Venice: sinking (Casino Royale?) or flooding?

No not Casino Royale but a problem that has been occuring in Venice for a long, long time: flooding.   Venice gets flooded by the sea for approximately 200 days a year causing problems for tourists and locals alike. 

 The authorities are hoping to build a dam by 2011 to try and reduce the problem. 

How happy are you?

In the wonderful world of development indicators, there is an indiciator relating to the environment, your health and your happiness. Have a look at the website below and test yourself. I was below average for Mexico! (but still happy). Money is not everything.....

http://www.happyplanetindex.org/

Millenium Development Goals

http://www.unicef.org/voy/explore/mdg/explore_mdg.php

Women versus Men

A report was published today by the World Economic Forum about the role of women in different countries in sectors such as industry, education, health and politics.   Number one country in the world for equality is Norway. Many Scandinavian countries always come near the top of the league table each year. So....how did Mexico do?

Well Mexico was ranked 97th out of 130 countries between Japan and Malaysia.  Mexico has dropped a little down the league table over the last 2 years. For women's role in healthcare Mexico scores a ranking of 1 but for women involved in economic participation, Mexico scores badly. 

Have a look at the link to view the report. 

http://www.weforum.org/pdf/gendergap/report2008.pdf

Cape Farewell - Not JP or Carlos but music stars!

As all Lancaster students know, JP and Carlos went to the Arctic Circle recently. But did you know that there is also an expedition under the banner of Cape Farewell with musicians, artists and writers. 

Have a look at the link to see who has just returned from their expedition:

http://www.capefarewell.com/diskobay/about/crew/

Check out the Cape Farewell website to read their blogs. 

Obama!

Ok so he won. Will he be any good though? I have been looking at his environmental policies and I found that Obama has some strong ideas.  Caring for the environment is not a big priority for many Americans at the moment due to the global recession but here's what Obama plans to do with the environment. What is great to read is that he sees problems with the environment as not really being green issues completely. Instead he sees environmental problems as being economic problems. The IB Geography group have looked at this and understand the impact rising sea levels and damage to agriculture can have upon a country's economy. 

Obama plans to introduce energy efficiency incentive schemes very shortly for homes and businesses as well as invest $150b into upgrading the elecricity network and researching new technologies for energy creation. 

The car industry can now apply fo loans ($25b) to produce energy-efficient vehicles. Obama wants to double the amount of the loan. 

He wants buildings to become carbon neutral and biouels to be used much more in the future although he must keep an eye on the impact upon food production of course. 

He would like to see 25% of energy produced from renewable sources by 2025.

In terms of CO2, Obama would sell off all the permits that allow CO2 produces to still produce similar amounts but can plant trees to 'offset' the carbon produced. Instead if they exceed their limit of CO2 production or wish to produce more, then they will have to pay for this themselves.  

We will wait and see of course.

My Abodo

Form 4 homework - inequality in cities

Hi everyone

I have set you quite a difficult homework this week so be prepared! Please have a look at the article on the website below and produce a summary in your own words.  It should be no more than half a page and you must type it. This is the best type of geography in my opinion: it is topical and in the news, it affects people and involves different aspects of society.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/23/population-egalitarian-cities-urban-growth

Good luck with this work and please contact me if you are unsure about anything.  There will be a number of words that you do not understand.  Please find the definitions on the web or email me.

IGCSE Types of data presentation part 2

IGCSE Types of data presentation part 1

For your examination paper regarding human and physical virtual fieldtrips, you will need to know about the different ways of displaying data.  On the next series of postings I have included colour versions of the graphs I have given you in class. Please be aware of what graphs/charts are most appropriate for what type of data. Think about the advantages and disadvantages for each type. For example a choropleth is quite easy to produce in terms of time but it does not show differences within an area. 

Palenque compared to the modern world?

An excellent article is in the Guardian newspaper today. As geographers, we should clearly see the links between politics, the environment and society within the report which compares the collapse of the Mayan world to the current 'collapse' of world economies and advancing climate change. 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/oct/28/climatechange-population

Brilliant site!

The following website is fanastic.  It shows photographs from various cities around the world and you could become one of the people who has photographed Mexico City.  Click on the link to become a photographer. I do not think Mexico City is represented at the moment. A city as big as ours!

http://www.360cities.net/

Let me know what you think!

Great map website

Have a look at the following website:

http://show.mappingworlds.com/

It produces fantastic interactive maps that can be downloaded and used in projects and reports. 

IB Diploma - Development: Recycling, why bother?

In 2 groups, you must prepare for a debate about whether or not we should recycle.  The more difficult argument will be the one against recycling. Regardless of your own personal views, you must put forward the case, either for or against and ensure that you work as group to collect evidence. 

Here are some articles for the group which is against recycling:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/specials/article2718175.ece

http://www.naturalnews.com/020582.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/jan/14/ethicalliving.lifeandhealth

Good luck!

Form 4 Sustainable cities

Hi everyone

I wanted to provide more detail for the homework:

Write 1 side of A4 using a computer that includes a definition for sustainable cities and detail about Masdar City near Abu Dhabi, the world's first zero-carbon city. Make sure you include a map and 2 JPEG images. You find plenty of information via Gulf News and BBC News as well as Google Earth.

Thanks!

Inequality in Mexico

Mexico is top of the league!..........Unfortunately this is for inequality.  The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This is the finding from a report that came out today from the OECD which stated that the wealthiest 10% in Mexico have 25 times more wealth than the poorest 10%. Amazingly the difference has actually decreased since 2000 yet clearly there is still room to help the poorest in society develop. Those countries in Scandinavia fared the best. 

Updates

Sorry I have not updated this blog for a while.

I guess it is not that I have not been giving you homework or exams! I am going to make a big effort to consistently add those geographical stories that have been hitting the headlines (and there many!) especially the ones that are linked to classwork. 

Upper 6 IB Appropriate technology movies

The tasks for your movie are as follows:

1.

The geographical location of the project - make sure it is small scale or 'local

2.How the sustainable development project works

3.How the project aids development

4.How the project is 'sustainable'

Good luck!

Form 4 IGCSE Exam - Monday and Tuesday next week

Hi everyone

Please make sure that you revise everything we have looked at so far for the population including migration for both forced and voluntary. I will be emailing all the classes with the cartulinas for Darfur. 

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!

IB Diploma Globalisation/Tourism

Hi everyone.

2 things:

1.Have a look at the following website:

http://www.tourismconcern.org.uk/index.php?page=the-issues

It provides further examples for the economic, social and environmental problems connected with tourism. These should be added to your mind maps.

2.This second website provides details about the development of sustainable tourism:

http://www.tourismfortomorrow.com/prevwinners/2008winners.htm

Make notes for Australian Ecotourism and also the project in Honduras.

TASK 2:

Please produce a 2 page report answering the 4 questions that you wrote down yesterday ensuring that you include a map and photographs.

Folder collection on Friday then an examination the following Friday for Globalisation.

IGCSE Population homework

Hi everyone

Here is a list of the key terms that you must revise for an examination next lesson:

Birth Rate: The average number of births per thousand of the population per year
Death Rate: The average number of deaths per thousand of the population per year
Natural Increase: Birth rate minus death rate
Overpopulation: Too many people for the utilised or potential resources and technology available Under population: Too few people for the utilised or potential resources and technology available
Optimum population: Size of population which permits the full utilisation of the natural resources for the area
Life expectancy: The number of years that the average person born in a particular country can be expected to live
Population distribution: The way in which people are spread out across the world
Population density: The average number of people living in a sq km
Densely populated: An area that is crowded
Sparsely populated: An area that has few people living in it
Infant mortality rate: Number of infants per thousand that die before being 1 year old
Migration: Movement of people from on place to another for a period of time
Dependent population: The proportion of the population that is not economically active (under 16 and over 64 years of age)
Active population: Economically active percent of the population (16-64 years old)
Push factors: Factors which cause people to leave a place
Immigration: Entering and settling in a country or region which is not native
Emigrant: A person who leaves their country to settle in another

Good luck!

HL IB Geography - El Nino La Nina presentation

Here are details regarding your first homework task of the year!

You must produce a 10 minute presentation to a small selection of form 2 students about El Nino and La Nina. It is entirely up to you how you present your research but if follow these guidelines then you will be successful:

1.Keep it simple
2.Work as a team and divided up the work
3.Make it innovative - video? quiz?

I will speak to the students after your presentation and get their feedback and level of understanding.

Good luck and let me know if you have any problems with this task.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY: How to create a blog and why is it useful

Welcome to the most productive session you will have had during the last academic year.

During this session you will create your own website or blog and ensure that students are able to access a variety of resources outside of Lancaster School. This will mean that students can raise their academic level, bcome more organised as well as understand that their teachers are at the cutting edge of technology. Okay here we go:

PART 1: STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO CREATING A BLOG

1.Click on the following link which will take you to Blogger who have created the programme for our blog: http://www.blogger.com/

2.On your page you should click on the orange arrow stating 'create your blog now'

3.Input your Gmail address in the box. Try not to put in a hotmail or yahoo address (or Lancaster since we shuld not be using this address) as it will make things easier.

4.Fill in the other boxes on this page and click on the arrow at the bottom.

5.The next page is important. This is where you are going to give your blog or website a name. Rather than a long and forgetful name like mine, try and think of something that is catchy and related to your subject.

6.Click on the arrow and you then create a template or design for your page.

7.You have now created your blog.

PART 2: HOW TO USE YOUR BLOG

A blog can be used in a number of different ways.

• Discussion of news stories (http://gillettsggg.blogspot.com/2008/05/food-crisis-in-mexico.html)



• Notification of homework (http://gillettsggg.blogspot.com/2008/02/igcse-form-5-homework-revision.html)



• Assessment instructions and rubrics (http://gillettsggg.blogspot.com/2008/05/form-2-assessment-rubric-for-china.html)



• ANY OTHER IDEAS?

PART 3: CUSTOMISING YOUR BLOG

The layout of your blog can be changed. When you are in your blog you can click on 'Dashboard'. This is the area that Blogger provides in which you can get hints and tips about how it can be changed. From here you can click on 'layout' and through this you can move parts of your blog around.

PAGE ELEMENTS: On the layout screen you shuld see a box that states 'Add a page element'. If you click on this box you will presented with different options for 'adding' different sections to your blog. For example on my blog I have a news feed from the BBC News website which is updated by the BBC. I have another page element which is a series of links to websites that are useful in Geography. You could also add a gallery or add a box which tells the reader a bit more about you.

APTURE : Have a look at the following post -http://gillettsggg.blogspot.com/2008/05/earthquake-in-iceland.html.

When you roll your cursor over the words Iceland and earthquakes it presents the reader with either video or further information. This is created using a program called Apture (http://www.apture.com/). Download it from the Apture website.

It is really easy to use:

1. Post an entry on your blog


2. View your blog


3. Login to Apture


4. Highlight a word in your post that you would like to show more information about, e.g. Iceland news report in a video


5. Apture will automatically flash up and provide you with ideas. Just follow the instructions.

There are many, many other things that you can do with your bLog such as add adverts from Google or from Amazon or many other companies. I have added a weather forecast for Mexico City as well as a bookstore from Amazon displaying books that I think are interesting and useful for geographers.

Good luck!

Form 3 spelling examination

Hi everyone. Here are the words for your spelling test:

tectonic
continental
subduction
sustainable
ecotourism
rio de Janeiro
leakage
rift valley
literacy
malnutrition
Bangalore
Western Ghats
corruption
bribery
bilateral
outsourcing
Chico Mendes
convection
immigration
seismograph
destruction
democracy
revolution
globalisation

Form 2 Spelling examination

Please revise the following words for a spelling examination:



reference

inequality

diversity

pollution

ratio

multicultural

racism

geographical information systems

environment

preservation

sustainable

interpretation

density

migration

topographic

globalisation

fragmentaton

Form 3 class activity - Dharavi slum, Mumbai

Hi everyone

Click on the following website from National Geographic, 'skim read' the article and answer the questions below on no more than 2 sides of paper. The article is quite difficult and they will probably be words that you do not understand. Please use the internet to help with your understanding.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0705/feature3/index.html

Here are your tasks:
1.Find a map showing the location of Dharavi

2.Write half a page describing what Dharavi is like (have a look at some of the photographs)

3.Find out how the slum is changing and the reason(s) why

4.What do local people think about the plans for the slum?

EXTENSION WORK! Have a look at this second article from a magazine caled The Economist. It is from last year and the headline of the article is - '

'The residents of Dharavi, allegedly Asia's biggest slum, are thriving in hardship'

Produce a series of bullet points which show how people are achieving success in Dharavi.

http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10311293

Print your work with name on and hand it in.

Good luck!

Earthquake in Iceland

As many year groups know, Iceland lies at a constructive plate boundary and therefore experiences earthquakes and volcanoes. Normally the earthquakes are quite minor but today a major earthquake hit the island quite close to Reykjavik. Have a look at the videos and news stories I have attached to this article.

Food crisis in Mexico

There was a news story yesterday which examined how the food crisis is hitting the poor in Mexico. The Government has decided to give its poorest citizens a monthly cash payment of 120 pesos ($11.55; £5.85) to help them cope with rising food prices. The Government also decided to cut tariffs on imported food such as corn, wheat and rice which cannot be good for Mexican farmers.

The article also mentions that inflation inclusing food prices has increased by 25% in Vietnam

Inflation in Mexico is at 4.55% due to increases in the cost of tomatoes, chicken and cooking oil. The monthly payment will go 26 million people and is just over double the national daily minimum wage of 50 pesos.

IB students and IGCSE need to make a note of what is happening with this situation for case study material.

IB Extended Essay

I'm going to add my own advice including feedback from the examiner but please find below further advice from another IB school.

The research question should lead students along a path that utilizes appropriate geographical sources, and encourages the application of relevant geographical concepts, theories or ideas. The best research questions are well focused, thus encouraging analysis in depth rather than breadth. It is also important that the geographical context of the essay is well established early in the essay.The scope of the essay should not be too broad; such essays are rarely successful.

Investigations carried out at a local scale usually score the highest marks. This discourages an over-reliance on published materials and encourages original research. Essays conducted in an area that is familiar and accessible to the student have a much greater chance of achieving success through a more personal involvement, which, in turn, encourages a greater in-depth study.

A sound methodology including the collection of high quality data is the foundation of a good geography essay. Good data gives the student the scope for the type of in-depth analysis that characterizes the very best pieces of work. It is rare for an essay that is based entirely on published texts to score highly.It is important that the extended essay in geography is not seen as just an extended piece of fieldwork. Although there may be some similarities in approach, the extended essay need not place so strong an emphasis on primary field data. In fact, many successful research topics are based on published data.The emphasis, therefore, should be more on written analysis, interpretation, evaluation and the development of an argument than on the techniques of data collection and processing.

The following gives some indication of a possible research question, approach and methodology.Title: Development disparities in VietnamResearch Question: To what extent does regional development in Vietnam reflect the core-periphery concept?Approach: Data collection of a range of development statistics for each Vietnamese province allowed the construction of the student’s own index of development levels pertinent to Vietnam. Provincial levels of development were mapped and the resulting pattern was compared with the core-periphery model.In terms of those recently circulated as Grade As here are a selection with the research questions added to them.

Geography Extended Essays – Grade A·

An investigation into urban land use changes within a city, with regards to Alonso’s Bid-Rent Theory.Whether or not the land use changes as the distance from Cardiff’s CBD increase, and whether or not these land use changes are applicable to the patterns of the Bid-Rent Model.·

The spatial relationship of tourism and crime of the Golden Mile, South Africa.Investigate how the economic, social and environmental changes brought aboutby the gentrification of the area have impacted on the crime rates.·

A geographical analysis of the spatial distribution of social, economic and environmental inequalities within the city of Hamburg.Do the areas of social, economic, and environmental inequalities within the city of Hamburg match those described in Burgess’ concentric zone model of urban morphology.·

Investigating the long-term nutritional status of child refugees living in Kibondo Camps, Tanzania.To what extent are Burundian child refugees’ long-term nutrition level affected by extended residence in refugee camps in Kibondo District, Tanzania?·

Settlement hierarchies in the Northern Fang Valley, Thailand.Determine the relationship between the population and the functions of a settlement.·

Water pollution management techniques and their impact on Okuma and Egawa Rivers of Yokohama.Have water pollution management techniques in Okuma River and Egawa River been effective?·

The development of the road network in Lesotho.How Lesotho’s road network has developed over the past 40 years.·

Gentrification in inner Vesterbro, Copenhagen.Are there any signs of urban renewal that has lead to gentrification in inner Vesterbro, and if any then why and at which consequences are they taking place?·

Factors Constraining Development of Tourism Around Wtoctawski Reservoir.Why hasn’t tourism developed in Murzynowo?·

Investigating the nature and spatial distribution of services, shops and pedestrians in the Sub-Saharan Central Business District of Moshi, Tanzania.
What are the morphological characteristics of the Central Business District of Moshi, Tanzania, and how can they be both defined and described?

Form 2 Assessment Rubric for China project

Hi everyone

Here is rubric on which your project will be assessed:

Level Content Structure and presentation
5-6 None of the sections have been completed.
COPY AND PASTE No photographs or diagrams
have been included.
There is no introduction or
conclusion and no paragraphs.

7 Only 1 section has been attempted An introducton and conclusion are
in any detail
8 2 sections have been completed in detail both included but no diagram
or photographs

9 3 sections have been completed Photographs, diagrams, an

10 3 sections have been completed introduction and concluson are all
with no COPY AND PASTING included

Gerrado in 2T recommends the following website:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China

Any problems please email or come and see me!

IB Diploma: Zimbabwe - South Africa migration latest news

Last year we looked at the Panorama programme showing young men migrating to South Africa from Zimbabwe. In the programme it showed a lot of anomosity from local people towards migrants. This week there has been widespread violence against immigrants. Have a look at the Guardian's story:



http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/20/zimbabwe.southafrica

IB: Less or more hurricanes through climate change?

Fascinating article today about hurricanes. It has generally been thought that there will be more hurricanes due to climate change since warmer seas and oceans create the conditions required by cyclones and hurricanes. However a report from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (Noaa) Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) in America have stated that there will be fewer storms in the future although they will be more powerful. This organisation has conducted a study before hich showed that there would be a 4% increase in storm intensity for every 1C increase in sea surface temperature. This new report suggests only a 1-2% increase though. The future still looks bleak for natural disasters though.

Form 2 Economic activity and social inequality project

Hi everyone,

Here are the instructions for the project that you must complete for the economic activity and social inequality topic.

Your task is to examine China’s role in international trade and the effect that it has had upon the country. The questions that you need to answer are as follows:

1.What strategies has China followed in order to improve its economy?

2.How have these changes affected the quality of life for its population?

3.How have these changes affected the environment?

3 sections are therefore needed with a small introduction and conclusion at the end. It should be no longer than 3 sides of paper and you can include diagrams and photographs if you wish.

A very good source of information is National Geographic magazine which is kept in the library. It is all about China!

Here are some websites to help you:

Section 1:
http://www.geocities.com/apapadimos/China_Pages/International_Trade.htm

Section 2:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/3250967.stm

Section 3:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4310000/newsid_4312600/4312687.stm

I will put more links on here to help you but any problems please email me (ant.gillett@gmail.com)

Good luck!

Form 2s and 2t only!

Here is the HDI (Human Development Index) data for a selection of countries that you need to use for your maps.


Norway:
0.963
Iceland:
0.956
Australia:
0.955
Luxembourg:
0.949
Canada:
0.949
Sweden:
0.949
Switzerland:
0.947
Ireland:
0.946
Belgium:
0.945
United States:
0.944
Mexico:
0.814
Georgia:
0.732
Azerbaijan:
0.729
Gaza Strip:
0.729
West Bank:
0.729
Algeria:
0.722
El Salvador:
0.722
Cape Verde:
0.721
Syria:
0.721
Guyana:
0.72
Vietnam:
0.704
Kyrgyzstan:
0.702
Indonesia:
0.697
Uzbekistan:
0.694
Burundi:
0.378
Ethiopia:
0.367
Central African Republic:
0.355
Guinea-Bissau:
0.348
Chad:
0.341
Mali:
0.333
Burkina Faso:
0.317
Sierra Leone:
0.298
Niger:
0.281
Weighted average:
0.7

IB Homework - Clone Towns and The World is Flat

For tomorrow's lesson please complete the following:

1.Read the chapter from Thomas Friedman's book regarding the 'globalisation of the local'
2.Produce a 1 page report (no more) about 'Clone Towns' in the UK. Here is a link to start you off:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4602953.stm

Let me know if you have any problems

IB Diploma Case Study Indigenous populations and globalisation

Here's the link:

http://www.geographyalltheway.com/ib_geography/ib_globalization/indigenous_popn_project.htm

Form 2 world's biggest companies

Have a look at the data below which the top 20 companies in terms of the amount of money they earn in year. I have added the location for the headquarters of each company and what they actually do.

Revenues($ billions)
Wal-Mart Stores ARKANSAS / RETAIL
351

Exxon Mobil TEXAS / OIL
347

Royal Dutch Shell THE HAGUE / OIL
318

BP LONDON / OIL
274

General Motors DETROIT / MOTOR VEHICLES
207

Toyota Motor TOKYO / MOTOR VEHICLES
204

Chevron CALIFORNIA / OIL
200

DaimlerChrysler STUTTGART / MOTOR VEHICLES
190

ConocoPhillips HOUSTON / OIL
172

Total PARIS / OIL
168

General Electric CONNECTICUT / MOTOR VEHICLES
168

Ford Motor MICHIGAN / MOTOR VEHICLES
160

ING Group AMSTERDAM / BANKING
158

Citigroup NEW YORK CITY / BANKING
146

AXA PARIS / INSURANCE
139

Volkswagen WOLFSBURG, GERMANY / MOTOR VEHICLES
132

Sinopec BEJING / OIL
131

Crédit Agricole PARIS / BANKING
128

Allianz MUNICH / INSURANCE
125

Fortis BRUSSELS / BANKING
121

Globalisation of Television

Have a look at the following site from Yale. It's excellent for many different topics that we cover as part of IB .

http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/about/history.jsp

Carbon footprint

Hi everyone

Please complete a survey using the following website to see how big (or small) your Carbon Footprint is.

http://www.zerofootprintkids.com/kids_calc.aspx?q_id=12

Come and find me in school and we'll paint your score on the wall.

Form 3 debate - should Africa be allowed to use fossil fuels to develop?

Here are a selection of websites to help the team that is arguing that Africa should be able to burn fossil fuels:

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/bashir_goth/2007/02/climate_change_why_now.html

http://www.criticalopinion.org/articles/72

http://www.acp-eucourier.info/Fossil-fuels-Africa-s-in.182.0.html

http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/2005/04.07/11-charcoal.html

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a6a63200-cad7-11dc-a960-000077b07658,dwp_uuid=8bed9962-cad2-11dc-a960-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1

http://www.kenyaimagine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=392&Itemid=141

Form 3 exams

Hi form 3.

I just wanted to clarify the dates for your exams this week:

3H = Wednesday
3S = Thursday
3M = Thursday

You only need to revise development (development indicators, population and development, why are countries rich and poor, aid and debt, charities and G8)

Food Crisis!

One of the main news stories at the moment is about a worldwide food crisis that is affecting many countries. What I would like you to do is produce a 1 page poster (Word/Powerpoint/Publisher) which includes the following:

• Why is there a problem with food at the moment?
• What is happening in individual countries?
• What is the solution?

Form 5 IGCSE exam Industrial Systems

Please revise Industrial Systems for an exam on Monday morning. You also need to watch the following video about an industrial disaster:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz-BfXLjQ9c&feature=related

The video has some upsetting scenes but it is very effective in demonstrating how companies can cause environmental and human disasters.

Form 3 Inequality presentations

Your task in your groups is to produce a presentation about one of the following organisations. I want you to show me how each organisation is trying to solve problems of poverty and inequality in the world. The organisations differ and it is up to you how you wish to present your research. I would like you to produce a 1 page handout for me also.
The list of organisations are as follows:

• Make Poverty History / Live8
• Live Aid ./ Band Aid
• G8
• Oxfam
• Christian Aid
• CAFOD

Groups must be equal and you do not have much time so work smartly as a team.

Easter homework for all year groups!

Here is the homework for the following year groups:

Form 2: Start to prepare you Chna One Child policy plays (they must be no more than 10 minues)
Form 3: Write a review of the DVD 'How to get ahead in Africa. Half of the review must be a summary of the programme and half must be how the programme made you feel.
Form 4: Revise volcanoes and earthquakes for an examination which will take place on the first day back.
Form 5: Revision should be happened anyway for your IGCSE examinations in May and June. We will be studying coastal erosion, processes and landforms when you return. Please complete as much as possible from the revision guide I gave you at the start of form 5.
Lower 6th: You will have an examination in the first lesson back on the Tuesday. Please revise everything for population and resources.

Sorry guys, you must hate me. Dont spend too long on the homework (apart from form 5) and have a great break!

Email me if you have any problems although there could be a delay in my response.

IGCSE Form 5 homework - flooding

As I mentioned there will be a rivers and flooding exam next Friday but for Monday you must produce a 1 page handout regarding flooding in a village called Boscastle in the UK. You must focus on the causes, the effects and the response (like we have done with other case studies).

Form 3 homework - 10 most corrupt countries

Produce a piece of research which shows the worst countries in the world in terms of corruption.

Include a small paragraph for each which explains why they are considered to be corrupt.

Any problems then please contact me

Form 2 China play

In equal groups of 3, you must produce a play which explains the following:

Why was the One Child Policy created?
What are the benefits and problems that couples can experience?
How successful has the policy been?
Is the future looking bright for China?

You can include anything else if you wish that is relevant to this topic.

Any problems then please contact me!

Form 3 homework

Produce a page of research about the North South divide. You should include a map showing the divide, some history about when it was created and also what you think about it. Is there are clear line between a rich North and poor South?

IB Population - water wars!

Provide a summary of the folowing article

http://www.newstatesman.com/200711280002

Excellent map site for IB students

Hi everyone

Have a quick look at this site. It's got an excellent range of maps for poverty, development and resource consumption.

http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/wdc/map_gallery.jsp

United Nations Population Projections

The UN has an excellent section on its website which provides a database of future population growth. Have a look at individual countries especially those that we have used for case studies such as Russia and Uganda for example.

http://esa.un.org/unpp/

IGCSE Form 5 exam - monday

Please ensure that you revise EVERYTHING for volcanoes and earthquakes for Monday's exam. You must check the IGCSE Wider World Coursemate book I gave you in August.

Form 2 homework

For tomorrow's lesson please answer the following 3 questins as detailed as possible in your books:
1.What are the strongest parts to my project? (think about different sections, map, sketches, your organisation at home and work rate in lessons)
2.What are areas for improvement? (think of the same things as question 1)
3.Set yourself 2 targets for how your project could be improved (think about what you have mentioned in question 2)

Any problems as always please email me.

Ecological footprint

Calculate your ecological footprint using the following site:

http://www.earthday.net/footprint/

IGCSE Form 5 homework - revision

You will be tested on plate tectonics (volcanoes and earthquakes). Therefore you must revise the following:

• plate movement - the 4 types
• types of volcanoes
• effects of volcanoes
• effects of earthquakes

Basically everything we have covered in the short time so far.

Form 3 homework - Amazon rainforest

Please read the following article about recent deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. Your task is to re-write the article in your own words using no more than 8 sentences. Think carefully about what you are going to include.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7186776.stm

IGCSE Form 5 homework

This is the homework for Friday's lesson. In pairs you are to produce a 5 minute presentation with a 1 page handout about earthquakes. These are the topics:

Lucero and Paulina = A presentation about the cause, effect and response to the Mexico City earthquake

Rafael and Andres = A presentation about the cause, effect and response to the Kobe earthquake

Carlos and Alfonso = A presentation about how earthquakes are measured

Movies or powerpoints must be brought to me before Friday's lesson in order that I am certain they will work on my laptop.

IGCSE Form 4 spelling test

Okay, here are the words that will feature in the spelling test. I may put a couple of sneaky ones in also but you should be fine.

Suburbanisation
Greenbelt
Rural urban migration
Canary wharf
Situation
Dry point site
Counter urbanisation
Urbanisation
Regeneration
Hoyt
Renewal
Twilight zone
Bid-rent
Rural-urban fringe
Brownfield
Greenfield
Burgess
Favela

Good luck

IGCSE Form 4 Homework

Please complete the questions from the book and make sure that your diagram for the Metro Centre is big (full page?) and has plenty of annotations. You need to revise the following for next week's exam:

1.Problems and solutions in cities.
2.Shopping sites

I will put the words for the spelling test on here later.

Form 2 Spelling test

Here are the words for you to revise:

Zapatistas
Exploration
Deforestation
Erosion
Biodiversity
Desertification
Society
Destruction
Contours
Environmental
Ordnance Survey
Linear scale
Organic

Form 3 spelling test

Please revise the following words:

Salvador
Amazon
Inequality
Socio-economic
Equator
Amerindian
Distribution
Rio de Janeiro
Gross national product
Manaus
Agricultural output
Venezuela
Kidnapping
Pantanal
Bauxite
Aluminium
Deforestation
Anomaly

Population vs resources PRESENTATIONS

Your task is to produce a presentation lasting 10 minutes which examines the theories of Malthus, Bosreup, Ehrlich, Simon and the Club of Rome. It must include the following:

1. Background about the person and their theory.
2. To what extent is it true? For this I would like you to find examples.
3. You must be critical of other theories also. This should be included in points 1 and 2.

It is up to you how you wish to present it. The Malthus group, the Club of Rome group and the Ehrlich group could join together and present a pessimitic view of the future whilst the Boserup and Simon groups could also get together in order to present an optimistic view. You must still present for 10 minutes though each though.

You can present your research in the form of a role play, PPT, film or all three. It is your choice.

YOU MUST ALSO PRODUCE A 1 PAGE HANDOUT THAT SUMMARISES YOUR RESEARCH/PRESENTATION.

test

this is test

IB Diploma IA: Harvard Referencing System

I know that I already gave you some material to help with referencing but here is another site which also explains how to folow the Harvard System for referencing your sources.

http://www.lisa.sbu.ac.uk/helpsheets/hs30.pdf

Form 3 Brazil population pyramid homework

Click on the following link and produce 3 population pyramids for Brazil

http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/pyramids.html

For each pyramid I want to describe the situation, (age group with most people, high birth rate, long life expectancy?)

I would like you to try and explain in which year does the population structure look the 'best'. What I mean by this is in which year is the largest number of people of a working age? Maybe not too many old people or too many young people?

Final question - does the future look bright for Brazil?

3m Homework

For some reason some of you are unsure about the homework. To recap, the instructions are as follows:

1.Pick out at least 1 economic indicator (jobs/money), 1 social indicator (health/crime/lifestyle/education) and 1 environmental indicator (endangered species, pollution) using the website www.nationmaster.com

2.Choose indicators where there at least 5 South American countries including Brazil.

3.Transfer and type the data for South American countries only into Excel.

4.Produce a graph for each indicator. The choice of graph is up to you but make sure everything has a title.

You should bring to the lesson at least 3 graphs.

Any problems please email me.

Rainforest Destruction project

Individual Project – Destruction of the rainforest in Chiapas
Your task is to produce a project which covers the following:
· Which part of Chiapas is being destroyed? You must include a HAND DRAWN MAP – DO NOT COPY AND PASTE A MAP
· What is happening to the rainforest in this area and why?
· Who are the different people and organisations involved and what role does society have in solving the problem?
· Whose side are you on? Explain your decision
This project must be no longer than 4 pages and with a font size no bigger than 14. It can include photographs, diagrams and graphs and it must be in YOUR OWN WORDS. It must also have an introduction which explains what the project will include and a conclusion which sums up what you have found out.
Any problems then please email me : anthony@lancaster.edu.mx All my emails are sent to my Gmail account so there will not be problem with my inbox being full.
Here is a selection of websites in English:
http://www.zmag.org/content/Chiapas/bellinghausen_march25-2002.cfm
http://butterflywebsite.com/ecology/azules/
http://www.globalexchange.org/countries/americas/mexico/2793.html
http://www.unesco.org/mabdb/br/brdir/directory/biores.asp?mode=all&code=MEX+03 (background)
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20010820/weinberg (history)
http://www.parkswatch.org/parkprofiles/pdf/mabr_eng.pdf (this is a really big pdf file that will help you a lot)
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9400E6DE1E3BF93BA35751C1A9649C8B63 (background)
http://www.jaguar-sun.com/chiapas/chiapas115.html (news story about rainforest being under threat)
There are plenty of others in Spanish but please try and stay with the English sites as this will improve your English. Some websites will contain a lot of detail and some difficult language but please try and your best and be patience.
You must provide a bibliography on the final page. This is where you will list all your resources. Try and find sources that are recent and not old. Also do not just rely on the Internet since National Geographic in the library will contain information as well as guide books such as Lonely Planet.

Form 2 Copy and paste time!

For homework, you must read the following report :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7175617.stm

Your next task is to write the report in your own words. Think about the following:

• Are there any key pieces of data in the report
• which organisations are mentioned in the report
• Are there any important opinions that should be included in your report? - these you CAN copy and paste!

Your report should be no longer than 8 sentences.