Geography
‘You must be the change you wish to see in the world.’
Mahatma Gandhi
As teachers of Geography we will…
…teach a well-sequenced geography curriculum where the National Curriculum and EYFS framework is covered through age appropriate topics which stimulate the children’s curiosity to find out about and ask questions about the world in which we live. When our geographers leave us we want them to take with them an understanding of their place in the world, how wonderful and diverse our planet is and what they can do to protect it.
Geography teaching starts with children gaining an understanding about their local area which is then built upon when they learn to compare and contrast their locality to then places within the United Kingdom and within the wider world. Through geography, children name and learn about places and environments. They gain an age appropriate understanding about place and space, environmental impact, cultural awareness and human and physical processes and the connections between these. It is important for our young children to learn about the diverse world we live in and when doing so they find out about and explore different people and cultures. Well planned and structured topics enable children to challenge stereotypes and explore further our key curriculum driver of diversity and spirituality, which helps pupils to be tolerant, respectful and value the differences in others. Our pupils also begin to understand their role, rights and responsibilities as a citizen in the local and global community.
The key concepts that run through the Geography curriculum are:
- Place and space
- Human and physical processes and their interdependence
- Environmental impact and sustainability
- Cultural awareness and diversity (including similarities and differences)
Geography is further enhanced through daily routines, classroom provision areas and displays. For example, classes have a daily dashboard which provides daily opportunity for the children to explore the seasons and weather and allows them to make comparisons to different parts of the world, developing their wider global knowledge and understanding. They also recap key taught information through this such as the location of continents and oceans. Picture news also provides the children with the regular opportunity to discuss and debate real life and current issues which are impacting the world in which they live.
Fieldwork in the local area encourages children to independently apply their mapping skills as they follow and use their map to locate different places. Further fieldwork opportunities to Hornsey beach and Fairburn Ings embed children’s understanding of human and physical features of geography. Our global links, promoted through the work of our global teachers, provides our children with the opportunity to study and explore the similarities and differences between the United Kingdom the town of Normanton and countries such as Tanzania and Nepal.
Recap and review activities to begin geography lessons ensure that children are building upon prior knowledge and learning and that they are developing a deeper understanding of the subject content and vocabulary taught to them. New vocabulary is taught explicitly, chosen from the key vocabulary outlined in the National Curriculum. We make sure that our young children fully understand the meaning of the words taught and therefore important connections and meaningful contexts are given when learning vocabulary.
National Curriculum 2014
In Geography, pupils will have the opportunity to:
- 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
- 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
- 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 and key human features
- 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.
Pupils will be able to develop their skills as geographers by:
- find and name places on a map
- create their own map recognising and using some symbols on a map
- say, using the correct taught vocabulary, what places are like
- say how places are similar or different
- ask and answer geographical questions
- know about their local area and how this compares and contrasts to other areas
- say how a place has changed over time and talk about the impact of things