Geography
In Geography, we follow guidance from the National Curriculum for our topics and where possible try to get the children outdoors to experience the local area and to take part in practical investigations. Geography should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Throughout school children will investigate a wide range of geography topics.
In KS1, pupils should develop knowledge about the world, the United Kingdom and their locality, this will include units on:
- Locational knowledge (oceans/continents/countries/capitals)
- Place knowledge (comparing the UK to other countries)
- Human and physical geography (poles, hemispheres, equator)
- Geographical skills and fieldwork (maps/atlases/compass directions)
In KS2, Pupils should extend their knowledge and understanding beyond the local area to include the United Kingdom and Europe, North and South America, this will include:
- Locational knowledge - the worlds countries, environmental regions, major cities, counties & cities of the UK, topographical features, land use, longitude & latitude, tropics, hemispheres, time zones …
- Place knowledge – similarities and difference between UK/Europe/South America, regions of North & South America.
- Human and physical geography – climate zones, biomes, rivers, mountains, volcanoes, earth quakes, water cycles, types of settlements, economic activities, trade links, natural resources, energy…
- Geographical skills and fieldwork – maps, atlases, globes, digital mapping, eight points of a compass, 6 figure grid reference, symbols & keys, ordnance survey, field work, sketch maps, plan, graphs, digit technologies…
During Geography our children are encouraged to use their geographical skills and knowledge to explore questions at the heart of our world. This could include things like:
- Where would you choose to live and why? Why do we need to protect the Amazon rainforest? What natural features can be found in North/South America? (Year 5/6 –Comparing North & South America?)
- What is the different between what you need to survive and what you want? What impact where people choose to settle? How do floods affect communities? What can we do to stop them? (Year 3/4 – Settlements & The Water cycle)
- How many continents are there? Which is the coldest? Which is the largest? How could you travel to and round other continents? ( Year 1/2 - Mapping Skills/Continents)
- Why do penguins live near the water? What would you wear in the Antarctic? (EYFS – The Arctic/Antarctica)
Intent
- To encourage curiosity about the world
- To create memorable learning experiences which capture children’s passion for the subject
- Deepen children’s understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments.
- To develop competency when using geographic skills.
- To improve locational awareness
Implementation
- Producing creative/active lessons
- Use of Kapow scheme of Work.
- Collaborative planning to maximise ideas and knowledge base.
- Children challenged through questions, discussion and debates about human, physical and locational geography.
- Children given ‘Real life’ snippets of the world through being emerged in a geography topic.
- Flexible and adaptable planning to ensure in depth understanding of key elements of geography.
- Children provided with local comparisons and an awareness of locality.
Impact
- Children can experience the different parts of the world.
- Children use passion and excitement to help them achieve their potential in Geography.
- Children are motivated to discover more beyond the curriculum.
- Children retain information and can discuss, debate and challenge when discussing human and physical geography.
- Children able to complete field work using geographical skills.
