1. Where will young people live? Today, average earnings are £26,000 but the average house price is £163,000. Following the banking crisis, new mortgages are difficult to get. The dream of home ownership is harder for more and more young people. At the same time, renting is ever more expensive. Some people say it will be the norm for people in their 20s and 30s to still be living with their parents in future because they cannot afford to move out. Ministers have proposed simplifying planning laws as the answer to the problem. Is it? Research the background to this issue and suggest solutions to the problem. 2. Tescopoly – every little helps? The way we shop for our food has really changed over the last 50 years. The big supermarket chains now dominate the grocery market. Tesco’s, for example, is the largest UK retailer (it’s also the third biggest in the world), taking in £1 of every £7 spent by consumers in Britain. Is this a healthy situation? What are the pros and cons of allowing a few supermarket chains to dominate the market? Research this issue, focusing on an example where the arrival of one of these supermarket chains has divided a local community. 3. Flooding in the UK The UK has seen some of the worst flooding in its history. Choose an area that was badly affected e.g. The Somerset Levels or an area near the River Thames. Produce a report, including maps and images, on the causes of the floods, the effects on people and the environment. Can you suggest any solutions to prevent a repeat of the flooding in the future. 4. Is China’s ‘one child’ policy still justified? In 1978 China introduced a policy that said parents could have one child only. This was a drastic measure to do something about the unsustainable rate of population growth and the social, economic and environmental problems it was creating for China at the time. While some people say it is still necessary, others say it is no longer needed. (They also point to its unfairness and unexpected social results.) Research the pros and cons of this policy and consider whether it is still relevant in modern China which has become a world economic power. 5. How green is your holiday? Have you thought about what your annual summer holiday really costs? – the resources your holiday uses, the waste it produces, its impact on the environment, where the money goes, its impact on local people ( who gains and who loses?) Are there greener more sustainable tourism alternatives? Present your findings as a storyboard or a movie that could be used by Greenpeace to increase public awareness about this issue. 6. An enquiry of your own… You could decide to really challenge yourself. Research and issue that interests you (it must be geography). Come up with a research question and some aims showing what you want to do. Check this with your teacher. Your teacher will agree or help you change your ideas as needed. Away you go! A good example would be to set up an enquiry question based on the December February 2014 tidal surges and changes to the UK coastline. Year 9 Homework: Can Geography make a difference to our world? Name: ……………………………………... Teacher: ………………………………….. Over the next term and a half, choose 2 of the following homework projects to complete. Dates for submission will be given to you by your teacher.

Year 9 Geography Enquiry Homework 2 Year 9 Geography Enquiry Homework Homework is not the most appealing aspect of school, but it helps you to progress, teaches independent study skills and has to be done. This is a new Humanities idea to make homework a more creative and enjoyable experience. You get to decide what you do and when you do it. Over the next term and a half, you must complete 2 of the tasks for geography homework from the options grid. It’s your choice - try to think about which tasks you will enjoy doing, what you are good at and what resources you have access to. If you need the Internet but don’t have it at home you can use the computers in H7 at lunchtime or after school. Your teacher will get you to write the hand in date in your planner when you are given this sheet. Make sure you use at least two sources of information when researching your chosen task. You have to show independence, deciding how to undertake the necessary research and complete each task. However, you can ask your teacher for guidance if you get stuck. You can discuss tasks with friends (that’s discuss not copy from them) but you must produce your own work to hand in to your teacher. You can organise your homework in a way that suits you, just meet the deadline. You can do it in 20 minute bursts or two-hour sessions - a good guide would be to spend about 45 minutes each week or at least 5 hours overall on each task, but you can spend more if you really get into it (again, your choice). Good luck – Hope you enjoy it. To be successful you should: (some of these things are more relevant to some tasks than to others – so pick a balance of tasks) Choose a variety of issues and types of task: e.g. to do with environmental, economic, social and/or political issues… e.g. to do with local, national and/or international issues… e.g. that use practical, ICT-based and written methods to present your work… Think of questions when you begin your task. These questions help structure and guide your research. Ask further questions as your research progresses. Be prepared to explain reasons for your choice of focus/question(s) e.g. explaining your choice of tasks and particular questions you decided to consider: e.g. “I decided to research this question because…” “I decided to look at this issue because…” “I wanted to study this because…” Be creative in the way you present your work. Present your work in an organised way. Select relevant sources and types of information. Analyse and explain what you have found out, to make sense and meaning out of it, rather than just describing something or listing facts. Explain reasons for taking a particular route and/or your ways of presenting your findings, etc. Be flexible and be prepared to change direction or approach the task from a different angle if it helps you in the research process and the completion of the task. Explain reasons for your chosen method of presenting your work Draw conclusions about the questions you asked. Comment on your success at dealing with potholes, e.g. “I was looking into…however, I felt that a better Q was…” “Originally, I wanted to…However, in the end I…because…” “When researching, I had problems with…so I…”