1. Commitment to learning
Geography
Local Area Study
Name:
Class:
Teacher:
Booklet due date:
Expectations
Pupil
Parent
Treat this booklet with respect and only hand in work you are proud of.
Complete all the tasks to the best of your ability.
Ask, in plenty of time, if you need help with any of the tasks.
Work independently wherever possible.
All work should be your own.
Proof-read this booklet before you hand it in to your teacher.
Check the quality of work and amount of effort your child has put into this booklet.
Where guided, please assess the Commitment to Learning of one task. The descriptors are below.
Contact the teacher in good time via if there are problems handing the work in on time.
Provide support, guidance and an environment to learn so your child makes the most of these tasks.
Commitment to learning 1
Outstanding
You have demonstrated an outstanding level of effort and commitment. Your work is extremely well presented. 2
Good
You have demonstrated a high level of effort and commitment. Care has been taken with your presentation. 3
Coasting
Your work does not reflect your ability and shows a lack of commitment. Presentation could be significantly better. 4
Cause for concern
The quality of your work shows a complete lack of effort and commitment. The presentation of your work is poor.
Choose a minimum of 4 more tasks you will do and mark them with a cross.
Task
Doing? 1 X 6 2 7 3 8 4 9 5 10
Checks
Commitment to learning and signature
Teacher
Parent
Tutor
Self
Peer
Need some support ? Try FROG, ask a friend, ask your teacher in school or them with a question,

2. Task
Use the timetable below to plan out how you will manage completing the tasks alongside your other commitments. Fill in any out of school activities/ plans you have to ensure you can fit your schedule around the successful completion of this booklet. If you need help with a task from an adult or a peer make sure you have arranged this in the timetable too.
Expected Outcome
A full homework timetable that includes homework deadlines, out of school activities and where others will be involved.
Skills Audit
Time Planning and organisation 1
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Challenge task:
Read through the booklet and consider the difficulty of the tasks – would you make any changes to the order of the tasks?

3. 2
Task
This is the Place Wheel, geographers use this to describe places to each other – complete it for your local area.
Expected Outcome
Show an understanding of different types of geography and use them to effectively describe your local area.
Skills Audit
Description, use of key vocabulary
Where is this place?
What are the key landmarks in this area? (Starting with the most important)
What are the people in this place thinking and feeling?
What are the physical features of this area? (climate, topography, biomes, unusual phenomena)
What is you local area like? Place or draw an image here.
How is this place affecting your senses? (sights, smells, sounds)
What are the human features of this area? (settlements, industry, key architecture, population)

4. 3
Task
It is important you have an understanding of scale in geography. This task asks you to find appropriate maps showing where you live at different scales.
Expected Outcome
A range of maps at different scales with appropriate data selected for presentation.
Skills Audit
GIS, Presentation of Data, Use of scale, identifying the most suitable map for a given situation. referencing
Use a GIS (Geographic Information System) such as Google Maps or Bing Maps to show where you live at different scales – national, regional and local. What style of presentation will you use? Traffic map? Satellite image? OS map? Something else? Make sure you label on each map where you live.
Place the images in the space below; give each a title and name the source it came from.
Success criteria
3 different images at 3 different scales.
Images cropped to highlight the information required.
Appropriate labels to show the area you live.
3 different styles of presentation which are the most suitable for the scale being shown.
Challenge task:
Which style of presentation is the most effective for showing where you live?

5. 4
Task
Produce a labelled field sketch of your local area.
Expected Outcome
A labelled sketch of the view from the front of your home. The labels should comment on physical and human features and be descriptive – not just one word for each feature.
Skills Audit
Describing physical and human features, fieldwork, sketching
Field sketches are an important skill. They encourage us to closely study our environment and highlight the important features which contribute to the character and distinctiveness of an environment.
Draw a sketch below of the view from the front of your home, label the key features you can see. What are the physical features of your local environment? What are the human features of your local environment? Make your labels descriptive to give a sense of place to your local area.
Parent Check Box – what Commitment to Learning score would you give this task?
Challenge task:
How could you do this task with a smartphone or tablet?

6. 5
Task
Research your local area using secondary data. What does it tell you about your local area?
Expected Outcome
A factfile about your local area containing information you have researched and selected, which is appropriate to use in the factfile.
Skills Audit
Research, selecting data, using a range of sources, referencing, key vocabulary
Using secondary data is important for geographers in developing an understanding of the processes within a place alongside fieldwork we complete ourselves.
Your task is to produce a factfile. Begin by deciding the information should be included as headings, each of these should be named using key vocabulary.
Use the websites below as a starting point, fill the factfile with useful information about your area which provides relevant information about the place you live.
Tutor Check Box – what Commitment to Learning score would you give this task?
Challenge task:
What are the limitations of using these websites?

7. Teacher Check Box – Commitment to Learning.6
Task
Produce a thematic map of your local area.
Expected Outcome
Choose a style of thematic map and produce a map of your local area complete with your own range of symbols and a key.
Skills Audit
Mapping, creativity, producing a key
Produce a thematic map of your local area. Instead of highlighting the usual features of an area a thematic map picks out the features that are important to the author. It could be a map of your favourite places to play, where important people to you live, your least and most favourite places nearby – or something completely different! Try be as creative as possible with your theme!
Your map should contain a range of symbols to convey information and these should be presented in a key on your map.
Teacher Check Box – Commitment to Learning.
Challenge task:
What are the strengths and weaknesses of this approach to mapping an area compared to a more traditional map?

8. 7 Type of traffic Count Car Bus Lorry Van Motorbike Bicycle Tractor
Task
Collect and present data on traffic in your local area.
Expected Outcome
A table of data you collect independently and then oonvert into a graph.
Skills Audit
Fieldwork skills, data presentation, interpreting data
Complete a traffic survey to identify how congested your local area is. Using tally marks, count traffic passing your house for 10 minutes – make sure you use a timer so you can be confident in the accuracy of your data.
When you have finished your count, convert your data in to a graph. Consider what type of graph is most suitable, how to label the axes, the units on the Y axis and what colours to use.
Type of traffic
Count
Car
Bus
Lorry
Van
Motorbike
Bicycle
Tractor
Other
Self Check Box – what Commitment to Learning score would you give yourself for this task?
Challenge task:
What does this data tell you about your local area?

9. 8
Task
Research crime in your local area.
Expected Outcome
Research crime data for your local area which you then interpret and discuss with a peer.
Skills Audit
Research, data interpretation, peer discussion
Use the website to research crime in your local area. Present the data using an appropriate method (consider what types you have already used in this project).
What reasons can you give for these types of crime happening in your local area? Annotate your crime data with reasons explaining why these crimes occur in your local area.
Show your work to another student in your tutor group. Ask them to read your reasons so they can spellcheck your work and ask you questions about crime in your local area so you can demonstrate your understanding to them.
Peer Check Box – what Commitment to Learning score would you give for this task?
Challenge task:
What are the limitations of this data?

10. 9 Task Mind-map Expected Outcome
Produce a mind-map of problems in your local area.
Skills Audit
Mind-mapping, classifying information, revision techniques, place knowledge
Produce a mind-map in the space below about the problems in your local area. Start with three key strands – economic, social and environmental – these should be the thickest strands. From each of these you should then add problems which fit these categories, make sure you are really specific and you use your knowledge of your local area effectively.
Mind-maps should show how ideas link together, be bright and colourful as well as clear and easy to interpret – this makes them excellent revision techniques.
Challenge task:
What are the three biggest problems in your local area?

11. Teacher Check Box – Commitment to Learning.10
Task
Provide a solution to one problem identified in task 9.
Expected Outcome
A fully explained idea for solving a problem in your local area which considers how appropriate and sustainable the idea is.
Skills Audit
Explanation, evaluation, use of evidence, writing succinctly, considering sustainability, using a mark scheme
Choose one problem from task 9 and write an explanation of how you would solve this problem in 300 words. (15 marks)
Describe the problem (3)
Describe your solution (3)
Explain one way your idea is appropriate for your local area (3)
Explain one way your idea is sustainable (3)
Explain one reason local people may disagree with your idea (3)
Challenge task:
Research an example of your idea (or very similar) being used in another place.
Teacher Check Box – Commitment to Learning.
Strength
Score /15
Target

12. Task 10 Mark Scheme 1 1 – Problem identified
2 – Further detail of the problem is given
3 – Evidence from the local area is provided in support 2
1 – Solution identified
2 – Further detail of the solution is given
3 – Description of where specifically in your local area it would be used. 3
1 – Explains how the solution will fit into the local environment
2 – Explains why this solution will work for local people
3 – Names another solution and explains why it would not be appropriate 4
1 – Define the term sustainable
2 – Explains why their idea will be sustainable based on this definition.
3 – Further detail on the social, economic or environmental sustainability. 5
1 – Names a reason local people may disagree
2 – Explains what the conflict would be
3 – Uses place detail to explain the conflict