Geography

GEOGRAPHY AT HIGHFIELDS PRIMARY ACADEMY

INTENT

Our curriculum intent for Geography at Highfields Primary Academy reflects the purpose and aims of the national curriculum by helping our pupils to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, as well as their place in it.

Our Geography curriculum enables children to develop knowledge and skills that are transferable to other curriculum areas and which can, and are used, to promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

We aim to develop an awareness of the diverse nature of the UK and global populations and the contributions different societies, communities and individuals have made to human understanding.

Geography is, by nature, an investigative subject which develops an understanding of concepts, knowledge and skills. We seek to inspire in children a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people which will remain with them for the rest of their lives; to promote the children’s interest and understanding of diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes.

We want children to enjoy and love learning about geography by gaining knowledge about the world and their place in it, as well as encouraging a passion about the future of our planet and the changes we can make.

We want children to ‘think geographically’, which we hope will bring geography alive. The children ask questions about and investigate their own world.

IMPLEMENTATION

Our geography curriculum is based around these threshold concepts for children at Highfields to:

  • Investigating places
  • Investigating patterns
  • Communicate geographically

Our geography curriculum has been constructed around these thresholds to ensure that history is taught in a spiral, not linear, manner. Geography is either taught weekly or in blocks, this is decided by each teacher, each term. The sequence of learning is carefully planned to ensure they are appropriately pitched and challenging and provide opportunities to explore the past. The sequential planning demonstrates progression building upon prior knowledge and enables children to apply this to new learning. Children are encouraged to make links across the curriculum as appropriate. Our curriculum aims to:

Ensure that key geography concepts are explored and developed within a framework of practical, enquiry-based and collaborative geography lessons.
Check prior learning has been retained through retrieval activities.
Introduce the learning outcome of the lesson, making links to both the wider learning journey and the real world.
Model and develop key concepts to cement knowledge
Allow children to practise their procedural knowledge regularly.
Use concrete and pictorial models and analogies to help pupils develop a deeper understanding of geography concepts.
Build in regular checks for understanding during lessons, addressing misconceptions quickly and remodelling where necessary.
Ensure a focus on target geography language to enable pupils to articulate geography concepts with accuracy in both the spoken and written word.
Ensure pupils take pride in their written work, continually focus on their handwriting and quality of diagrams, and provide clear evidence in their books of responding to written and verbal teacher feedback.
Promote a love of physical geography, human geographical processes and maps.
Provide opportunities for subject-specific enrichment both inside and outside of school.

IMPACT

The impact of our geography curriculum can be seen by children demonstrating an enthusiasm for the subject. They can talk confidently about their learning. Geographical vocabulary is used with increasing confidence and, as geographer, our children can use their skills to ask questions, evaluate evidence and draw conclusions.

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

  • Pupil discussions and interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice);
  • Bi-annual reporting and tracking of standards across the curriculum;
  • Photo and video evidence of the pupils practical learning which is shared on our class and school Twitter pages;

Geography In Early Years

In Early Years, children are introduced to geography by learning about their immediate surroundings and aspects of their familiar world. They will draw things they can see around them and communicate simple geographical information with support orally, using simple pictures, writing and maps.

Geography Long Term Plan

Treshold Concept

  • Investigating places
  • Investigating patterns

Communicate geographically

National Curriculum

Purpose of study

A high-quality geography education 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. Teaching should equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world should help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the frameworks and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.

Aims

The national curriculum for geography aims to ensure that all pupils:

  • develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both terrestrial and marine – including their defining physical and human characteristics and how these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes
  • understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time
  • are competent in the geographical skills needed to:
  • collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes
  • interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
  • communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.

Attainment targets

By the end of each key stage, pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the relevant programme of study.

Schools are not required by law to teach the example content in [square brackets].

Subject content

Key stage 1

Pupils should develop knowledge about the world, the United Kingdom and their locality. They should understand basic subject-specific vocabulary relating to human and physical geography and begin to use geographical skills, including first-hand observation, to enhance their locational awareness.

Pupils should be taught to:

Locational knowledge
  • name and locate the world’s seven continents and five oceans
  • name, locate and identify characteristics of the four countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom and its surrounding seas
Place knowledge
  • understand geographical similarities and differences through studying the human and physical geography of a small area of the United Kingdom, and of a small area in a contrasting non-European country
Human and physical geography
  • identify seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom and the location of hot and cold areas of the world in relation to the Equator and the North and South Poles
  • use basic geographical vocabulary to refer to:
  • key physical features, including: beach, cliff, coast, forest, hill, mountain, sea, ocean, river, soil, valley, vegetation, season and weather
  • key human features, including: city, town, village, factory, farm, house, office, port, harbour and shop
Geographical skills and fieldwork
  • use world maps, atlases and globes to identify the United Kingdom and its countries, as well as the countries, continents and oceans studied at this key stage
  • use simple compass directions (North, South, East and West) and locational and directional language [for example, near and far; left and right], to describe the location of features and routes on a map
  • use aerial photographs and plan perspectives to recognise landmarks and basic human and physical features; devise a simple map; and use and construct basic symbols in a key
  • use simple fieldwork and observational skills to study the geography of their school and its grounds and the key human and physical features of its surrounding environment.

Key stage 2

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 the location and characteristics of a range of the world’s most significant human and physical features. They should develop their use of geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to enhance their locational and place knowledge.

Pupils should be taught to:

Locational knowledge
  • locate the world’s countries, using maps to focus on Europe (including the location of Russia) and North and South America, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, countries, and major cities
  • 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), and land-use patterns; and understand how some of these aspects have changed over time
  • identify the position and significance of latitude, longitude, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle, the Prime/Greenwich Meridian and time zones (including day and night)
Place knowledge
  • 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
Human and physical geography
  • describe and understand key aspects of:
  • physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes, and the water cycle
  • human geography, including: types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water
Geographical skills and fieldwork
    • use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied
    • use the eight points of a compass, four and six-figure grid references, symbols and key (including the use of Ordnance Survey maps) to build their knowledge of the United Kingdom and the wider world
    • use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in the local area using a range of methods, including sketch maps, plans and graphs, and digital technologies.