Geography Scholarship

Jane EvansGeography FacilitatorTeam Solutions

What to Cover:

• The new Standard• Unpacking the standard for students• Teaching the content• Teaching how to write an answer• Teaching the visuals

What are the changes in the standard?

• There is no major change in what students need to do• Only minor changes occur – no longer have to apply the

critical analysis from one setting to another. Instead it states that evidence beyond the resources must be included.

• Maori concepts are no longer indicated – they can therefore be included only where relevant

• The language is complex. How well can you identify what the terms mean? Try the mix and match provided.

What to tell the students?

• They need to see the standard but could be off putting in the early stages.

• Instead have an alternative version that takes the main ideas from it. (see this version)

As for Teachers:

• This has also been unpacked as part of my ‘help sheets’. The latest version is in your packs.

How To Teach The content?

• Students need to expand their geographic knowledge of current issues

There are many ideas around this:

• Give students different issues to investigate and get them to present this to their peers.

• Discuss a range of geographic issues and get students to make notes on these

• Provide an geographic issue and get students to investigate it from different perspectives and then debate it.

• Develop a Facebook page / google doc. / drop box and put up articles that students need to comment on.

What We will concentrate on today is how to write an answer

Get students to think of applying PACKED to an answer:

• P lan• A nswer question• C ritical analysis• K ey geographic terms, concepts,perspectives

and skills• E xamples from case studies• D iagrams where needed.

Planning:

• The best answers are well planned as they flow.

• Insist on students planning an answer so it becomes second nature.

• It is an easy solution when you have time constraints anyway.

• A good technique is to give them an essay and work backwards. What is the plan. Try the Top Scholar paper for this.

Answering Questions:

Teach the instruction words:

Teach the structure:

• What makes a good introduction? Is the sample given a good introduction? Why or why not?

• How do you structure your essays?

• What should you not put in a conclusion?

Answering the Question:

• Read the question and highlight key words

• Fully justify which ONE of the Millennium Development Goals you believe is the most important for these countries to concentrate on

• Include specific information from the resource booklet about two or more countries in your answer

• You MUST include relevant original visuals, such as maps, graphs, and diagrams, to support your answer.

work out what is being asked:

• Read the question and highlight key words

• Fully justify which ONE of the Millennium Development Goals you believe is the most important for these countries to concentrate on

• Include specific information from the resource booklet about two or more countries in your answer

• You MUST include relevant original visuals, such as maps, graphs, and diagrams, to support your answer.

Critically analyse:

• Discuss the meaning of this in pairs

What is the definition?

• Critical : careful evaluation and judgement / skilled in

criticism

• Analysis: an investigation into the component parts and their

relations in making up the whole

Try the exercise in your pack:

• Highlight the phrases that involve critical writing.

CRITICAL OR DESCRIPTIVE WRITING

Provides viewpoints about an issueWeighs up one option against anotherQuestions the contribution made by different processes causing the issueGives the background information about the issueShows the relevance of links between elements of the issueOutlines the decided solutionLooks at the validity and reasons for the viewpoints on an issueDraws personal conclusions about the issueDescribes the different elements involved in the issueIdentifies the significance of what has happened in an issueIdentifies why the timing of a solution was importantStates what has happened in an issueExplains how a process causing the issue has operatedLists the groups of people affected by the issueArgues why the preferred solution is the best based on evidenceDescribes possible solutions to an issue

DESCRIPTIVE CRITICALGives the background information about the issue Draws personal conclusions about the issue

 States what has happened in an issue Identifies the significance of what has happened in an

issue 

Describes the different elements involved in the issue Shows the relevance of links between elements of the issue 

Explains how a process causing the issue has operated 

Questions the contribution made by different processes causing the issue

Says when something happened about the issue 

Identifies why the timing of a solution was important 

Lists the groups of people affected by the issue 

Identifies and explains which groups of people were most affected in order of importance

Provides viewpoints about an issue Looks at the validity and reasons for the viewpoints on an issue 

Describes possible solutions to an issue Weighs up one option against another 

Outlines the decided solution Argues why the preferred solution is the best based on evidence

Apply this to a geographic issue.

• Try the exercise based on the 2011 Level 3 paper.

Answers:

• Description: 1 and 4

• Critical Analysis: 2 and 3

Now Apply this to another geographic issue

• In pairs use the Waihi article to write down 2 descriptive statements and 2 critically analysing statements.

• Compare your sentences to another pair and discuss

Geographic Terminology:

• Get them use to using Geographic words to make it sound academic.

• Try the exercise in the pack. Rewrite this using geographic words.

Geographic Perspectives

Answers:

• 1. Environmental 6. Scientific• 2. Gender 7. Social• 3. Economic 8. Gender• 4. Cultural 9. Indigenous• 5. Political

Putting it all together. Now look at a scholarship example.

• Look at Q1 of last years paper.

Use highlighters of different colours to identify the parts.

• One for the fully justify

• One for case study and specific information

• One for visuals.

•THANK YOU!!

• Please get in touch at any time if you have any questions or issues to raise.

• I hope to see many of you at the Jumbo Day on June 14th!