#365: Art

Hopefully the final specification for the GCSE Natural History will follow up on the promise of the original draft thoughts of Mary Colwell and others. From the clues that I've seen at OCR Consultative Forum meetings and elsewhere, I'm not sure that all of the more interesting (to me) elements such as reference to art, literature and poetry will survive OFQUAL reviews.

One thing I hope stays is an exploration of how Natural History has been represented in art, and how that has changed - from prehistoric cave paintings to the iPad drawings of the Yorkshire Wolds through the seasons by David Hockney. Here's a really beautiful painting - I'll share more of these on the blog in the next year or so as things hopefully get back on track for an eventual launch.

'A City Garden', James McIntosh Patrick, oil on canvas, 1940.

#364: Sycamore Gap: a GA resource

A new(ish) resource which can be accessed and used by members of the Geographical Association. I am considering adding a section of this to my teaching this year.

Sycamore Gap is a significant landmark in Northumberland where three distinct features combined: a natural and dramatic dip in the physical landscape about halfway along the 80-mile run of Hadrian’s Wall, itself an ancient monument and reminder of the power of the Roman Empire, and until recently, a lone, 300-year-old Sycamore tree. The site has UNESCO designation and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Arguably, it will still be known as Sycamore Gap because of its story.

The tree has stood for hundreds of years, perfectly framed by the landscape, thrilling locals and visitors alike until it was deliberately cut down, under cover of darkness, sometime between the evening of 27 September 2023 and the following morning. 

The loss of the tree has caused an outcry and reaction of public grief.

These materials are designed to help children think about some of the issues this story raises. What do they know about Sycamore Gap? Where is it? Have they been there? Why and how do certain landmarks hold such meaning? What is the cultural impact of this and other significant landmarks on our lives? Whose place is this? Who decides what happens here?

While these materials provide a relevant and current context for developing geographical substantive, disciplinary and procedural knowledge, they also model how you might investigate other landmarks with particular significance to your own local community and landscape and the emotions they engender in people.

Complete Materials:PowerPoint
Teachers Notes
Photo Activity
Individual Resource Pages:

Sycamore Gap 1: What’s the geography story?
Sycamore Gap 2: What can images and maps tell us about landmarks?
Sycamore Gap 3: Why can we see so many stars?
Sycamore Gap 4: Changing views
Sycamore Gap 5: How do we feel about it?
Sycamore Gap 6: A Gap in the landscape
Sycamore Gap 7: Why should we value trees?
Sycamore Gap 8: What would be your ‘tree of the year’?
Sycamore Gap 9: Change
Sycamore Gap 10: How do we fill the Gap?


Thanks to Steve Rawlinson, Tessa Willy, Sharon Witt and Margaret Mackintosh for feedback, edits and ideas.

#363: Schools Week 'confirmation' of 2026 delay

Given that the next stage of consultation on the curriculum and other statutory steps have not yet been taken and it's September 2024, first teaching from 2025 was not going to happen, but the date has apparently been changed on OCR's timeline, according to this Schools Week post.

#362: British Wildlife Centre

The British Wildlife Centre is in Surrey.

Follow the Twitter feed for more.

From the website:

Our aims are more than visitor enjoyment, our mission is conservation through education. 

Our objectives are:

• To inform and stimulate greater interest in Britain’s native wildlife and increase awareness of the need and means to conserve it and its habitats.
• To place public education at the heart of everything we do and make it a key part in every visitor’s experience.
• To develop facilities for schools and other educational organisations to conduct teaching and field studies.
• To advance our own knowledge of British wildlife and share this with both the public and the scientific community.

#361: Natural History Poems #1 - Hallaig by Sorley MacLean

The first of a series of posts suggesting poems that students could be asked to engage with

Hallaig is a poem by the late Gaelic poet Sorley MacLean or more correctly Somhairle MacGill-Eain.

You can find out more about his life at this website, which has been around for a long time. He has a long career and was influential on the Isle of Skye and beyond.

I had the great pleasure of meeting him briefly while walking through the village where he lived, and close to which a friend was living at the time.

The poem was set to music by the late musician Martyn Bennett (one of my favourite musicians).