Teaching resources for primary, GCSE and A Level Geography
These four teaching and learning resources for GCSE and A Level Geography were developed by Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in partnership with the Geographical Association and an advisory group of teachers.
Presented in Powerpoint presentation format these resources include a wide range of up-to-date case studies. They have been designed to meet examination specifications and examiners’ reports and do not necessarily represent MSF’s official opinion.
A Level
Guided by the 2016 A Level Geography specifications, Tectonic activity and hazards: earthquakes is a comprehensive teaching resource juxtaposing vulnerability, risk, coping capacity, impact and the disaster management cycle in two disaster hotspots: Haiti and Japan. The Haiti earthquake (2010) and the Tōhoku, Japan earthquake and tsunamis (2011) demonstrate how impact, path and duration of recovery depend on country-specific factors.
Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
Sections:
- Causes of the Haiti and Japan earthquakes
- Impacts of the Haiti and Japan earthquakes
- Responses to the Haiti and Japan earthquakes
- GIS and the Haiti earthquake
This complex interrelated and wide-ranging resource has been created for students of A-Level/IB Geography. It addresses the following topics: food security, food security index, hunger, malnutrition, famine, theory on food security, contemporary data, Madagascar case study, climate change, climate change modelling, desertification, malnutrition, Chad case study, fragile states, conflict and malnutrition and an Afghanistan case study.
The resource showcases the work carried out by Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in relation to topics above. Throughout the presentations, students are encouraged to take an active, organised, and responsible approach to their learning and preparation for public examinations.
It is anticipated that teachers will select, adapt and, most importantly, mediate and tailor the slide shows to match the requirements of their examination specification, the learning needs of their students and the context and culture of their school or college.
This detailed resource for students of A-Level Geography draws on a video, 'Killer diseases: Malaria' created by Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
The resource examines the global prevalence and distribution of malaria. It provides examples of management, prevention and mitigation strategies adopted by MSF in tackling malaria in Burundi and Ethiopia.
There are a range of activities with answers and examples of A-Level/IB examination questions in the presentation for students to work through.
This detailed resource for students of A-Level Geography examines the global prevalence and distribution of cholera and treatment and prevention strategies put in place by MSF.
It provides case study examples of Haiti, Nigeria and Lebanon, examining cholera outbreaks there. There are a range of activities with answers and examples of A-Level/IB examination questions in the presentation for students to work through.
This resource, designed for A-Level and IB Geography students, examines the topics of gender equality and maternal health.
It uses the Gender Inequality Index (GII) to look at patterns of gender equality around the world. A focus on Afghanistan and the Central African Republic (CAR) reveals some of the barriers women face in accessing healthcare.
The work of Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Afghanistan and CAR showcases our attempts to improve the quality and access to maternal health services.
This revision resource covers global patterns of disease and factors which determine them, the causes, impacts, and responses to disease outbreaks and how disease can be mitigated and eradicated. It is mapped to OCR A-Level geography topic 3.2, and the five questions and subsequent key ideas are referenced throughout the resource.
The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
GCSE
This engaging resource for Geography GCSE starts with a contamination station game about the spread of Vibrio Cholerae. Videos, maps and activities explore cholera, its prevention and treatment, and what it takes to communicate health messages. The resource is illustrated with references and photos of the Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) humanitarian response to cholera in Haiti, the Philippines Uganda and Nigeria.
This thought-provoking resource allows students to become aware of the daily challenges faced by the millions of displaced people around the world. Students will have an awareness of the global reach of the refugee situation and be able to identify several countries with a significant refugee exodus and/or influx.
They will also develop an appreciation for some of the challenges people face when they are forced to flee and the challenges humanitarian organisations such as Médecins Sans Frontières/ Doctors Without Borders (MSF) face when providing health care in a refugee camp. This resource is based on an exhibition ‘Forced from Home’ developed by MSF USA.
This dynamic resource has been created for students of GCSE and IBDP Geography. It explores the causes of the catastrophic floods that hit Pakistan in the summer of 2022, making the link between climate change and the increased frequency of extreme weather events. The resource explores the social, economic and environmental impacts of the flood.
The resource then looks at the work of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and their response to the subsequent health emergency. In addition, there are a range of exam questions and answers for pupils and teachers to use.
This is an enquiry-based lesson focusing on the current Venezuelan migrant crisis in South America. It relies on the fact that students already understand push/pull factors, but could serve as a positive reinforcer for this area of the specification. The resource introduces the Venezuelan economic crisis.
This resource is a GCSE Geography earthquake resource that can also be used in KS3. It introduces students to the work of MSF and some of the ways in which they responded to the Turkey/Syria earthquake in 2023 to support people affected by the disaster.
Students will look at why this earthquake was so impactful, and then see examples of the MSF response to support people following this natural disaster. Students complete a key vocabulary exercise in relation to facts linked with the earthquake, a picture and text matching exercise based on MSF’s response, and finish with an opportunity for GCSE exam question practice with model answer supplied.
This is a GCSE geography resource based on the 2023 earthquake in Morocco. It focuses on the longer-term impacts of natural disasters on people, with a particular focus on mental health.
The resource uses a case study of an MSF nurse in Morocco, assessing, and beginning to address, the psychological needs of people shortly after the earthquake and beyond, into the medium and longer term.
In this resource, students revise how tropical storms form and develop, the structures and features of tropical storms, and the effects of and responses to tropical storms. It is primarily designed for (and mapped to) the AQA specification, but can also be used for Edexcel and OCR. The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
This resource covers earthquakes and volcanoes. Students revise the physical processes which lead to tectonic activity, the global distribution of tectonic activity, and the effects of and responses to tectonic hazards. This resource is primarily designed for (and mapped to) the AQA specification, but can also be used for Edexcel and OCR. The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
This resource covers climate change. Students revise natural and human causes, the evidence for climate change, the effects of climate change within the context of healthcare, and responses to climate change. This resource is primarily designed for (and mapped to) the AQA specification, but can also be used for Edexcel, OCR and WJEC.
The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
KS3
This resource is an introduction to development indicators for KS3 geography – with a focus on health factors. There are a range of activities contained within this resource, covering geographical content, country context, and geographical skills. In this resource KS3 students can explore development through the lens of health care indicators or markers, such as life expectancy; maternal mortality; and birth rate.
Differentiated content is available to teachers for a range of abilities. The resource contains the option to differentiate by group, or within group by role, offering teachers great flexibility within this resource. There is also the option to extend the content over several lessons, to suit – as part of a wider country case study, for example.
Through each case study contained here students will examine health indicators, define them, look at change over time, and draw their own conclusions from data. Options then exist for consolidation and review activities (sharing data; tabulate and graph the data; analysis and interpretation of the data; compare and contrast; drawing own conclusions).
The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
Primary
A set of activities to explore what life is like for a refugee and a look at MSF's work with refugees and people forced from their homes.
This resource is suitable for KS2. It focuses on the global issue of malnutrition and introduces some key vocabulary and general information about MSF’s work in this area.
The resource has been created by Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using our authentic materials. Teachers are encouraged to review and select content and activities to best match their students’ needs.
Attention Geography teachers!
Are you a teacher who uses these resources in the classroom? If so, we would love to hear your feedback, good or bad, to help us keep improving our resources. Please send us an e-mail with your thoughts.
Look out for more resources from MSF on the Times Educational Supplement website