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