I've just nicked and adjusted the card-sort part of the 'talking essay' idea on the QCA innovating geography site - by Nicola Gamble from Comberton Village College - the idea is for the 6 big idea card to be placed on different tables, then students to be given 1 or 2 of the statements and they have to find the right 'big idea' card to place them... then they do some thinking skill / sorting exercise - 1 group per big idea (e.g. an order of importance etc)

1. Statements for ‘card sort’
• Over one million people live in over 600 favelas in Rio de Janeiro, for
example Roçinha (with about 150 000 people).
• The houses are constructed from any materials available, such as
wood, corrugated iron and broken bricks.
• The accommodation lacks basic services such as running water,
sewerage and electricity.
• The houses are often built on hillsides which means that, when it
rains, flash floods can cause landslides. For example, in 1988 over
200 people died as a result of storms.
• Inhabitants of favelas have no legal right to the land on which they
live, which means that they can be evicted at any time.
• Favelas are often associated with organised crime, violence and
drug trafficking.
• Despite the fact that the residents claim that crime has decreased,
many richer residents are trying to move out of the city.
• Because the city is surrounded by the coastline on one side and the
mountains on the other, traffic is channelled along a limited number
of routes within the city.
• The high amount of traffic within Rio has caused severe congestion,
pollution and noise.

2. • Guanabara Bay is permanently covered in thick, industrial smog.
• Huge amounts of waste and rubbish are produced by the large
population of Rio. This has resulted in pollution of the coast, beaches
and the sea.
• Because of the polluted water supply and sewage in open drains, the
local population is at risk from disease. For example, there was an
outbreak of cholera in 1992.
• A self-help scheme has been started by the local inhabitants of
Rocinha.
• Within Rocinha, local people have upgraded temporary wooden
buildings to brick and tile. The local authorities have accepted these
improvements and added electricity, paved and lit some of the
steeper streets, and added more water pipes.
• Local people have set up shops and small industries in Rocinha.
This is known as the informal sector.
• Improvements within Rocinha have been restricted by high-density
housing and steepness of hillsides.
• City local authorities have so far spent £500 million to improve the
living conditions of around 300 favelas in the Favela-Bairro scheme.
Favela-Bairro roughly translates as “shanty town to neighbourhood”.
• The local authorities wish to transform the favelas by replacing
buildings that are made of wood or built on dangerous slopes.
Further, they wish to widen streets so that emergency services can

3. gain access, and lay street pavements and concrete paths.
• Within the selected favelas, pipes have been laid for water and
cables for electricity. Further changes have been made through
improving sanitation, adding health facilities and providing sports
areas for local people.
• During development of Favela-Bairro projects, local residents have
been used for labour so that they can develop and use new skills.
• However, favela residents that have benefited from Favela-Bairro
are now required to pay tax to local authorities.
• The more wealthy inhabitants of Rio have now begun to move out of
the city to a new town, Barra da Tijuca; this is called counter-
urbanisation.
• Barra da Tijuca is located 20 km along the coast and can be reached
via a new motorway which has been cut through tunnels under the
mountains and on stilts built over the sea.
• Inhabitants of Barra da Tijuca live either in modern, high-rise
apartments or in detached housing with good facilities.
• Shops, offices and places of entertainment have been built in Barra
da Tijuca. These are easily accessible to local people as most
families have their own car.
• However, favelas have now developed in Barra da Tijuca. This is
because poorer people are needed to clean, cook and do the less
well-paid jobs within the new town.

4. Problems in Rio
de Janeiro:
Housing

5. Problems in Rio
de Janeiro:
Crime

6. Problems in Rio
de Janeiro:
Traffic

7. Problems in Rio
de Janeiro:
Pollution

8. Potential Solutions:
Self-help scheme
in Rocinha

9. Potential Solutions:
The local authority
Favela-Bairro project

10. Potential Solutions:
The new town of
Barra da Tijuca

11. Background (for staff)
SE Brazil (Guanabara Bay)
Largest city in Brazil – centre of industry and commerce – 6 million in
conurbation
Rapid urban growth including favelas, traffic and crime
Problems within Rio de Janeiro
• Housing
Half-million homeless street dwellers
Over 1 million people live in over 600 favelas, e.g. Rocinha
Accommodation lacks basic services (running water, sewerage,
electricity)
Inhabitants have no legal right to the land on which they live
Houses constructed from any materials available – wood, corrugated
iron, broken bricks
Live on hillsides – when it rains, flash floods cause landslides, e.g. in
1988 over 200 died as a result of storms
• Crime
Favelas associated with organised crime, violence and drug trafficking
Residents claim crime has decreased
High drugs use, especially cocaine
Many well-off residents are trying to move out of city
• Traffic
Mountains hem in city – channels traffic along limited number of routes
Severe congestion, pollution and noise
• Pollution
Industrial smog over Guanabara Bay
Coast, beaches and sea are polluted
Huge amounts of waste and rubbish produced
Polluted water supply
Sewage in open drains
Health hazards, e.g. cholera in 1992
Attempts to solve some of Rio’s problems
Self-help scheme in Rocinha
•
Upgrade temporary wooden buildings to brick and tile
Set up shops and small industries – informal sector
Authorities have accepted this and added electricity / paved and lit some
of the steep streets / added more water pipes
Improvements restricted by high-density housing and steepness of
hillsides
The local authority Favela-Bairro project
•
City authorities set aside £500 million to improve living conditions of
Adapted from original by Nicola Gamble, Comberton Village College, Cambridgeshire

12. some favelas
Want to transform favelas socially and culturally including:
- replacing buildings either made of wood or built on dangerous
slopes
- widened streets so emergency services can gain access
- laying street pavements and concrete paths
- laying pipes for water and cables for electricity
- improving sanitation, adding health facilities and providing sports
areas
- using labour from within the favela so that residents can develop
and use new skills
BUT residents have to pay tax to local authorities
The new town of Barra da Tijuca
•
More wealthy inhabitants have begun to move out of city to new town:
counter-urbanisation
New town 20 km along coast
Four-lane motorway cut through tunnels under the mountains and on
stilts built over the sea
Shops, offices and places of entertainment
Built along coast – sea and surf
Accommodation in high-rise apartments – protected by security guards
and containing modern amenities
Detached housing
Good bus service and many families have their own car
BUT favelas have developed there – rich people need poor people to
clean, cook, garden etc
Nicola Gamble, Comberton Village College, Cambridgeshire
Talking essay – issues in shanty towns
This is an easy way into essay writing – it supports pupils in developing their
ideas in depth without requiring large amounts of independent writing.
Although this example explores issues and planning solutions within informal
housing, the technique could easily be adapted for other topics.
In previous lessons, pupils considered the variety of housing in Brazil and
differences in quality of life between those living in different areas. They then
explored the different ways of increasing quality of life in areas of informal
settlement, with a particular case study in Rio de Janeiro. The essay title is
introduced at the end of the previous lesson, and for their homework pupils
considered the types of information which they might include when
responding to the title.

13. TALKING ESSAY: WHAT IS BEING DONE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS OF
SHANTY TOWNS IN RIO DE JANEIRO?
• Write title on the board and explain the task – we will be examining the
things that are being done to solve the problems in favelas in Rio.
• Discuss as a class what the potential structure of this essay could be –
what are the important BIG POINTS? (See ideas below.)
• Give out a set of cards with problems & potential solutions of favelas in Rio
(one slip per pupil) (see below for slips).
• Have a set of BIG POINTS on larger cards (should match up with those
decided in class – see examples below).
• Pupils move around the classroom and fit their facts into one of the ‘big
point’ categories.
• Each group of pupils now adopts a ‘big point’ and its associated cards.
Each group decides what the most important point on their cards is and
WHY (pushes them into a discussion of the relative significance of one fact
vis-à-vis another). Extra information can also be added in from their notes.
Some groups have more information to deal with than others, so allocate
pupils appropriately.
• INTRODUCTION – pick someone who will make the introduction – discuss
what should go in an introduction – need to give audience SIGNPOSTS –
get a person from each group to say why their ‘big point’ is important and
record this.
• CONCLUSION – pick some representatives to go to form a ‘conclusion
group’.
• Each group given a period of time to ‘write’ their paragraph – each person
should write a couple of sentences which they will then read out.
• PERFORM THE ESSAY as a class.
• Class discussion – any key points arising from the activity.
Adapted from original by Nicola Gamble, Comberton Village College, Cambridgeshire

14. What is being done to solve the problem of
shanty towns in Rio?
BIG POINTS
Introduction
Problems in Rio de Janeiro
Housing
Crime
Traffic
Pollution
Potential Solutions
Self-help scheme in Rocinha
The local authority Favela-Bairro project
The new town of Barra da Tijuca
Conclusion

15. Problems in Rio de Janeiro (reference sheet for teacher
showing groupings)
Housing
• Over one million people live in over 600 favelas in Rio de Janeiro, for
example Rocinha.
• The houses are constructed from any materials available, such as wood,
corrugated iron and broken bricks.
• The accommodation lacks basic services such as running water,
sewerage and electricity.
• The houses are often built on hillsides which means that, when it rains,
flash floods can cause landslides. For example, in 1988 over 200 people
died as a result of storms.
• Inhabitants of favelas have no legal right to the land on which they live,
which means that they can be evicted at any time.
Crime
• Favelas are often associated with organised crime, violence and drug
trafficking.
• Despite the fact that the residents claim that crime has decreased, many
richer residents are trying to move out of the city.
Traffic
• Because the city is surrounded by the coastline on one side and the
mountains on the other, traffic is channelled along a limited number of
routes within the city.
• The high amount of traffic within Rio has caused severe congestion,
pollution and noise.
Pollution
• Guanabara Bay is permanently covered in thick, industrial smog.
• Huge amounts of waste and rubbish are produced by the large population
of Rio. This has resulted in pollution of the coast, beaches and the sea.
• Because of the polluted water supply and sewage in open drains, the local
population is at risk from disease. For example, there was an outbreak of
cholera in 1992.
Adapted from original by Nicola Gamble, Comberton Village College, Cambridgeshire

16. Attempts to solve some of Rio’s problems
1. Self-help scheme in Rocinha
• A self-help scheme has been started by the local inhabitants of Rocinha.
• Within Rocinha, local people have upgraded temporary wooden buildings
to brick and tile. The local authorities have accepted these improvements
and added electricity, paved and lit some of the steeper streets, and
added more water pipes.
• Local people have set up shops and small industries in Rocinha. This is
known as the informal sector.
• Improvements within Rocinha have been restricted by high-density
housing and steepness of hillsides.
2. The local authority Favela-Bairro project
• City local authorities have so far spent £500 million to improve the living
conditions of around 300 favelas in the Favela-Bairro scheme. Favela-
Bairro roughly translates as “shanty town to neighbourhood”.
• The local authorities wish to transform the favelas by replacing buildings
that are made of wood or built on dangerous slopes. Further, they wish to
widen streets so that emergency services can gain access, and lay street
pavements and concrete paths.
• Within the selected favelas, pipes have been laid for water and cables for
electricity. Further changes have been made through improving sanitation,
adding health facilities and providing sports areas for local people.
• During development of Favela-Bairro projects, local residents have been
used for labour so that they can develop and use new skills.
• However, residents in favelas that have benefited from Favela-Bairro are
now required to pay tax to local authorities.
3. The new town of Barra da Tijuca
• The more wealthy inhabitants of Rio have now begun to move out of the
city to a new town, Barra da Tijuca; this is called counter-urbanisation.
• Barra da Tijuca is located 20 km along the coast and can be reached via a
new motorway which has been cut through tunnels under the mountains
and on stilts built over the sea.
• Inhabitants of Barra da Tijuca live either in modern, high-rise apartments
or in detached housing with good facilities.
• Shops, offices and places of entertainment have been built in Barra da
Tijuca. These are easily accessible to local people as most families have
their own car.
• However, favelas have now developed in Barra da Tijuca. This is because
poorer people are needed to clean, cook and do less well-paid jobs within
the new town.