Park Geographers Explore Malham!
Last week, our Year 10 Geography students were taken to Malham Village where we completed our mandatory Geography fieldwork for the first time! 53 pupils from Year 10 Geography classes were set two tasks of collecting data which they will reflect on during the Geography GCSE Paper 3 next June. First, a river study, assessing the changes in Malham Beck as it weaves through the rolling countryside of North Yorkshire. Secondly, a land use survey where they considered the impact of tourism on the quaint village of Malham.
All of our students represented Colne Park High School impeccably whilst taking advantage of the beautiful scenery and opportunity of studying Geography outside the classroom. Three of our students have kindly taken the time to write up their own personal account of the day to share with you.
On Wednesday 27th April we were taken on a field trip to Malham to complete the data collection for the fieldwork section of our Geography GCSE Paper 3. We met at school at 08:00am and after a register set off on a coach for Malham. The coach ventured through the countryside where we all spent the journey looking at the amazing scenery. Once we arrived, we got into our groups and set off to start our work.
For our class, the morning session was performing a land use survey of Malham. This involved exploring the entire village from the carpark to the cove’s campsite. The land use survey assessed whether tourists have had a significant impact on the types of buildings found in Malham – our favourite building being a nice little café which served us hot drinks and cake! I personally really enjoyed this activity because there were sections where we could explore, and using our own initiative put what we learn in the classroom into practice!
In the afternoon we walked to Malham cove, following Malham Beck, the river we would go on to study. Once we had located the source, we prepared to enter the river to collect the data required to assess whether river changes as it goes downstream. We measured the width, depth velocity and size of the particles transported by the river. To do this, we had to wade through the river with measuring equipment; something we would have to do in four different locations! Whilst doing this we had to make sure we were completing a fair test, so our results were not unbiased. Studying geography outside the classroom was my favourite part of the day as this is where it should be studied.
When we had finished collecting all of our data, we set off back to school, where we look forward to writing up the conclusion and evaluation of our investigations. We, along with all Year 10 Geographers would like to thank Mr Good for organising the trip and giving us the opportunity to do something really exciting. Thank you to the Geography teachers, Mr Pickard and Mrs Casper-Smith for helping us with our fieldwork and Miss Halliwell for all her support during the day.
