Geography

Geography Intent

Geography synthesises different ideas and types of knowledge which is why it is both a challenging and exciting subject. Our aim is for Geography is to fascinate and inspire our children: the beauty of the Earth, the terrible power of Earth-shaping forces, how the ground under our feet is constantly moving and changing. However, it is not geography until you understand the significance of location and links with other places at global and local scales of study. Other concepts add depth and support a deeper understanding of people, places and environments. Geography deepens understanding, and our children will be asked to debate many contemporary challenges such as, climate change, food security, energy choices – these cannot be understood without a geographical perspective.

As with our whole Connected Curriculum, we want our children to develop an understanding which is more than, where they live is a collection of buildings unconnected from one another. We want them to understand how their community is part of the wider community of their town, their county, their country and their world and how they play a part in that. By the time they leave our school, we also want the children to be able to observe the physical world and understand the huge forces that are constantly changing the landscape around them. Our Geographers will also be skilful: using maps and images of people and places, numerical data and graphical modes of communication to better understand locations around the world. They will compare this new information to better understand their own location and community.

Geography knowledge is rarely static. The subject is dynamic because the world, and our understanding of it, is continually changing. Yet, some key geographical concepts will be visited through every year group. All activities will deepen the children’s understanding of one or more of the following concepts:

The physical world: the land, water, air and ecological system; landscapes; and the processes that bring them about and change them.
Human environments: societies, communities and the human processes involved in understanding work, home, consumption and leisure – and how places are made.
Interdependence: crucially, linking the physical world and human environments and understanding the concept of sustainable development.
Place and space: recognising similarities and differences across the world and developing knowledge and understanding of location, interconnectedness and spatial patterns. For example, our address marks the location of our house, but place describes where we feel at home.
Scale: the ‘zoom lens’ through which the subject matter is ‘seen’, and the significance of local, regional, national, international and global perspectives.

Progression of key concepts within our curriculum

	EYFS	KS1	KS2
The physical world	children learn about their immediate locality so they learn about places around our school and grounds. They talk about the features of their own immediate physical environment and how environments might vary from one another	the study of the Earth's natural features, such as mountains, rivers, deserts and oceans and how they change over time continents and oceans	Describe landforms and how they change as well as climate and its effects.
Human environments	They learn about familiar features such as houses, farms and shops building on their everyday experiences.	Countries that make up the UK	Countries and boarders are a human concept Countries, counties & political geography
Interdependence	Children know that the environment and living things are influenced by human activity.	Children know that they can have a positive or negative affect on their environment Children understand why it is important to protect some physical locations	Develop the understanding of cause and effect on environments Children know that they can have a positive or negative affect on a national and global scale Children understand why some people might choose to live in one location or another and how this related to the physical environment as well as human geography
Place and space	To discuss where we live, but also places we like to visit Children know about similarities and differences in relation to places, objects, materials and living things	Make simple observations about different types of people, events, beliefs within a society	Describe social, cultural, religious and ethnic diversity in Britain & the wider world
Scale In most cases as children progress through the school, we zoom our on the scale	Personal place (home, school etc.) Local area (town) Start to look at the globe - Around the world Comparing something the children can see and experience at a local level (for example weather) and looking at patterns nationally and globally	Local area (town) National (UK) International (a non-European country)	Local area (town) Local area (county) International (Europe, North and South-American) Global (Countries of the world)

Geography Implementation

Knowledge Organisers and Knowledge Walls - Children have access to key knowledge, relevant language and meanings to use in Geography and to use across the curriculum.

Key Vocabulary - The promotion of a language-rich Geography curriculum is essential to the successful acquisition of knowledge and understanding in Geography.

Provision in EYFS - Children are given a secure grounding in the Prime Areas of learning, ensuring they have a good foundation on which to build through the specific areas, including understanding the World. Areas of provision are enhanced to ensure vocabulary understanding and extension, and develop understanding of the world around them.

Basic skills - English, Maths and computing skills are taught during discrete lessons but are revisited in geography so children can apply and embed the skills they have learnt in a purposeful context.

Independent learning - In Geography, children are encouraged to make enquiries about their topic of interest to satisfy curiosity and develop their independence when locating places, describing places and exploring the outdoors.

Atlases, text books, maps, digital technology and photographs. - Children will use a range of secondary resources to develop their knowledge and understanding that is integral to their learning.

Enhancement – In order to enhance the curriculum for Geography, children access the local area at least once a term; by making connections through all the different curriculum areas and using a map, navigate and apply their geographical skills when accessing the local area.

Educational Visits to enhance their cultural capital - Where applicable, links to geography will be made to develop the children’s topical learning.

Outdoor Learning and fieldwork - learning directly in the real world outside the classroom - is a hugely valuable aspect of geography that helps to motivate and inspire pupils, and in turn raises standards of attainment. Fieldwork will often focus on the school grounds and the immediate locality of the school, i.e. what can be reached by walking, or investigating the wider locality and/or a contrasting locality to the one in which they live.

Children will access their local environment to get a hands-on experience in their learning. Children will become more aware of their local environment as they progress through their geographical education.

Learning, working and talking like a Geographer - Children will be introduced to the key vocabulary that a Geographer would use; defining the key vocabulary that a Geographer would use; high expectations of pupils ‘talking’ like a Geographer.

British Values and PSHE - Children will learn and revisit the importance of our world and how it should be treated through a range of cultural capital activities and experiences.

Our geography skills progress through each primary year under the following headings:

Investigate places

Investigating a locality
Use maps, atlases and globes
Fieldwork
Investigating significant locations

Investigating Patterns

Investigating similarities and differences
Investigating changes

Communicating Geography

Using directional and locational language
Using Key geographical language
Drawing maps

Our curriculum Programme

Knowledge Themes by year group
Year 1	Weather		Year 3		Volcanoes and mountains			Year 5	Rivers
Year 2	Coasts		Year 4		Forests			Year 6	An ecological issue
United Kingdom knowledge progression
Year 1	Own address and position of home town in UK	Year 3		name and locate counties and cities of the United Kingdom, geographical regions and their identifying human and physical characteristics, key topographical features (including hills, mountains, coasts and rivers),		Year 5	understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region of the United Kingdom, a region in a European country, and a region within North or South America
Year 2	name, locate and identify characteristics of the four countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom and its surrounding seas	Year 4		name and locate counties and cities of the United Kingdom, geographical regions and their identifying key topographical features (including hills, mountains, coasts and rivers), and land-use patterns; and understand how some of these aspects have changed over time		Year 6	understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region of the United Kingdom, a region in a European country, and a region within North or South America including human geography, such as: types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water

In Geography, like all other subjects, we recognise the importance of the methods and practice of teaching (the pedagogy) we choose to use in enabling pupils to know more, understand more and remember more. In Geography, the following approaches will be used, and be evident in lesson observation, pupil voice and, when appropriate, children’s curriculum books, in order to ensure that the Geographical learning opportunities are as effective as possible and that pupils progress throughout the year and across year groups during their geographical experiences in school:
Teaching Sequence in Geography. Every year group’s unit of work should include:	Possible pedagogical quality first teaching approaches used in Geography to support children with SEN:
Geographical Enquiry When introducing a new topic in Geography pupils should have the opportunity to ask geographical questions and enquire about their topic of interest based on prior learning knowledge. Where is this place? What is it like? (And why?) How and why is it changing? How does this place compare with other places? How and why are places connected?	Prepare the pupil before the session/lesson by outlining what it will be about. Use TA for pre-tutoring – preparing pupil for a task so that they come to it already knowing the key vocabulary and concepts	Use a visual way of showing the pupil what they/the class will be doing, such as a sequenced series of pictures (a visual timetable), clock-face divided into sections, or written list
Locational Skills Identify and locate their place of interest using maps, aerial photographs, the internet and other sources of information.	Set tasks with clear goals and write worksheets in step-by-step form	Use a kitchen or sand timer to help pupil complete a task in a specified period of time
Vocabulary – human and physical features to be included Understand the key vocabulary associated with their topic of interest and understand the meaning of them in a practical/real life context. All pupils will access language from their knowledge organisers and knowledge walls within the classroom Being introduced to the key vocabulary that a Geographer would use; defining the key vocabulary that a Geographer would use; high expectations of pupils ‘talking’ like a Geographer.	Provide support in the form of writing frames, word mats, relevant classroom displays, and prompts such as a card with ideas for ‘Five things to do if you are stuck with your work’	Support writing with writing frames, templates (e.g. writing up a science experiment), mind maps, gapped handouts
Application-outdoor learning Use the outdoors to understand process, map reading skills, directional language, to develop their fieldwork skills based on their learning	Use visual prompts in the form of pictorial task cards	Link new learning to what pupil already knows – e.g. start lesson with class mind map of what they already know about a subject
Apply their knowledge to the world around them locally and globally. These connections can be made across other subject areas (history/PSHE/science) What could/should the world be like in the future? What can we do to influence change?	Design worksheets so that the layout is uncluttered. Use buff or cream paper, large print (12–14 point) and a clear font such as Arial. Set information out in panels. Signpost sections with key words, symbols and pictures. Put important information in bold or colour	When you start a new topic, develop a class chart of the vocabulary that pupils will find useful or need to learn. Teach each word by helping children build a web of associations – what it sounds like, what it means, how it fits in a sentence

Geography Impact

We will know that our Geography education has been successful in our school when the children leave feeling curious about the world around them and the people in it because they have a good understanding of their community, town, county, country and world.

Most children will achieve age related expectations in Geography at the end of their cohort year.
Children will retain knowledge that is pertinent to geography with a real life context.
Children will understand how geography ‘happens’ in their local area.
Children will have a good understanding about the world around them and how it has been shaped.
Children will know more, remember more and understand more.
The pupil voice will represent an understanding of what geography is and how they have applied this learning in a given context as part of a highlight task.
Children will begin to understand their wider world and the implications that we as citizens have on it.
Children will work collaboratively to solve problems and explain the processes that they have taken/observed within a real life context.
Children will act as good citizens within their local community.
Will be able to apply their knowledge in a secondary setting.

Geography Progression

progression-in-geography.pdf

PDF File