Geography

"With God, all things are possible" Matthew 19:26

Our Geography curriculum is designed to develop children’s curiosity and fascination about the world and its people, which will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Children investigate a range of places – both in Britain and abroad – to help develop their knowledge and understanding of the Earth’s physical and human processes. We are committed to providing children with opportunities to investigate and make enquiries about their local area so that they can develop a real sense of who they are, their heritage and what makes our local area unique and special.

Our key substantive knowledge strands are:

These are an integral part of our curriculum as children continually revisit these concepts to secure a deeper understanding of the world.

Through high quality teaching, we aim to develop the following essential characteristics of geographers:

• An excellent knowledge of where places are and what they are like, both in Britain and the wider world.

• A comprehensive understanding of the ways in which places are interdependent and interconnected.

• An extensive base of geographical knowledge and vocabulary.

• Fluency in complex, geographical enquiry and the ability to apply questioning skills, as well as effective presentation techniques.

• The ability to reach clear conclusions and explain their findings.

• Excellent fieldwork skills as well as other geographical aptitudes and techniques.

• The ability to express well-balanced opinions, rooted in very good knowledge and understanding about current issues in society and the environment.

We aim for all children to develop a genuine interest in geography and a real sense of curiosity about the world and the people who live here so that they develop a desire to find out more about the world or explore it themselves. Geography is a vital and rich contribution to a balanced and broad curriculum which enables children to develop a thirst for knowledge about the world around them. Through Geography, we trigger investigative thinking and allow children’s minds to reach beyond their classroom. By teaching Geography, we intend to impart pupils with the knowledge, understanding, confidence, attitudes, values and skills they need in order to reach their potential as individuals in Geography, their local community and the wider world.

Intent

Geography teaches an understanding of places and environments. At Crowton, pupils learn about their local area and compare their life in this area with that in other regions in the United Kingdom and in the rest of the world. They learn how to draw and interpret maps and they develop the skills of research, investigation, analysis and problem-solving. Through their growing knowledge and understanding of human geography, children gain an appreciation of life in other cultures. Geography teaching also motivates children to find out about the physical world and enables them to recognise the importance of sustainable development for the future of mankind.

We believe that Geography helps to provoke and provide answers to questions about the natural and human aspects of the world. Children are encouraged to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, places and their environments, as well as their place in it. The Geography curriculum at Crowton enables children to develop knowledge and skills that are progressive, as well as transferable to other curriculum areas. 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 aim to enrich our geography curriculum through the provision of authentic experiences such as educational visits, visits from experts and a wealth of geographic sources.

Implementation

To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in Geography, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. Geography is taught as part of a theme, focusing on knowledge and skills as stated in the National Curriculum. The geography curriculum at Crowton is based upon the 2014 Primary National Curriculum, which provides a broad framework and outlines the knowledge and skills to be taught in each Key Stage. The curriculum is designed so that it is ambitious for all learners.

The National Curriculum organises the geography attainment targets under four subheadings or strands:

• Locational Knowledge

• Place Knowledge

• Human and Physical Geography

• Geographical Skills and Fieldwork

Our geography curriculum is designed to ensure the progression of skills and knowledge within these four strands across each year group. Our Progression of Knowledge and Skills shows the skills taught within each year group and how these develop to ensure that National Curriculum attainment targets are securely met by the end of each key stage.

Impact

As children progress throughout the school, they develop a deep knowledge, understanding an appreciation of their local area and its place within the wider geographical context. Our enquiry-based approach to our geography curriculum allows teachers to assess children against the National Curriculum expectations.

The impact is constantly monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. Each lesson provides teachers with opportunities to assess pupils against the learning objectives. Opportunities for children to present their findings using their geographical skills also form part of the assessment process in each topic covered.

The impact of our geography curriculum is measured in a variety of ways: questioning during lesson time, marking children’s written work, listening to child-led discussion, interviewing pupils across the school about their learning, book looks and using images/videos of children’s practical learning.

By the time pupils leave Crowton Christ Church C.E. Primary School they will:

• Have an excellent knowledge of where places are and what they are like.

• Have an excellent understanding of the ways in which places are interdependent and interconnected and how much human and physical environments are interrelated.

• Have an extensive base of geographical knowledge and vocabulary.

• Be fluent in complex geographical enquiry and the ability to apply questioning skills and use effective analytical and presentational techniques.

• Have the ability to reach clear conclusions and develop reasoned arguments to explain findings.

• Have significant levels of originality, imagination or creativity as shown in interpretations and representations of subject matter.

• Have highly developed and frequently utilised fieldwork and other geographical skills and techniques.

• Have a passion for and commitment to the subject, and a real sense of curiosity to find out about the world and the people who live there.

• Have the ability to express well-balanced opinions, rooted in very good knowledge and understanding about current and contemporary issues in society and the environment.

Geography Concepts Map