab your camera, get your mates together, get exploring your local area, and get Geosquishing!!!

The winning photographer will win a £20 voucher to spend on a leisure activity of their choice within 'Our Place', be it shopping, music, film or eating out, and will also have their photograph printed on their very own mug!

Three runners up will also win a personalised geosquishing mug.

If you have a geosquished photo that you would like to enter, please see Miss Chadwick or Miss Scott.

Good Luck Geosquishing Geographers . . . look out for updates and a selection of the best images on this blog very soon.

Welcome to GCSE Geography

Congratulations! If you are reading this, then you have made an excellent choice.

Deciding to take GCSE Geography is sure to be one of the best decisions you have ever made!

As a Geographer, you will learn many new skills, visit exciting places, and become more aware of the world around you.

The new OCR A course that we have chosen to follow here at Haverstock is innovative and relevant to young people today. It places a strong emphasis on how you, your actions and choices on a local scale, can have far reaching consequences all around the world.


By now, you have probably had your very first lesson with either Miss Scott or Miss Chadwick, who will have given you a copy of the course handbook. Remember to keep this in a very safe place as it is your personal guide through the course. (If you don't have a copy, you can see either of us in B208 or B216).

You will also be recieving a letter soon addressed to your parents/carers, asking them to give their permission for us to take you on trips and visits to enhance your learning outside the classroom.

Please return the reply slips as promptly as possible...we'd hate to have to leave you behind!

So, what can you expect from your GCSE Geography lessons over the coming weeks?
Well, the answer is simple...lots and lots of exciting things!

In your lessons this half term, you should expect to be:

• Making Camdenopoly Board Games
• Creating 'Welcome Maps' of 'Your Place'
• Surveying people about their feelings about the area
• Investigating London's past, and predicting what issues may arise in the future
• Debating real life issues that are taking place in Camden at the moment and forming your opinion about them
• Visiting the Olympic Site to carry out a Geographical Enquiry

As well as all this, we will also be holding a 'GeoSquishing' Photography Competition for all GCSE Geographers.
More details to follow on the blog...

Finally, Miss Scott and I are committed to doing our very best to ensure that you achieve your very best in Geography lessons over the next two years, and are more than happy to help you in any way we can.

You can help yourself to be successful in Geography by:

• being organised
• attending all lessons
• completing all classwork and homework to the best of your ability
• reading around the subject - keeping an eye out for any Geography in the news
• displaying a positive 'can do' attitude

We are both looking forward to meeting all our Haverstock Geographers over the coming half term and wish you every success on your Geographical Journey.