Level 1 Geography: Aotearoa and the Pacific (GEO101)
Course Description
Teacher in Charge: Mr K. Findlay, Mrs A. Peszynski.
Geography is the study of te taiao (natural and cultural environments) and the interconnections within. We consider the question "What Is Where, Why There, and Why Care?" (Charles F. Gritzner (2002), Journal of Geography, 101:1, 38-40) so we can make sense of place.
Te taiao consists of all things that make up the surrounding environment. This includes features such as rivers, mountains, people, buildings, and infrastructure. Te taiao can exist at different scales and can be located wherever we place ourselves. Students who are interested in learning more about our natural environment shapes society both here in and in the Pacific Islands would enjoy this course. By understanding how the environment shapes the Pacific, students are better able to understand and explore solutions to the challenges faced in the 21st century.
In this course, you will get a chance to explore the natural environment through two field trips to Wellington bases sites. Features of te taiao are all closely interconnected, including people. We stand in te taiao and are all part of it. Therefore, in Geography, we attempt to consider geographic issues holistically.
Case studies may include:
- Our wild weather: impact of the climate on NZ coastal communities and the Pacific Islands e.g. cyclones on the East Coast, cyclones in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu,
- Our rising seas: sea level rises in Kirbaiti, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands
- Our shaky isles – investigations of earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis including a case study of the 2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, and the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai eruption
This course is fully internally assessed and students will complete 10 credits from Geography achievement standards and 5 credits from Pacific Studies unit standards. Feel free to talk to your Social Studies teacher, or Mr Findlay in E18, about this course.
Recommended Prior Learning
Open Entry
Contributions and Equipment/Stationery
2 x 1B8 exercise books, Trip $45 tbc
Pathway
Credit Information
You will be assessed in this course through all or a selection of the standards listed below.
External
NZQA Info
Draw a conclusion after an investigation into an aspect of Pacific change and development with direction
NZQA Info
Geography 1.1 - Demonstrate understanding of the spatial distribution of a phenomenon and its impacts on place
NZQA Info
Geography 1.2 - Explore an environment using data
Disclaimer
POLICY
It is the policy of Sacred Heart College Lower Hutt to have school-wide policies that inform parents and students of the criteria for administering all Assessments for National Qualifications.