Geography Curriculum and Assessment Guide (Secondary 4 - 6)

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Personal, Social and Humanities Education Key Learning Area

Geography

Curriculum and Assessment Guide (Secondary 4 - 6)

Jointly prepared by the Curriculum Development Council and The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority

Recommended for use in schools by the Education Bureau HKSARG

2007 (with updates in July 2022)

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Preamble

The Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB, now renamed Education Bureau (EDB)) stated in its report¹ in 2005 that the implementation of a three-year senior secondary academic structure would commence at Secondary 4 in September 2009. The senior secondary academic structure is supported by a flexible, coherent and diversified senior secondary curriculum aimed at catering for students' varied interests, needs and abilities. This Curriculum and Assessment (C&A) Guide is one of the series of documents prepared for the senior secondary curriculum.

It is based on the goals of senior secondary education and on other official documents related to the curriculum and assessment reform since 2000 including the Basic Education Curriculum Guide (2002) and the Senior Secondary Curriculum Guide (2009). To gain a full understanding of the connection between education at the senior secondary level and other key stages, and how effective learning, teaching and assessment can be achieved, it is strongly recommended that reference should be made to all related documents.

This C&A Guide is designed to provide the rationale and aims of the subject curriculum, followed by chapters on the curriculum framework, curriculum planning, pedagogy, assessment and use of learning and teaching resources. One key concept underlying the senior secondary curriculum is that curriculum, pedagogy and assessment should be well aligned. While learning and teaching strategies form an integral part of the curriculum and are conducive to promoting learning to learn and whole-person development, assessment should also be recognised not only as a means to gauge performance but also to improve learning. To understand the interplay between these three key components, all chapters in the C&A Guide should be read in a holistic manner.

The C&A Guide was jointly prepared by the Curriculum Development Council (CDC) and the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) in 2007. The first updating was made in January 2014 to align with the short-term recommendations made on the senior secondary curriculum and assessment resulting from the New Academic Structure (NAS) review so that students and teachers could benefit at the earliest possible instance. This updating is made to align with the medium-term recommendations of the NAS review made on curriculum and assessment. The CDC is an advisory body that gives recommendations to the HKSAR Government on all matters relating to curriculum development for the school system from kindergarten to senior secondary level. Its membership includes heads of schools, practising teachers, parents, employers, academics from tertiary institutions, professionals from related fields/bodies, representatives from the HKEAA and the Vocational Training Council (VTC), as well as officers from the EDB. The HKEAA is an independent statutory body

1 The report is The New Academic Structure for Senior Secondary Education and Higher Education – Action Plan for Investing in the Future of Hong Kong.

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responsible for the conduct of public assessment, including the assessment for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE). Its governing council includes members drawn from the school sector, tertiary institutions and government bodies, as well as professionals and members of the business community.

The C&A Guide is recommended by the EDB for use in secondary schools. The subject curriculum forms the basis of the assessment designed and administered by the HKEAA. In this connection, the HKEAA will issue a handbook to provide information on the rules and regulations of the HKDSE Examination as well as the structure and format of public assessment for each subject.

The CDC and HKEAA will keep the subject curriculum under constant review and evaluation in the light of classroom experiences, students’ performance in the public assessment, and the changing needs of students and society. All comments and suggestions on this C&A Guide may be sent to:

Chief Curriculum Development Officer (Personal, Social and Humanities Education) Curriculum Development Institute

Education Bureau 13/F, Wu Chung House 213 Queen’s Road East Wanchai, Hong Kong Fax: 2573 5299

E-mail: ccdopshe@edb.gov.hk

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Acronyms

AL Advanced Level

ApL Applied Learning

C&A Curriculum and Assessment CDC Curriculum Development Council CE Certificate of Education

EC Education Commission EDB Education Bureau

EMB Education and Manpower Bureau GIS Geographic Information Systems

HKALE Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination

HKCEE Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination HKDSE Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education

HKEAA Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority HKSAR Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

IT Information Technology KLA Key Learning Area

NGO Non-governmental Organisation

PSHE Personal, Social and Humanities Education S1/2/3/4/5/6/7 Secondary 1/2/3/4/5/6/7

SBA School-based Assessment SRR Standards-referenced Reporting SS Senior Secondary

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Chapter 1 Introduction

This chapter provides the background, rationale and aims of Geography as an elective subject in the three-year senior secondary curriculum, and highlights how it articulates with the junior secondary curriculum, post-secondary education, and future career pathways.

1.1 Background

The senior secondary (SS) Geography curriculum is developed on the basis of the recommendations made in The New Academic Structure for Senior Secondary Education and Higher Education – Action Plan for Investing in the Future of Hong Kong (EMB, 2005) and the Senior Secondary Curriculum Guide (CDC, 2009). These two documents provide the overall direction for the development of senior secondary education in Hong Kong. They stipulated a combination of core and elective subjects, Applied Learning courses and other learning experiences to suit individual interests and aptitudes.

The curriculum is also built on the Secondary 4–5 Geography Curriculum (implemented in 2003) and the Sixth-form Geography Curriculum (implemented in 1992). It follows the general directions set out in the Personal, Social and Humanities Education Key Learning Area Curriculum Guide (Primary 1–Secondary 3) (CDC, 2002) and extends the knowledge, skills and values and attitudes learners develop through the Personal, Social and Humanities Education (PSHE) Curriculum for basic education.

This curriculum guide includes the rationale, aims, objectives and design principles of the SS Geography curriculum. It also provides detailed guidelines, recommendations and examples to assist teachers to plan, develop and manage the Geography curriculum in their schools, as well as to promote effective learning, teaching and assessment practices for enhancing student learning.

1.2 Rationale

Geography as a discipline enables us to understand the Earth we are living in from a spatial perspective. It offers a systematic framework for enquiry into questions about the world that surrounds us. Geography forms a bridge between the social sciences and the physical sciences, providing an understanding of the dynamics of cultures, societies and economies on the one hand, and those of physical landscapes and environmental processes on the other.

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Geography as a secondary school subject enables students to explore and understand the relationship between human beings and the Earth through the study of space, place and environment – the three elements (or macro-concepts) which form the core of Geography in secondary school education. In this process, the geographical questions of “What”, “Where”,

“How”, “Why” and “What if” form the basic constructs for developing a geographical framework for enquiry.

As an elective PSHE subject in the senior secondary curriculum, Geography aims to provide students with an understanding of the Earth and the modern world. Through examining the inter-relationships among people, places and the environment, Geography helps students to acquire an in-depth understanding of the changing contemporary world in terms of space and environment.

As an international metropolitan city, Hong Kong provides a rich context for Geography students to develop a global outlook, an awareness of the influence of globalisation and an appreciation of the importance of international cooperation in tackling global issues. Senior secondary geographical education seeks to use this rich context to enable students to gain a deeper understanding of the changing world. It also helps students to develop a sound knowledge of the ever-increasing challenges for our nation and the world posed by natural hazards, environmental pollution, regional disparity, and resource depletion.

Moreover, the study of geography also provides opportunities for students to develop their general intellectual capacity for lifelong learning, and for generic skills such as critical thinking, communication, information-processing, problem-solving, and decision-making. The enquiry approach adopted in SS Geography enables students to develop the important abilities involved in values clarification and value judgments, which are fundamental to whole-person development. Geographical education provides students with learning experiences which enable them to see the relationships between the individual, society and the environment, and through this to develop skills which can be transferred to other learning and life situations.

In brief, senior secondary geographical education equips our students to become geographically informed and inquiring people who see meaning in the arrangement of things in space;

understand the relations between people, place and environment; ask geographical questions and find answers through enquiry; use geographic knowledge and skills in solving problems;

and apply spatial and ecological perspectives to life contexts.

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1.3 Interface with Junior Secondary Education and Post-secondary Pathways

The study of Geography at the senior secondary level is built on the knowledge and skills students have developed in the junior secondary curriculum. These include the essential elements for learning stated in the PSHE KLA Curriculum Guide (P1-S3) (CDC, 2002), especially those embedded in Strand 4 “Place and Environment”. Students who have completed the junior secondary Geography curriculum will also have developed basic enquiry and generic skills, and have had experience of making value judgments through investigating issues from a geographical perspective.

The study of Geography in senior secondary schools provides students who will study Geography in the universities with a solid conceptual foundation. For those who will enter university to study other subjects (such as Arts or Social and Environmental Sciences), it will have provided exposure to higher order thinking. For all students, it provides a spatial perspective on socio-economic and environmental issues, a focus on citizenship and on national and global identity, and opportunities for developing generic skills such as the ability to analyse and synthesise, to solve problems, to communicate and to use information technology. The subject also prepares students for a range of career choices in which a global perspective, environmental ethics and awareness, and a sound sense of space and region are needed. The most obvious examples of such careers include urban and transport planning, resources and environmental management, tourism and recreation and, at a broader level, administration and business.

1.4 Curriculum Aims

The aims of this curriculum are to enable students to:

(a) understand the Earth they inhabit, and enable them to recognise and interpret, from a spatial perspective, the arrangement of phenomena and features on Earth, the processes at work, the interactions that occur, the changes that result, and the issues and management responses that arise;

(b) develop the general intellectual capacity and generic skills needed for lifelong learning through geographical enquiry, and the ability to apply these in life situations;

(c) appreciate the wonder, interdependence and fragility of the local and global environment, and the importance of promoting sustainable development; and

(d) develop a sense of citizenship, a global outlook, and readiness to take action for the betterment of society, the nation and the world.

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1.5 Curriculum Objectives

1.5.1 Knowledge and understanding

Students are expected to develop knowledge and understanding of:

(a) how natural environments influence human activities, and how human activities alter natural environments;

(b) the changing development of geographical phenomena and issues in terms of space and time;

(c) the characteristics and functioning of major natural environments, through analysing the processes and interactions within and between them;

(d) the characteristics and development of major human activities, in order to achieve a sense of “region”; and

(e) the issues arising from people-environment interactions and the human responses to such issues, as well as the implications of these human responses for resource management.

1.5.2 Skills

Students are expected to develop:

(a) geographical enquiry skills, including the ability to:

(i) identify and ask questions from a geographical perspective;

(ii) locate, select and extract appropriate information and data from primary and secondary sources (e.g. the field, surveys, documents, maps, charts, ground and aerial photos and Geographic Information System [GIS] data), which require the ability to observe and record data systematically and accurately;

(iii) present and organise information and data, which involves the ability to:

- use appropriate techniques for summarising (e.g. descriptive statistics such as measures of central tendency and variability);

- use appropriate formats, such as texts (e.g. reports, tables, summaries, etc.) and illustrations (such as maps, diagrams, models, sketches, and graphs);

(iv) compare, analyse, synthesise and evaluate, in order to interpret information and data for making inferences and drawing conclusions, which includes:

- the use of appropriate statistical techniques (e.g. correlation);

- analysis of spatial patterns using GIS.

(v) evaluate the findings, solutions or conclusions drawn from enquiry.

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(b) generic skills of communication, critical thinking, problem-solving and creativity through geographical enquiry, in particular the ability to:

(i) select appropriate means of effective communication;

(ii) draw out meaning from information, and determine what and what not to believe;

(iii) analyse problems through logical reasoning, and determine the optimal course of action from a number of alternatives;

(iv) view situations from different perspectives and adopt appropriate approaches to analyse problems.

1.5.3 Values and attitudes

Students are expected to develop values and attitudes that will enable them to:

(a) have a sense of wonder and curiosity about peoples, places and environments;

(b) show respect for all peoples, and their cultures, values and ways of life;

(c) recognise environmental problems and take appropriate action to promote sustainable development;

(d) cultivate a sense of belonging to society and the nation and become active and responsible citizens; and

(e) be aware of the increasing global interdependence of peoples and nations, and appreciate the importance of international solidarity and cooperation.

1.6 Broad Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students are expected to become geographically informed and inquisitive, and be capable of demonstrating the following:

(a) an understanding of how natural environments influence human activities, and how human activities alter natural environments;

(b) an ability to describe the major characteristics of the chosen places and environments and to explain how these characteristics are created by the interactions within and between a range of physical and human processes;

(c) an ability to describe how the interactions within and between physical and human processes create geographical patterns of different scales and lead to changes in places and environments over space and time;

(d) an ability to understand and critically evaluate the concept of regional identity;

(e) an understanding of “sustainable development”;

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(f) an ability to recognise the role of perceptions, values and attitudes in decision-making about places and environments, and to use this understanding to explain the resulting changes;

(g) an ability to recognise how conflicting demands on the environment may arise and evaluate the different strategies for managing the environment;

(h) an ability to appreciate the increasing global interdependency in influencing their lives, their nation and the environment;

(i) an ability to identify geographical questions and issues and develop a logical sequence of enquiry based on their knowledge and understanding of Geography; and

(j) an ability to select and use appropriate geographical and generic skills for investigating geographical questions and issues, to present and interpret their findings in an effective way, and to draw conclusions based on evidence.

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Chapter 2 Curriculum Framework

The curriculum framework for Geography embodies the key knowledge, skills, values and attitudes that students should develop at senior secondary level. It forms the basis on which schools and teachers can plan their school-based curriculum, and design appropriate learning, teaching and assessment activities.

2.1 Design Principles

The design of this curriculum is based on the following principles that are derived from those recommended in Chapter 3 of The New Academic Structure for Senior Secondary Education and Higher Education — Action Plan for Investing in the Future of Hong Kong (EMB, 2005). This curriculum should:

(a) build on the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes, and learning experience acquired and developed by students through their study of the PSHE curriculum in basic education and junior secondary Geography curriculum;

(b)achieve a balance between breadth and depth in the study of Geography to facilitate students’

preparation for further studies, entry into the workforce and whole-person development;

(c) achieve a balance between the learning of theoretical knowledge and its application to real- life situations by giving equal emphasis to the development of systematic, conceptual knowledge of Geography and a better understanding of prominent geographical issues and problems relevant to students’ present and future lives;

(d) provide a flexible and diversified framework capable of catering for student diversity in abilities, needs and interests;

(e) provide a recommended progression pathway to facilitate school-based curriculum planning and allow insights into the various aspects of learning that students will be exposed to at various year levels;

(f) foster greater coherence between Geography and the other PSHE and non-PSHE subjects through encouraging cross-curricular collaboration;

(g) help develop independent and lifelong learning skills in students through promoting student-centred enquiry; and

(h) ensure that assessment is aligned with learning.

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2.2 Curriculum Structure and Organisation

The SS Geography curriculum is developed on the basis of the Secondary 4-5 Geography Curriculum (implemented in 2003). The contents of six themes and six issues are retained as far as possible, with an appropriate updating of knowledge and information, an increase in depth in some specific areas, and a reduction of content to provide sufficient time for implementing enquiry learning in class.

The curriculum comprises a compulsory part and an elective part. The Compulsory Part accounts for 68% of total lesson time. It aims to assist students to acquire fundamental geographical concepts and knowledge and to develop a framework of thinking and enquiry essential for further study, career development and lifelong learning. The Elective Part, which takes up 20% of lesson time, comprises four electives to cater for the varied aptitudes, interests and needs of students.

The remaining 12% of lesson time is assigned for fieldwork (including spatial data enquiry).

This arrangement ensures that sufficient curriculum time will be allocated for carrying out geographical enquiry both inside and outside the classroom, and also allows the essential briefings and debriefings for various types of out-of-classroom activities to be conducted more thoroughly and effectively. Making fieldwork (including spatial data enquiry) a formal part of the time-table, rather than an “add on”, helps to reduce the workload of teachers and students in general.

Curriculum Framework Lesson Time²

(Total lesson time: 250 hours) Compulsory Part

7 geographical issues and problems 68% (around 170 hours) Elective Part

2 out of 4 electives 20% (around 50 hours)

Fieldwork (including spatial data enquiry) [Should be infused in the learning and teaching of the Compulsory and Elective Parts]

12% (around 30 hours)

2 The lesson time for Liberal Studies and each elective subject is 250 hours (or 10% of the total allocation time) for planning purpose, and schools have the flexibility to allocate lesson time at their discretion in order to enhance learning and teaching effectiveness and cater for students’ needs.

“250 hours” is the planning parameter for each elective subject to meet local curriculum needs as well as requirements of international benchmarking. In view of the need to cater for schools with students of various abilities and interests, particularly the lower achievers, “270 hours” was recommended to facilitate schools’

planning at the initial stage and to provide more time for teachers to attempt various teaching methods for the NSS curriculum. Based on the calculation of each elective subject taking up 10% of the total allocation time, 2500 hours is the basis for planning the 3-year senior secondary curriculum. This concurs with the reality check and feedback collected from schools in the short-term review, and a flexible range of 2400±200 hours is recommended to further cater for school and learner diversity.

As always, the amount of time spent in learning and teaching is governed by a variety of factors, including whole- school curriculum planning, learners’ abilities and needs, students’ prior knowledge, teaching and assessment strategies, teaching styles and the number of subjects offered. Schools should exercise professional judgement and flexibility over time allocation to achieve specific curriculum aims and objectives as well as to suit students' specific needs and the school context.

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The Compulsory Part comprises seven geographical issues and problems that have strong relevance for Hong Kong students and are expected to be of considerable public concern for a reasonable period of time. They are structured around three major themes, namely “Living with our physical environment”, “Facing changes in the human environment” and “Confronting global challenges”.

Living with our physical environment

(1) Opportunities and Risks – Is it rational to live in hazard-prone areas?

(2) Managing Rivers and Coastal Environments: A continuing challenge Facing changes in the human environment

(3) Changing Industrial Location – How and why does it change over space and time?

(4) Building a Sustainable City – Are environmental conservation and urban development mutually exclusive?

Confronting global challenges

(5) Combating Famine – Is technology a panacea for food shortage?

(6) Disappearing Green Canopy – Who should pay for the massive deforestation in rainforest regions?

(7) Climate Change – Long-term fluctuation or irreversible trend?

These three themes are developed from patterns, problems and issues arising from various aspects of our natural and human environments and their respective interactions. All the modules developed in these three themes are designed to incorporate key geographical concepts of “location and distribution”, “place and region”, “people-environment interaction and interrelationship”, “change and development in physical and human environments” and

“environmental management and sustainable development”. This design also aims to enhance students’ understanding of the planning and management aspects, as well as of the decision- making processes, in relation to the geographical issues and problems included in the modules.

The Elective Part is designed to cater for the senior secondary students who are expected to have a wider range of abilities, interests and needs. The four electives, out of which students study two, range in nature from those which place a stronger emphasis on academic rigour and conceptual frameworks to those with a more career-related focus and a greater relevance to recent developments in Hong Kong and its neighbouring regions. The electives serve as an extension to the Compulsory Part of the curriculum. In some cases, such as “Weather and Climate”, they develop further the basic geographical concepts and knowledge included in the Compulsory Part. Others, such as “Transport Development, Planning and Management”, aim at broadening

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the scope of study by introducing other major branches of Geography that have not been incorporated into the Compulsory Part of the curriculum. The four electives are as follows:

(1) Dynamic Earth: the building of Hong Kong (2) Weather and Climate

(3) Transport Development, Planning and Management (4) Regional Study of Zhujiang (Pearl River) Delta

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Compulsory Part

Dynamic Earth Weather and

Climate Regional Study of

Zhujiang Delta Transport

Fieldwork (including spatial data

analysis to be infused in

the learning and teaching

of both compulsory and elective

parts)

Elective Part

Living with Our Physical Environment

 Opportunities and Risks — Is it rational to live in hazard- prone areas?

 Managing River and Coastal Environments: A continuing challenge

Facing Changes in Human Environment

 Changing Industrial Location s — How and why does it change over space and time?

 Building a Sustainable City s — Are environmental conservation and urban development mutually exclusive?

Confronting Global Challenges

 Combating Famine s — Is technology a panacea for food shortage?

 Disappearing Green Canopy s — Who should pay for the massive deforestation in rainforest regions?

 Climate Changes — Long-term fluctuation or Irreversible trend?

Figure 2.1 The Structure of the Senior Secondary Geography Curriculum

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2.2.1 Curriculum Content of the Compulsory Part

1. Opportunities and Risks — Is it rational to live in hazard-prone areas?

This module examines three major types of natural hazard — earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. In examining the spatial patterns of these natural hazards and why such patterns exist, students are led to explore the concepts of plate tectonics and to understand how plate movements resulting from internal earth processes create mountain systems, some large-scale landform features and tectonic hazards around the world. With this understanding, students examine how and why the impact of these tectonic hazards vary greatly from place to place, and consider the complex decision-making process that makes some people decide to remain in hazard-prone areas. Through this, students gain an appreciation and respect for the rationale behind the different choices made by people in the same situation.

Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities

1. What has happened to areas with active tectonic activities?

2. What areas have been frequently affected by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis?

3. What spatial patterns exist in these natural hazards?

4. Why are there such patterns? How is it related to the global distribution of plates and plate boundaries?

 Natural hazards commonly found in areas with active tectonic activities (including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis)

 Global distribution patterns of these natural hazards

 Relationship between the distribution pattern of these natural hazards and that of tectonic activities

Location and spatial distribution

Place and region Natural hazard People-environment interrelationship

 Collect and study newspaper clippings about tectonic activities and summarise their impact on people’s lives and their responses to them.

 Search for updated information and statistics from the Internet and plot a map (paper or using GIS) to show the spatial distribution of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis in the world.

 Identify the common distribution patterns of these natural hazards.

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5. What and where are the major plates and plate boundaries?

6. What are the related landform features found at plate boundaries? How are they formed?

7. How does plate movement create natural hazards that develop with these features?

8. Why are some earthquake and volcanic zones far away from plate boundaries?

 Brief description of the internal structure of the earth

 The names and types of major plates and plate boundaries in the world, as well as their location

 The major landform features at plate boundaries (fold mountain, island arc, ocean trench, volcano, mid- oceanic ridge and rift valley) and their formation

 The relationship between plate movement and natural hazards

 Earthquake and volcanic zones far away from plate boundaries, e.g. hot spots

Plate tectonics Natural hazard Location and spatial distribution

 Use a map overlay or GIS to show the relationship between plate boundaries and the global distribution of geological hazards.

 Draw a concept map to show the relationships among the major endogenetic processes, plate movement, the formation and distribution of major tectonic landform features and the distribution of tectonic hazards.

 Visit Ma Shi Chau to identify various geological features related to faulting and folding in Hong Kong.

 Identify on a map some earthquake and volcanic zones which are far away from plate boundaries.

 Explain their spatial locations with reference to information on the Internet or in books.

9. What are the effects of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis?

10. How do these natural hazards affect the lives of human beings?

11. What has been done to reduce the impact of these natural hazards?

 Effects of earthquakes (primary and secondary effects), volcanic eruptions and tsunamis on human beings and the environment

 Measures used to reduce the effects of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis (e.g. monitoring, predicting and warning systems for natural hazards, various disaster mitigation and preparation strategies, land use zoning)

 Effectiveness of the above measures

Natural hazards People-environment interrelationship Impact of technology Limitation of technology

 Discuss and present the effects of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis in groups.

 Display and analyse the major measures which have been used to reduce the impact of natural hazards.

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12. Why are less developed areas more vulnerable to these natural hazards than more developed areas?

13. Should people move away from hazard-prone areas?

14. Why do some people still live in hazard-prone areas?

15. Is their choice rational?

 The reasons for less developed areas being more vulnerable to natural hazards than more developed areas (e.g. literacy level and awareness of the people, and socio-economic and technological gaps)

 The advantages and disadvantages of people living in hazard-prone areas

Natural hazard Region

Degree of damage and level of development People-environment interrelationship

 Select and study two contrasting case studies of earthquakes / volcanic eruptions / tsunamis from the Internet / newspapers, one from a less developed area and the other from a more developed area.

 Compare and contrast the vulnerability of these two areas in facing hazards and explain their differences.

 Summarise information about the advantages and disadvantages of living in hazard-prone areas.

 Decide whether or not it is rational to live in hazard-prone areas with reference to a case study.

Values and attitudes

 Appreciate the interdependence between human beings and the natural environment

 Appreciate the beauty of nature

 Show concern for those affected by natural hazards

Time allocation: 24 hours

Case / Specific Examples: No specific case is required but teachers are requested to quote appropriate examples from around the world, in particular the Asia-Pacific region.

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2. Managing River and Coastal Environments: A continuing challenge

This module aims at introducing how the work of fresh and sea water creates a variety of fluvial and coastal environments. Through the study of the work of water and the resulting landform features, students should be equipped with the basic understanding of the interaction of various physical factors in shaping the surface of our Earth, and the management issues that arise from increasing human interference in fluvial and coastal environments. Teachers should also aim at ensuring that students have a thorough understanding of the geographical concepts related to erosion, transportation and deposition, such that they can transfer and apply these concepts to the study of landform features in other environments.

1. Where does water come from and go?

 A brief introduction of hydrological cycle: characteristics, stores and transfers

Hydrological cycle  Draw a diagram of hydrological cycle to highlight the key components, including inputs, outputs, flows and stores.

2. How does water shape the landform in a drainage basin?

3. What are the major landform features created by the work of running water?

 Features of a drainage basin, including watershed, source, mouth, channel network

 Major erosional, transportation and depositional processes

 Factors influencing the above processes

 Major landform features, including gorges, waterfalls and rapids, meanders and associated landform features, flood plains, levees, braids and deltas (using appropriate examples of the Mainland, e.g. Chang Jiang)

Drainage basin Fluvial process and landform

 Delimit the boundary of a river basin on a map.

 Annotate photographs to describe the

characteristics of the different parts of a river.

 Draw cross-sections to illustrate the features of rivers.

4. How does water operate along coasts?

5. What are the major landform features created by the work of wave?

 Wave generation and characteristics (constructive and destructive waves)

 Major erosion, transportation and deposition processes

 Factors influencing the above processes

 Major landform features, including sea cliff, sea cave, sea arch and stack, wave-cut platform, beach, spit and bar, tombolo

Coastal process and landform

 Identify coastal features shown in maps.

 Construct annotated diagrams to illustrate the formation of coastal features.

 Use appropriate forms of presentation (e.g. tables, diagrams, statistical charts) to explain how coastal processes of erosion and deposition are influenced by various marine, atmospheric and geological factors.

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6. How do human activities influence river and coastal environments and what are the resulting consequences?

7. How does the management of river and coastal systems pose a continuing challenge for people?

 Human activities on river and coastal environments: e.g.

drainage, reclamation and recreation

 Impact and consequences: e.g. flooding, erosion and mass wasting, pollution, and disturbance / damage to the ecosystem

 “Hard” and “soft” management strategies e.g.

channelisation, building breakwaters, land use zoning, beach nourishment.

 Management issues, including evaluation of methods and strategies used, and their possible impact

People-environment interaction

Conflict Management

 Use GIS, aerial photographs and/or satellite images to analyse the change of fluvial and coastal environments over time owing to human activities.

 Conduct a field visit to a river or a coastal area in Hong Kong to observe and identify the various management strategies implemented.

 Survey people’s views on the management of river / coast in Hong Kong.

 Appreciate the beauty of nature

 Be aware of the changing nature of our physical environment and its possible impact on human activities

 Recognise the need for sustainable management of our physical environment

Case / Specific Examples: River and coastal environment in Hong Kong

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3. Changing Industrial Location – How and why does it change over space and time?

Location change is a characteristic of industry in the 21^stcentury. The study of various factors influencing industrial location, and particularly those leading to changing location, remains an important topic in Geography. This module aims to study the factors affecting industrial location using the iron and steel industry and the information technology industry as examples. The iron and steel industry serves as a typical example for studying the location of an industry through time. The location of this industry has experienced several major changes as a result of technological breakthroughs.

These changes in location have mainly been due to the replacement of one dominating factor by another, although the production is still being concentrated on a particular site (single-point production). Location changes have brought new industries to some areas and “rust belts” to others.

The study of the location of the information technology industry introduces another group of location factors, in particular human resources, and research and development, in addition to the traditional ones such as power, raw materials and market. In general, the location of the information technology industry is not dominated by any particular location factor and its production site is not confined to a particular city or region (multi- point production). This industry has been developing towards a transnational enterprise model characterised by cross-regional or cross-national production.

1. Where was the manufacturing industry of Hong Kong located in the past? Where is it now?

2. Is the same phenomenon happening in other industrial regions?

 Location of Hong Kong

manufacturing industry in the past decades (1950s– 1970s)

 Relocation of the Hong Kong manufacturing industries to the Zhujiang (Pearl River) Delta Region – name and locate the major manufacturing centres in the region

Location and distribution Industrial relocation

 Use map overlays, GIS or other representations to show the changing location pattern of the

manufacturing industry in Hong Kong and the Zhujiang (Pearl River) Delta Region.

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3. Where are the major iron and steel industrial centres in China?

4. Why are they there?

 Distribution pattern of the iron and steel industry in China

 Major factors affecting the location of industry, e.g. raw materials, power, market, labour, technology, transport, government policy and land

 Factors affecting the location of the iron and steel industry in China, with a specific focus on government policy

Location and distribution Industrial system Location factor Spatial association

 Collect information on the iron and steel industry in China.

 Draw maps to illustrate the location of the iron and steel industry.

 Overlay transparencies of the location of the iron and steel industry and the location of power and raw materials (or using GIS) to identify the location factors for this industry.

 Interpret information from maps, graphs, data or diagrams to derive the location factors of the iron and steel industry.

5. How has the location of China’s iron and steel industry changed over time?

6. Why do some plants still stick to their original locations?

 Changing location of the iron and steel industry in China, including the shift from the coast to the interior and the tendency to be located near large cities

 Role of technology and other factors, especially government policy in leading to such changes

 Reasons for industrial inertia in the iron and steel industry

Change over time Impact of technology Government policy Industrial inertia

 Locate the new iron and steel plants on the map and describe the changes in location pattern.

 Group discussion: Causes of industrial inertia.

7. Why does the same group of factors not influence the location of the US IT industry?

8. What determines its location there?

 Location of the US IT industry

 Factors affecting the location of the US IT industry, especially research and development, labour quality and agglomeration economies

Location and distribution Location factor

 Collect information on the IT industry in the US

 Draw maps to illustrate the location of this industry.

 Contrast the main location factors of iron and steel industry and information technology industry using various appropriate presentation modes (such as tables, graphs and computer presentations).

 Field trip to Cyberport / Hong Kong Science Park to look at the factors which favour the

development of the IT industry in these areas.

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9. What impacts have globalisation and technological advances had on the location of manufacturing industry and its mode of production?

 Location of factories and headquarters of the US IT industry

 Multi-point and transnational production in the IT industry

 Definition of globalisation

 The effect of globalisation and technological advances on its location and mode of production

Location and distribution Globalisation

Change over time

 Browse through the Internet to search for examples of the multi-point location of the IT industry.

 Using an example of an IT industry collected from different sources of data, summarise the reasons for its changing location and mode of production, and present these reasons to the class.

10. What are the likely social, economic and environmental impact of changes in industrial location and modes of production?

11. What can be done to alleviate the problems caused by this changing mode of production and changes in industrial location?

 Impact of changes in industrial location and mode of production, e.g. flow of technology, changes in employment structure, impact on economy, etc.

 Measures taken to alleviate the problems caused by this changing mode of production and changes in industrial location, e.g. retraining of labour, an improved social security system, and the development of other industries / economic sectors

 Possibility of carrying out these measures

 Effectiveness of these measures and problems encountered when carrying them out.

Socio-economic impact  Organise the first- and second-hand materials collected in order to analyse the impact of industrial relocation on workers and society.

 Group discussion: Discuss the types of measures that can be adopted and evaluate the possibility and effectiveness of carrying them out.

 Recognise the efforts human beings have made in the development of modern industry

 Appreciate the far-reaching impact of technological development

 Recognise the trend of globalisation

 Understand and show concern for problems caused by the changes in industrial location

Case / Specific Examples: China’s iron and steel industry and the US information technology industry.

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4. Building a Sustainable City — Are environmental conservation and urban development mutually exclusive?

Like many cities in the Asia-Pacific region, Hong Kong has grown rapidly with a high urban population density. It is also a city with serious environmental problems. This module examines the reasons why a city like Hong Kong keeps on growing and the problems which result from such growth. It also focuses on how the economic prosperity and vitality of a city can be maintained without sacrificing its environmental quality based on the concept of “sustainable development”. This module will equip students with a basic understanding of the concept of sustainable development and the possible ways of developing Hong Kong into a sustainable city. They will also learn about the price for developing Hong Kong into a sustainable city.

1. What is wrong with our growing city?

2. Why do cities keep growing?

 Brief description of urban problems in Hong Kong (e.g. housing problems, transport problems and pollution)

 Definition of urban growth and urbanisation

 Causes of urban growth and

urbanisation (e.g. natural increase of urban population, rural-urban migration, reclassification of areas previously defined as rural, changing employment opportunities, and economic and transport development)

Urban problem Change over time Location

Place

Urban growth Urbanisation

 Collect photographs showing the environmental conditions of a growing city, identify the urban problems shown in them, and evaluate their impact on the people living in the city.

 Analyse the census data and a map showing the urban area of Hong Kong in different time periods.

 Investigate with secondary data in the library and explain why there was rapid urban growth and urbanisation in Hong Kong over the past few decades (i.e. causes of change).

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3. How does the internal structure of a city change as it grows?

4. What are the processes involved in such a change?

 Urban growth, urbanisation and the related change in the internal structure of a city

 Cycle of urbanisation, suburbanisation, counter-urbanisation and reurbanisation

 Processes involved in urban growth and development, including urban decay, urban sprawl and encroachment, urban redevelopment and renewal

Location Place

Change over time Internal structure of a city

Competition and succession

Urban encroachment Urban renewal

 Identify on a map of Hong Kong one old urban / inner city district (e.g. Wan Chai) and one rural area in the New Territories several decades ago (e.g. Tsuen Wan). Conduct questionnaire surveys to investigate how these two places evolved with urban development.

 Conduct a survey on the land use and urban problems of the area near the school.

5. What problems does a growing city bring?

6. What solutions are there for these problems?

7. What kinds of conflict will be created when solving the above problems?

8. In what ways and with what success are these conflicts being dealt with?

9. Why is the concept of “sustainable development” helpful in dealing with these conflicts?

 Problems arising from a growing city:

̶ Housing: insufficiency, substandard conditions

̶ Movement: traffic congestion

̶ Environment: waste, pollution, and the environmental health of the inhabitants

 Measures to alleviate or solve the urban problems, including:

̶ Provision of public housing and building of new towns

̶ Urban planning

̶ Environmental conservation measures

 Conflicts arising from solving urban problems

 Sustainable development and methods to solve the conflicts arising from urban problems

People-environment interrelationship Urban problem Conflict

Sustainable development

 Visit the two areas mentioned above and identify the urban problems in these areas.

 Discuss and present in groups:

̶ the types of conflicts related to solving urban problems in Hong Kong; and

̶ the methods for dealing with these conflicts.

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10. What would make a sustainable city?

11. What are the characteristics of such a city?

12. How can we make a city sustainable?

13. What is the price for developing a sustainable city?

 Definitions of “sustainable

development” and a “sustainable city”

 Characteristics of a sustainable city

 Methods of developing a city into a sustainable one, e.g. better and careful planning of the city, regenerating and re-imaging the city

 Price for developing a sustainable city

Sustainable development Environment

Change over time

 Browse the information on the Internet and summarise the characteristics or indicators of a sustainable city.

 Re-design the development of a selected area in Hong Kong based on the sustainable indicators compiled from various sources and construct a land use map using appropriate IT tools (e.g.

GIS).

14. Is environmental degradation a necessary evil for improving living standards in a growing city?

15. How should we choose? Can we afford not to choose a sustainable future in the long run?

 Relationship between urban development, socio-economic development, living standards and environmental conditions

 Consequences of not developing a city in a sustainable way in the long run (i.e. aggravation of urban problems and the impact on human beings and the environment)

Change over time People-environment interrelationship

Sustainable development Environment

 Conduct a role-play to demonstrate how different stakeholders perceive the need to keep a balance between environmental conservation and urban development.

 Discuss in groups the consequences of not choosing a sustainable future in the long run. Use a type of graphic organiser to organise the main points being discussed.

 Show sensitivity to the development of the surrounding environment

 Show concern for the problems caused by urban development

 Develop a sense of responsibility and willingness to take action in protecting and improving the urban environment

Case / Specific Examples: Hong Kong (Teachers can consider making reference to some other examples of sustainable cities in the world in addition to Hong Kong.)

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5. Combating Famine — Is technology a panacea for food shortage?

This module focuses on the issue of famine as a basis for geographical enquiry. Through exploring the causes of famine and why it occurs in some regions and not others, students develop a basic understanding of how various agricultural factors shape farming characteristics and determine farming yields. From this basic understanding, students can examine the extent to which famine is a naturally or human-induced disaster. The two case studies chosen for this topic allow students to identify how different factors lead to significant variation in the agricultural characteristics of regions with similar natural environmental settings. They also enable students to examine the role and influence of technology in agriculture, and the positive and negative effects of using agricultural technology in raising yields and combating the food shortage problem.

1. Why do some regions have surplus food production whereas others are suffering from famine?

2. What is “famine”?

3. Where do most famines occur?

What are the similarities found in regions frequently affected by famine?

 The availability of food supplies is uneven and does not match demand on a global scale

̶ Global patterns of food production and consumption in relation to population

̶ Global contrasts in diet and food consumption

̶ Patterns of trade in food

 Definition of “famine”

 Causes of famine in relation to economic, technological, social and physical conditions

Location and distribution Spatial association Region

Spatial variation People-environment interrelationship

 Select and record information from print sources, audio-visual and computer technologies, maps and photographic records to describe and define key issues and problems related to famine.

 Read and draw maps (using GIS) from atlases or statistical data to highlight the location of areas suffering from famine.

 Draw diagrams and graphs (e.g. bar, line, pie, scatter) using appropriate computer software to illustrate the spatial distribution of food availability based on statistical data collected from various sources.

 Compare patterns from mapped data to identify how the interaction between physical and human environments affects food production and consumption.