Final week on Svalbard

OK. Here's the work for today (and some bits for next classroom lesson)

So we are going to be moving on to My Place before too long.

Remember to read back through previous postings on the blog from October and November to 'flesh out' or add additional material to the information that you already have, and get some sneak preview of the work that is coming up.

We will also have a little CHRISTMAS diversion in the last week of term.

The plan for today is to get hold of the 500 word piece from everybody who hasn't already let me have Task B
I then need to have your portfolio slides finished off (scroll down a little for a reminder of the enquiry questions.

Final task:

Why would being a student on Svalbard be 'extreme' ?


We are going to use the site of the University of Norway in Svalbard (UNIS)

Click the link for UNIS STUDENT SURVIVAL KIT.

Try to suggest some differences between being a student at somewhere like COWA compared to UNIS.
Also worth checking out the blog of someone who spent time at UNIS: Laurel McFadden, who last year's Year 10 pupils followed on her COLD PHOTO blog.
You can read the postings from January through to April, which was the time she spent on Svalbard. There are some fantastic images here too....

Image copyright: Laurel McFadden

Check out the SVALBARD COMPANIES page too to see what's on offer for students.

You will need to produce a powerpoint slide or two based on this enquiry question.

Print off a hard copy of the portfolio slides for your blue exercise books - File, Print, Select printer (not that annoying default Primo PDF), Print What ? Handouts, then choose 3, 4 or 6 handouts per page. May also want to INSERT, Slides from Files and add some of the slides from the Boardworks presentation which look at the effect of GLACIATION on the landscape. Remember that there are glaciers on Svalbard.
CAN YOU NAME ONE (or more) OF THE GLACIERS ON SVALBARD ?

The presentation is in the Pilot GCSE folder on Pupils on Curriculum.

Final things to add: (little extras)
PERMAFROST.
The cold temperatures experienced in Svalbard and other cold non-glacial climates result in the ground freezing solid. The top few centimetres thaw out in the summer and then freeze again in the winter - this particular part of the soil is called the ACTIVE LAYER. The reason for the name is that as the ground thaws out, large quantities of water are released, and the ground starts to move (it's a process called SOLIFLUCTION) - it results in a very hummocky landscape with lots of surface water called THAW LAKES (I have a 'thaw' finger from all this typing....)

CICERO is the Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo. There is an excellent illustrated page HERE. This is a great place to start for explorations into the impact of this thawing of the permafrost on Svalbard (and in other parts of Norway and the Arctic too...)

I suggest you also take a look at the WIKIPEDIA page on Permafrost, and take a look at some of the weird and wonderful things that happen to the surface when it is constantly being frozen and thawed out. This produces a whole range of new Geographical vocabulary: Palsas, Thufurs, Ice Wedges, Stone Polygons, Stone Garlands, Stone Stripes, Felsenmeer, Pro-Talus ramparts, Naleds and Pingos...

Year 10 Coursework Task B

Here are the instructions for Task B
Move on to this once you've finished your poster...

TASK B

So what do YOU think the future holds for Svalbard? What human and physical changes might occur as a result of global warming? What is your vision for a future Svalbard?

Write a 500-word report to describe and explain your view of a likely possible future for Svalbard.

You may choose to take an overview of the human and physical characteristics of the Islands

OR

You may focus on one broad aspect such as the landscape

OR you may even like to refine your report and focus on one aspect such as ecosystems or even polar bears.

Your intended audience of readers is a group of KES geographers from Years 10 to 13. You may wish to write for another intended audience, consult your teacher.

Folow the ‘Top Tips!’ below to help you.

Top Tips!

• Incorporate the idea of sustainability within your answer: the idea that we need to use resources in such a way as to allow them to remain viable for the future
• Show you understand likely future changes on Svalbard
• Describe and explain these changes.
• Refer to who might be affected by the changes.
• Refer to human and physical changes.
• Refer to local, regional and global implications of this change.
• Present and justify your own view.
• Include diagrams, maps and photos to support your view. At all times make sure that you credit your sources.

Possible aspects to include on your concept map or diagram:

Oceans around Svalbard.

Climate of Svalbard.

Glaciers and ice caps on Svalbard.

Landscapes, landforms and processes of Svalbard.

Land-based ecosystems of Svalbard.

Ocean-based ecosystems of Svalbard.

Human activities on Svalbard.

Culture and peoples of Svalbard.

Scientific exploration of Svalbard.

You could focus on some or one of these in your report.

"Ice Floe: Nowhere to Go" - the End of Extremes (Cont.)

Picture by J.L. Sollid from CICERO site.

Just a reminder of the content of this 'final' lesson on Extreme Environments:

a) Hard copy of the 500 word piece (Task B) into my folder by the end of the lesson, and an electronic copy saved in the Pilot GCSE folder on Pupils on Curriculum (U) - might also be worth adding the details of the task itself (available by looking for the labels down the right hand side of the blog page)
b) Hard copy of the portfolio slides for your blue exercise books - File, Print, Select printer (not that annoying default Primo PDF), Print What ? Handouts, then choose 3, 4 or 6 handouts per page.
May also want to INSERT, Slides from Files and add some of the slides from the Boardworks presentation which look at the effect of GLACIATION on the landscape. Remember that there are glaciers on Svalbard.
CAN YOU NAME ONE (or more) OF THE GLACIERS ON SVALBARD ?
You SHOULD be able to !
c) Collect hard copy of the replies from Steve Johnston. I shall add more of these when I get the chance, but it's a time consuming job. There are some excellent pictures still to come - a pity we can't see them all at school.

Final things to add:
PERMAFROST.
The cold temperatures experienced in Svalbard and other cold non-glacial climates result in the ground freezing solid. The top few centimetres thaw out in the summer and then freeze again in the winter - this particular part of the soil is called the ACTIVE LAYER. The reason for the name is that as the ground thaws out, large quantities of water are released, and the ground starts to move (it's a process called SOLIFLUCTION) - it results in a very hummocky landscape with lots of surface water called THAW LAKES (I have a 'thaw' finger from all this typing....)

CICERO is the Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo. There is an excellent illustrated page HERE. This is a great place to start for explorations into the impact of this thawing of the permafrost on Svalbard (and in other parts of Norway and the Arctic too...)

I suggest you take a look at the WIKIPEDIA page on Permafrost, and take a look at some of the weird and wonderful things that happen to the surface when it is constantly being frozen and thawed out. This produces a whole range of new Geographical vocabulary: Palsas, Thufurs, Ice Wedges, Stone Polygons, Stone Garlands, Stone Stripes, Felsenmeer, Pro-Talus ramparts, Naleds and Pingos...

No, not Pingu....Pingu being animated: from Japanese Pingu page

There are some good penguin related resources on Tony C's weblog (see the link to the right...)

Incidentally, some people think that Penguins are found in the Arctic. They are generally only found in the Southern Hemisphere (and the odd zoo...) so Polar Bears wouldn't eat penguins (although if you offered them a dead one who knows ?) Came across this useful site of FAMOUS PENGUINS. I never knew there were so many famous penguins ! Nor did I want to know really...

Permafrost around the world is thawing, in some cases for the first time since the Ice Age 10,000 (ish...) years ago.
The BBC picked up on this story some years ago, but more recently on BBC News 24 there was a half hour programme about the thawing permafrost. Unfortunately the tape copy I made seems to have gone weird, and the audio is scrambled so people sound like they've been inhaling helium...
There are some of the relevant news stories available on the BBC WEBSITE, with stories HERE,
HERE (all about the possible effects on Global Warming as methane is released when the permafrost thaws)

Why is this a problem for Svalbard ? The CICERO page gives some ideas on this. It's something you could also do with knowing...

Final reminder: please add the printouts to your book. Label everything up, and bring your exercise book to the next lesson!

I also recommend Ice Age 2 as a suitable film for this topic. The website for the film has some amusing Flash elements. Please note that this should not be seen as the definitive resource on glacial landscapes and processes...DVD available from all good retailers...

And finally, while looking for a few websites to give you for this topic, I came across a particularly good ARCTIC THEME site by the US based NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) This has numerous links to related websites and images such as the one below:Image from NOAA Photo Library
This is called PANCAKE ICE - can you see why it's called that ?
What other types of sea ice are there ? (Tony C will be able to tell you more...)

And that's a wrap...
Coming soon: MY PLACES (for a preview check out GeographyPages...)

Coursework due in

Just a reminder following today's lesson that on Monday I need to have hard copy of any remaining projects handed in to me (max 500 words and no cut and paste!) and you will also need to have completed your concept maps, so that I can staple the report to them and then Mrs Clarke and I can start to mark them and give you feedback.
Thanks for all your hard work on this.

Also check out Tony Cassidy's new BLOG layout and the report on his recent trip to Berlin.

Tuesday 7th November

OK, so I will arrive around 9am today.
By then you should be well under way with Task B from the Coursework. As a reminder, here is the task again:

TASK B

So what do YOU think the future holds for Svalbard? What human and physical changes might occur as a result of global warming? What is your vision for a future Svalbard?

Write a 500-word report to describe and explain your view of a likely possible future for Svalbard.

You may choose to take an overview of the human and physical characteristics of the Islands

OR

You may focus on one broad aspect such as the landscape

OR you may even like to refine your report and focus on one aspect such as ecosystems or even polar bears.

Your intended audience of readers is a group of KES geographers from Years 10 to 13. You may wish to write for another intended audience, consult your teacher.

Folow the ‘Top Tips!’ below to help you.

Top Tips!

• Incorporate the idea of sustainability within your answer: the idea that we need to use resources in such a way as to allow them to remain viable for the future
• Show you understand likely future changes on Svalbard
• Describe and explain these changes.
• Refer to who might be affected by the changes.
• Refer to human and physical changes.
• Refer to local, regional and global implications of this change.
• Present and justify your own view.
• Include diagrams, maps and photos to support your view. At all times make sure that you credit your sources.

Possible aspects to include on your concept map or diagram:

Oceans around Svalbard.

Climate of Svalbard.

Glaciers and ice caps on Svalbard.

Landscapes, landforms and processes of Svalbard.

Land-based ecosystems of Svalbard.

Ocean-based ecosystems of Svalbard.

Human activities on Svalbard.

Culture and peoples of Svalbard.

Scientific exploration of Svalbard.

You could focus on some or one of these in your report.

Geography and Coursework

Today (31st October) Mr. Parkinson's groups should be doing Task B. Sorry I can't be there, but I'm speaking to the 'next generation' of teachers at the University of East Anglia as part of a session on creativity in Geography...
If you don't have a copy of the task with you, there should be plenty of spares in the plastic box file in the unit in B3 (the cover teacher will also know this...) or there is a copy on this blog...
You need to really concentrate today. You only have 1 hour and you really need to have got this task finished today, or at the very least well underway. You will have some more time to spend on your posters later this week...
Can I remind you again that:
1) This needs to be YOUR OWN work, you can't work with someone else...
2) You musn't just CUT and PASTE. None of those sections will get you credit.
3) You MUST persuade the examiner (not just me) that you know what you are talking about, and use the appropriate words in the right places
4) Don't waste time on formatting and font and things like that - there are no marks for worrying about that at this stage - get your work on the paper
5) There is a 500 word limit - don't go over !
Good luck with the task...

I had another busy half term 'holiday' and had quite a lot of Polar and Extreme connections through the week.
The Pink Footed geese started flying over my house again and spending the day in nearby fields then heading out to the Wash in the evening. These geese are part of the Greenland / Iceland group, but there is a second group, who over-winter in Netherlands and Belgium and these are called the Svalbard group because they breed on Svalbard in the Spring.
There is an interesting article HERE and another one HERE.
I also spent 4 days of half term attending a conference in Scotland at the SAGT (see image above) where I spoke to over 150 people about Google Earth. On Friday night, there was a reception on board the Discovery: a ship used by Captain Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton on Polar expeditions. It's a wonderful historical vessel with an Extreme Environments connection. Just outside the building are lots of model penguins - will post a picture soon. Perhaps they could be friends with Tony's penguin.
There was also a demonstration of the Royal Geographical Society's DISCOVERING ANTARCTCA website, which I wrote some of the teachers' materials for.

Tony Cassidy's blog will be quiet for a few days. He's in Berlin on a trip. I'm sure he'll post about the trip when he gets back. Hope you have / had a good trip Tony!

Extreme Environments Coursework

Extreme Environments Coursework Planning...
We started to do the planning for the first piece of coursework today.
Remember that you will have a 2 hour time limit on this, but that there will be opportunities for coursework improvement as we go through the year. I am also waiting for a few samples of coursework from one of the other centres who offers the Pilot to act as modelling.

The coursework is adapted from work originally produced by Paula Cooper and made available on the Geographical Association website. Many thanks to Paula and her colleagues at KEGS.

So the schedule is:
Homework from today's lesson: prepare for Task A
Next lesson (Friday): in B1: Task A
Homework from Friday's lesson and half term: Prepare for Task B
Lesson on Tuesday 31st October: Task B

It's important that you get the preparation done appropriately, as I will not be there on the Tuesday 31st October as I'm lecturing at the University of East Anglia.

Here is the resource you received today:

Pilot GCSE: Extreme Environments

Year 10 coursework

What Does the Future Hold for Svalbard?

Global Warming and Svalbard

Introduction

In this coursework you will be asked to consider how global warming and associated environmental change might affect Svalbard. You must apply your knowledge and understanding of this extreme environment and link it with what you know and understand of global warming to present your view of a possible future for Svalbard.

You will have one lesson and private study time for each of the following tasks.

TASK A

Produce a concept map OR any other diagram of your choice/creation to show your full understanding of how global warming and environmental change might affect the extreme environment of Svalbard.

You must demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the current landscape, ecosystems, climate and human uses of Svalbard.

Follow the ‘Top Tips!’ below and the ideas over the page to help you create your diagram. Your diagram may be up to A3 size, with scope for going up to A2 if you really need to.

Top Tips!

• Refer to specific places on Svalbard
• Show how the different aspects of Svalbard and global warming are interconnected e.g. wildlife, landscape, people, buildings
• Be creative!
• Include appropriate detail to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding.
• Use geographical vocabulary.
• Try to describe (the aspects of Svalbard) and explain (how global warming might affect them).
• Plan your diagram.
• Keep your diagram organised on the page.
• Be concise!
• If you have taken information from a webpage you must credit the source by including the URL (i.e. http://www.svalbardstuffonglobalwarming.com)

TASK B

So what do YOU think the future holds for Svalbard? What human and physical changes might occur as a result of global warming? What is your vision for a future Svalbard?

Write a 500-word report to describe and explain your view of a likely possible future for Svalbard.

You may choose to take an overview of the human and physical characteristics of the Islands

OR

You may focus on one broad aspect such as the landscape

OR you may even like to refine your report and focus on one aspect such as ecosystems or even polar bears.

Your intended audience of readers is a group of KES geographers from Years 10 to 13. You may wish to write for another intended audience, consult your teacher.

Folow the ‘Top Tips!’ below to help you.

Top Tips!

• Incorporate the idea of sustainability within your answer: the idea that we need to use resources in such a way as to allow them to remain viable for the future
• Show you understand likely future changes on Svalbard
• Describe and explain these changes.
• Refer to who might be affected by the changes.
• Refer to human and physical changes.
• Refer to local, regional and global implications of this change.
• Present and justify your own view.
• Include diagrams, maps and photos to support your view. At all times make sure that you credit your sources.

Possible aspects to include on your concept map or diagram:

Oceans around Svalbard.

Climate of Svalbard.

Glaciers and ice caps on Svalbard.

Landscapes, landforms and processes of Svalbard.

Land-based ecosystems of Svalbard.

Ocean-based ecosystems of Svalbard.

Human activities on Svalbard.

Culture and peoples of Svalbard.

Scientific exploration of Svalbard.

You could focus on some or one of these in your report.

Good to see some of you adding comments to the blogs. Why not start your own ? I can show you how...

More details on Coursework to come later today...