Geographical Investigation Skills‘
What is an Investigation?
• Active learning
• First hand study of the environment
• Apply theories to reality
• Students observe, record,
• Analyse in the real world
• Experiential learning
Geographical investigations - Why?
• Develop skills– observation, measuring, mapping
• Apply knowledge to real situations
• Learn the process of scientific investigations
• Develop positive attitude to environment
• Co-operative learning
• Syllabus requirement – Core Unit 3
In A Geographical Investigation
• . Learn by doing
Hands on activities
Questioning approach
Padlet
03 May 2019This is the slide footer and goes here5
https://padlet.com/siobhainmccann/investigate
• Syllabus – Pgs. 17 & 18
• Guidelines – Pgs. 15 - 19
• List of topics - Autumn 5th Year
• Reporting booklet
• SEC circulars on coursework
• Marking schemes annually
• Chief Examiner’s report 2012
Essential official sources on process of GI
curriculumonline.ie
exam
inat
ion
s.ie
A few statistics from Chief Examiner’s Report
• Geographical Investigation
• 84% average mark
• 92% complete a physical topic
• Paper
• Short Questions – 83% average mark
• Physical – 53% average mark
• Regional – 52% average mark
• Elective – 55% average mark
• Option – No comparable stats due to small sample • Chief Examiner’s Report 2012
Stages of a Geographical Investigation
Preparation
Work in the field
Processing
Stages of a Geographical Investigation
• Title
• Aims
• Planning
• Investigative tasks
• Results, Conclusions, Evaluation
• Presentation of results
Geographical Investigation
Introduction
• Pose a question or hypothesis
• Outline your aims for the day
• Should link with tasks in the field
Planning
• Be very specific when referencing revision
• Qualify all statements
• No need to draw all equipment
• Don’t mention any teacher planning here
• Reference any websites properly
• Good time to use Scoilnet maps
Gathering information
• Must describe activity carried out
• Secondary sources can generate primary data
• Diagrams illustrating activities
• Don’t give results here
• Don’t explain why you are doing the activity
• As much detail as possible - step by step
River processes and landforms
Structure G.I. around 2 Tasks
• .
Task 1
Aim & Plan
Gathering
Results etc
Task 2
Aim & Plan
Gathering
Results etc
Aims Planni
ng
Gathering Results Conclusions Evaluation Presentati
on
Task 1
Task 2
Planning a geographical investigation template
Presentation of results
Results conclusions evaluations
GatheringPlanningAims
A Task exemplar
Presentation of results
Results conclusions evaluations
Gathering Planning
Hypothesis:
Lugduff Brook is eroding the
landscape.
Aim:
To measure the discharge of
Lugduff Brook to investigate its energy to
erode
Aims 5%
Presentation of results
Results conclusions evaluations
Gathering
Task 1
Measuring discharge
Research by reading Cpt 6
etc.
Gather equipment and
practice or make
equipment
Planning 5%
Hypothesis:
Lugduff Brook is eroding the
landscape.
Aim:
To measure the discharge of
Lugduff Brook to investigate its energy to
erode
Aims 5%
Presentation of results
Results conclusions evaluations
Task 1
Describe in detail how I
measured velocity, width
and depth of Lugduff brook
Gathering 40%
Task 1
Measuring discharge
Research by reading Cpt 6
etc.
Gather equipment and
practice or make
equipment
Planning 5%
Hypothesis:
Lugduff Brook is eroding the
landscape.
Aim:
To measure the discharge of
Lugduff Brook to investigate its energy to
erode
Aims 5%
Presentation of results
Task 1
Results:
Velocity, width average depth,
discharge
Conclusion
Velocity fast enough to pick
up and transport
pebbles so abrasion can
take place etc.
Evaluation
Orange getting stuck so etc. ----
Results conclusions
evaluations 30%
Task 1
Describe in detail how I
measured velocity, width
and depth of Lugduff brook
Gathering 40%
Task 1
Measuring discharge
Research by reading Cpt 6
etc.
Gather equipment and
practice or make
equipment
Planning 5%
Hypothesis:
Lugduff Brook is eroding the
landscape.
Aim:
To measure the discharge of
Lugduff Brook to investigate its energy to
erode
Aims 5%
Task 1
Presentation
Diagram showing cross sectional area
Bar chart showing
discharge at different sites
Presentation of results 20%
Task 1
Results:
Velocity, width average depth,
discharge
Conclusions
Velocity fast enough to pick
up and transport
pebbles so abrasion can
take place etc.
Evaluation
Orange getting stuck so etc. ----
Results conclusions
evaluation 30%
Task 1
Describe in detail how I
measured velocity, width
and depth of Lugduff brook
Gathering 40%
Task 1
Measuring discharge
Research by reading Cpt 6
etc.
Gather equipment and
practice or make
equipment
Planning 5%
Hypothesis:
Lugduff Brook is eroding the
landscape.
Aim:
To measure the discharge of
Lugduff Brook to investigate its energy to
erode
Aims 5%
One task exemplar
A second task should also be completed
Introducing Glendalough
DISCOVERY RELIEF & SHADE
Sources of Local Information
• Scoilnet Maps – OS Discovery maps– Historical maps 1836, 1936– Aerial photographs
• Geology
• Ordnance Survey – osi.ie
• Geological Survey of Ireland – gsi.ie
• Local studies section of library
Field Study Techniques
Use
Equipment
• Width etc.
• Depth etc.
• Map orientation
• Measuring angles
• Timing
• Slope marking etc.
• Random sampling
• Grain size
Equipment
• Measuring tape
• Metre stick
• Magnetic compass
• Clinometer
• Stopwatch
• Ranging poles
• Quadrat
• Pebbleometer
Made from
Homemade Equipment
• Marked rope
• Protractor & twine
• Phone
• Brush handles
• Made in technology
• Cardboard & twine
• Shoe box
Equipment
• Measuring tape
• Clinometer
• Stopwatch
• Ranging poles
• Quadrat
• Viewfinder
• Pebbleometer
Field Sketching
Left background Right backgroundCentre background
Left middleground Centre middleground Right middleground
Left foreground Centre foreground Right foreground
Photo-grid
Homemade Viewfinder
Recording Work Done in Field
• Brainstorm
• Worksheet
• Group work
• Padlet
Record Activity As You Go
• Puts emphasis on written record
• Action words only
• Assists recall later
• Gives immediate feed back on students understanding
• Problems identified and tackled
• Helps with write up
.
River Width, Depth, Velocity
.
Measuring Width
Equipment – measuring tape
• Homemade• Shop bought
.
Depth
M M M
Speed - VelocityC throws oranges - A shouts ‘go’ - D starts watch
B shouts stop - E records time
.Stop!
!Go!
Seconds
Seconds
Seconds
10 Metres A
D
C
B
E
Measuring Discharge
• To calculate discharge of a river you need the following information:
• - the width
• - the average depth
• - the distance the river travels in a
• second
• The above measurements should all be in meters
.
Measuring Slope
Angle of the Slope is Measured With a Clinometer
Measuring River Slope
Using a clinometer with a ranging pole
.
Valley Profiling
• Observe the valley carefully• Identify the break of slope points• Mark the break of slope points with students of equal height or ranging
poles or brush handles• Draw a sketch of the slope sections• Measure the angle of slope and the length of each of the sections of slope• Record these on your record sheet
Break of slope points
Valley Profile
Sketch of Slopes
Right Bank
D E F GAB
C
Left Bank
Ranging poles in place
Foresight
Backsight
River bank
Cliff
Break of slope
Right BankLeft Bank
Load Analysis
.
Load Analysis• Wade into the river
• Throw a quadrat randomly onto the bed
• Lift the grains which touch the corners of the quadrat
• Bring them to the bank
• Measure their long axes in the pebbelometer or calipers if they are smaller than 1cm
• Repeat the process until you have measured 30 grains
.
Getting a random sample of load
1
2
3
4
Using the pebbleometer
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 70
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
01
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Measuring Long Axis
Callipers with digital display
Powers Roundness Index
Mica Schist
Granite
Sinuosity Measures The Curvature of a River Channel
• Identify where the direction of the curve changes
• Mark these points with ranging poles
•
• or
• Get 2 students to stand at the points to mark them
• Measure the straight line distance between the points
• Measure the curved distance between the points
• Measurements can be paced where the curves are large
A
B
Remember During Fieldtrip
• Check that all activities have been completed
• Do calculations while moving between sites or on the bus
• Keep all worksheets and record sheet for processing and proof of work no matter how worn, dirty or damaged!
• Gather up record sheets and fieldsketches
• Evaluate the fieldwork as you go
• Make observations while on site.
• Note any issues encountered.
Issues to Consider
• What problems did you face doing the fieldwork?
• Did all the equipment work?
• Had you prepared yourself well enough?
• What did you do well?
• What could be improved?
• What needed further study?
Presentation of results
Task 1
Results:
Velocity, width average depth,
discharge
Conclusion
Velocity fast enough to pick
up and transport
pebbles so abrasion can
take place etc.
Evaluation
Orange getting stuck so etc. ----
Results conclusions
evaluations 30%
Task 1
Describe in detail how I
measured velocity, width
and depth of Lugduff brook
Gathering 40%
Task 1
Measuring discharge
Research by reading Cpt 6
etc.
Gather equipment and
practice or make
equipment
Planning 5%
Hypothesis:
Lugduff Brook is eroding the
landscape.
Aim:
To measure the discharge of
Lugduff Brook to investigate its energy to
erode
Aims 5%
.
Processing and presenting results
Field Sketching
• Redraw the field sketch
• Use the 9 part grid as a guide
• Annotate the sketch
• Colour and title the sketch
• Ask students questions on the sketch to help them identify results and draw conclusions
• Always take a photograph to allow you to redraw back in class.
Completed Sketch of Dargle
Results and Conclusion
.
Calculating Discharge
Work out the cross-sectional area of the river in metres squared
average depth x width e.g. 0.38m x 3.14m = 1.19m2
Work out the average distance travelled in a second in metres
10 metres ÷ average number of seconds e.g. 10 ÷ 15.3 = 0.65m
Work out the discharge in cubic metres per second (CUMECS)
cross-sectional area x distance travelled in a second
e.g. 1.19m2 x 0.65m = 0.77 cumecs
Plotting Discharge - Put in Graph
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
Site A Site B
Constructing a Valley Profile
• Use graph paper
• Add up the length of each section of slope
• Decide on a scale which will fit the profile onto one sheet of graph paper
• Begin by drawing a rectangle to represent the river
• Use a protractor to get the slope angles
• Draw the angles in pencil
• Colour the profile
Calculating Sinuosity
• Sinuosity is a measure of the curvature of a river
• Sinuosity compares the straight line distance with the curved distance
• The sinuosity ratio tells us if a river is meandering or not
• The ratio is expressed as
Straight Distance : (is to) Curved Distance
Sinuosity
For example:28 paces : (is to) 35 paces
Always express a ratio as 1: (is to) something Divide both side of the ratio by 28
28 divided by 28 is 1 and 35 divided by 28 is 1.25So the sinuosity ratio is 1 : (is to) 1.25
• When the curved distance is more than one and a half times (1.5) the straight distance the river is meandering
• So in this example the river is not meandering it has a sinuous channel
Sinuosity Bar Chart
Site 1 Site 2
2.0 Times
1.5 Times
1.0 Times
Curved to straight distance
Sites
Bedload Grain Size
• Extract the long axes of the grains for each site from the record sheet
• Get the average of the long axes for each site
Total of long axes ÷ The number of grains
• Draw a scatter graph of the average grain sizes
Grain Size of Bedload
• Grain size decreases downstream
• The grains are worn down by the process of attrition
• The grains become more rounded downstream because of the process of attrition
• Use a rock key to identify the type of rock
• Record while you are doing the length
• Calculate % frequency of each rock type
no. of granite pebbles
total no. of pebbles sampled
• Draw a pie chart showing the geology of the bedload
Geology of Bedload
Pie Chart of Bedload Geology
Evaluation
• Evaluate all phases of the investigation including planning, fieldwork and processing
• Evaluation can be stimulated through a questioning approach e.g.
Which activities worked?How did the equipment work?Which activities didn’t work?What did you do well?What did you feel needed to be improved?What questions were raised by your investigation?
.
.
Results, Conclusions & Evaluations
• Tie all these to aims and activities
• Results could be table or statement
• Draw conclusions from results
• Evaluation can be forward thinking as well as reflective
Recommendations in Chief Examiner’s Report
• Use the structure and headings provided
• Make sure you present information under the correct
heading
• Concentrate on 2 methods
• Describe and discuss each task in detail
Key Circulars
• S68/08 – general instructions for all subjects with a practical coursework component including geography
• S85/09 – defines a ‘significant relevant point’ (SRP)
• S43/16 – Instructions on the reporting booklet
• List of Topics for 2020.
04 September 2019
Questions?
96