Subject: Geography

Year: 7

Dear Students,

We hope you are all well. Please be reminded that it is an expectation that you are completing the work that we

have set. Where possible can students please email their geography teachers with an update of their progress. You

could include photographs of your work or upload documents you have made in the email.

Each week in Geography you will be expected to complete a piece of Geography work that should take you between

1 to 2 hours. This is the minimum expectation and there are lots of other useful things you could spend your time

completing in your free time as listed below:

Watching Documentaries:

Chasing Ice

Blue Planet

Planet Earth

Life

Severn Worlds One Planet

Horizons: We need to talk about population

National Geographic

Explore the following websites:

BBC Bitesize

Geoguessr

Google Maps

Gapminder

Kids World Travel Guide

World Atlas

Earthtime.org

National Geographic

Twitter: @BCGeogDept

Read the following books:

Our Place by Mark Cocker

Adventures of a young naturalist by David Attenbrough

Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall

Population and Development – Tim Dyson

Factfulness by Hans Rosling

Adventures through the Anthrpocene by Gaia Vince

Week Title of work Learning Intentions: Deadline for work

1 Why is China’s Southwest region significant?

To know the areas that make up China’s Southwest region To understand some of the human and physical characteristics of Southwest China. To be able to summarise different sources of information

Friday 8th May 2020

2 What are the challenges to Southwest China’s biodiversity?

To know what biodiversity means To understand the threats to China’s biodiversity. To analyse the impact of plantations on wildlife

Friday 15th May 2020

3 What impact could the construction of Dam’s have on China?

To know some of China’s major rivers To understand why China wants to construct dams. To evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of dams in China.

Friday 22nd May 2020

4 Is China helping to create an independent world?

To know reasons for China’s economic growth To understand strategies China is developing to continue their economic growth To evaluate the purpose of China’s new Belt and Road Project

Friday 29th May 2020

5 How is Asia developing into the most important global economic region?

To know how Asia’s economy compares to other continents To understand the growing importance of Asia To analyse the shift in world trade

Friday 5th June 2020

If you have any questions about your work please email your class teacher and they will get back to you as soon as

they can.

Mr Mullins (l.mullins@bishopchalloner.bham.sch.uk)

Mrs Dawson (z.dawson@bishopchalloner.bham.sch.uk)

Mrs Tahir (h.tahir@bishopchalloner.bham.sch.uk)

Mr Tsintas (a.tsintas@bishopchalloner.bham.sch.uk)

Mr Reed (r.reed@bishopchalloner.bham.sch.uk)

Please follow us on twitter: @BCGeogDept

Week 1:

Title: Why is China’s Southwest region significant?

Southwest China is almost ten times the size of the UK, with just over three times more people. It is divided into

smaller areas.

Tibet

It sits on the Plateau of Tibet. It’s cold and has only a small population (3 million). Most of China’s main rivers rise or

flow through it.

Sichuan

Partly mountainous, and partly fertile valley. It’s important for farming and is rich in metal ores. It has quite a lot of

factories, many hi-tech.

Yunnan

Tobacco and rubber are grown here and metal ores are mined. The warm climate and karst scenery attract tourists.

There are many ethnic groups.

Guizhou

Tobacco, forestry, tourism and coal mining are its main earners. Guizhou also has karst. About 40% of the people

here are ethnic minorities

Chongqing

It is based around Chongqing city, an inland port on the Yangtze. The government wants it to be a big centre of

industry. It is growing very fast.

You can learn a lot about China from the Southwest region.

1) It is not a wealthy region. People in East China are almost twice as well off on average.

2) Its development is a priority for the government and so it is changing fast.

3) It has many exciting physical features- karst landscapes, glaciers, rainforests and Mount Everest

4) Most of China’s and Asia’s main rivers flow through it.

5) It is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world.

6) It was many ethnic groups, China has 56 ethnic groups.

Activities

1) Write down the name of the five areas that make up China’s Southwest region.

2) Which areas of Southwest China are the most mountainous?

3) Look at table B, Which area of Southwest China: a) has fewest people? b) has most people? c) is more crowded

than the UK, on average?

4) In which area of Southwest China are people on average: a) most well off? B) least well off?

5) The region has some amazing karst landscapes. What is karst?

6) Create a big spider diagram to summarise what you know about Southwest China.

Week 2:

Title: What are the challenges to Southwest China’s biodiversity?

Southwest China has an amazing range of plants and animals. It is China’s most biodiverse region. In fact it is one of

the most biodiverse regions in the world.

Once, the region had many large forests. But as the number of people grew, more and more trees were cut down

(for firewood, timber and to make space for farming, towns and roads), So today, many species that live in the

forests are in danger of extinction. There is not enough forest to support them.

The Giant Panda

Pandas eat bamboo. Sichuan once had ample bamboo forests. But as these were cut down, the pandas had to move

to higher land, where there’s less bamboo. So the number of pandas fell. Now they are an endangered species. But

Sichuan wants to make sure they won’t die out. A large areas has been set aside for panda sanctuaries, where they

are protected and bred. The panda keepers aim to put some pandas back in the wild. So first, they choose a baby

cub. As it grows, it is moved with its mum to different places, each wilder than the last (but all safe). The mum

teaches it how to climb trees and find food to avoid danger. When it is two, it is brought to a place where there are

wild pandas, and set free. It has a GPS tracker so it can be tracked.

Tackling deforestation

Deforestation is a problem everywhere in China, not just in the Southwest. This is what China is doing to tackle the

problem:

1) Illegal loggers get 7 years in prison if they are caught.

2) Millions of new trees are being planted all over China. Farmers are paid to plant them and look after them.

3) China has set aside forest areas for reserves, where wildlife is protected.

But in some areas of Southwest China it may be too late to save some species in the old forests.

Yunnan’s rubber plantations

In the very south of Yunnan there’s a different problem. It has rainforests and lots of it has been cut down to plant

rubber trees. The rubber is for car tyres. The wildlife can’t live in rubber plantations, so it has gone. The local people

depend on the rubber for a living. As China’s car industry grows, they earn more, so the local leaders would like even

more plantations.]

Activities

1) The Southwest region is famous for its biodiversity. But now some species are endangered. Explain the terms

‘biodiversity’ and ‘endangered’.

2) What is the geographical term that means ‘cutting down trees’?

3) The people who prepare a panda for the wild wear panda suits that smell of panda. Can you suggest reasons

why?

4) Yunnan is the only place in Southwest China that has rainforest. Why is the rainforest found here?

5) Look at the photo with the rubber trees. See if you can explain why rubber plantations have little or no wildlife.

6) Why bother protecting pandas and other species?

Week 3:

Title: What impact could the construction of Dam’s have on China?

The Plateau of Tibet is call the water tower of Asia. Map A shows why. The rivers are fed by melting glaciers.

China’s plans for dams

Now look at map B. It shows dams which China has built already, or plans to build, on these rivers. Most of the dams

are in the Southwest region. The electricity from the dams will fuel factories and homes. SO fewer new coal burning

power stations will be needed, these are a big source of pollution. But the countries which share rivers with China

are uneasy. They depend on them for water. They worry that China will use the dams to control the flow of water, or

even divert water to other parts of China.

Other concerns

People in China, and outside have other concerns too:

1) Loss of land- When a dam is built, a big lake forms behind it and so people living around the site have to move

away. The lake will drown their land. When the Three Gorges Dam was built in China, 1.3 million people were

moved.

2) Effect on wildlife – Along the river, trees are chopped down to make room for dams. In the river, habitats of fish

and other life are destroyed.

3) Earthquake risk – Many of the proposed dams are in areas with a high risk of earthquakes. If a dam cracks, there

could be a catastrophic flood.

4) Global warming – Most of the glaciers on the Plateau of Tibet show signs of melting. As time goes on, the rivers

will have less water.

So China’s plans for dams are controversial. Some of the planned dams may be cancelled.

Activities:

1) Name 5 major rivers that rise on the Plateau of Tibet.

2) Which of the major rivers only flow through China?

3) Most of the rivers in map A are transnational. Choose two of the transnational rivers and say which countries

they flow through.

4) China wants the dams mainly for hydroelectricity. What is hydroelectricity?

5) The dams will help China’s economy. In what way?

6) China also says that the dams will help the environment. a) In what way will they help the environment? b) In

what ways do dams harm the environment? c) In what ways may they harm people?

7) Some of the concerns about the dams are more serious than others. Put them in what you think is their order of

importance – most serious first. Can you justify your order?

Week 4:

Title: Is China helping to create an interdependent world?

In the last 20 years China has grown into the second largest economy in the world after the USA.

Table A: Reasons for China’s economic growth

Labour Supply China has a plentiful supply of people available for work

Poverty reduction Since 1900, 439 million people have been lifted out of poverty, creating a growing market for consumer goods, leading to further industrial growth

Large percentage of female workers Due to factors such as the one child policy, women have been involved in shorter child-raising periods adding to the large labour supply

Investment in infrastructure The government has built many new roads, rail systems and made rivers navigable

Low wages Low wages increase the profits that can be made

Energy supply China is the largest producer and consumer in coal in the world and is the world’s largest user of coal-fired power stations. As the economy of China has grown, so has the consumption of coal-generated electricity

Natural resources China has about 12% of the world’s mineral resources

Political system and strong leadership In China the government controls the economy rather than private businesses. The government makes all the decisions and can plan for the long term. This provides clear direction and stability in which the economy has thrived.

Location China is located close to the strong economy and market of Japan and other Asian countries such as India.

Table B: Showing an increase in energy consumption in China from 1978 to 2013

Energy Source 1978 million tons 1978 % 2013 million tons 2013 %

Coal 405 71 2475 66

Crude oil 132 23 675 18

Natural gas 17 3 225 6

Other 17 23 375 10

Total 571 100 3750 100

Activities

1) Look carefully at A. Sometimes it is difficult to try and rank or prioritise your ideas. Using the diamond 9

technique, group the reasons for the growth of China’s economy in order of importance. Put the most important

at the top and the least important near the bottom.

2) Write a paragraph to justify your choices.

3) Look at Table B. Draw a bar graph to show the increase is China’s consumption of the different types of energy

between 1978 and 2013.

4) Write a paragraph to explain why you think this increase took place.

5) Read C and D. How does president Xi Jinping present the vision of the Belt and Road initiative?

6) What are the advantages of the Belt and Road initiative for China?

7) Why are some countries concerned about the Belt and Road initiative?

8) Do you think that China is helping to create an interdependent world or stimulate its own economy? Justify

your view

Week 5:

Title: How is Asia developing into the most important global economic region?

No other continent has seen greater levels of economic growth in the

last 20 years than Asia. China and India now rank in the top 20 countries

for global wealth. This growth has been called the ‘Asian Miracle’.

How is the balance of world trade moving?

The balance of world trade describes the movement of imports and

exports across the world. This balance is now moving eastwards. For

example in 1995, the USA had almost 25% of global trade in hi-tech

goods, while China had only 3%. By 2005, the US share had fallen to

15%, while China’s share had risen to 15%. The emergence of China as a

major global trading hub has begun to change not only the size of its

trade, but also the number of its significant trading partners. If China’s

growth continues, the size of its economy will overtake that of the USA

by the late 2020s. By 2050, the Chinese economy could be almost 50%

bigger than the USA’s while the Indian economy may follow suit and

surpass the USA a few years after 2050.

Activities:

1) Read Article A. Why is economic growth now spreading beyond China into other Asian countries?

2) Compare the graphs showing the world distribution of manufacturing output in 1990 and 2013. Describe how

world output has changed.

3) How has the percentage share of manufacturing output changed between Asia and the developed continents of

North America and Europe?

4) Look carefully at map C. What does this map show?

5) How has the world trade and transportation of goods changed?

6) Which part of the world has the largest ports?

7) Which two parts of the world seem to be the most important trading areas?