Geography
At Kingsmead Primary School our high quality geography curriculum is designed to inspire childrens’ curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. The curriculum is designed to equip all children with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments. An understanding of human and physical processes is explored and as children progress, a deeper understanding of the interaction between these is further developed. The development of vocabulary is paramount at Kingsmead and through teaching and learning opportunities, meaning is given to a wide range of geographical vocabulary.
The National Curriculum for Geography aims to ensure that all pupils:
Develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places.
Understand the key physical and human geographical features of the world.
Are competent in key geographical skills.
“Before I couldn’t understand geography, now I really understand when I have a world map”
The school grounds and local area are used by all year groups for a range of practical activities and fieldwork. This starts in the Early Years with their outside learning opportunities and further enhanced by their visits to our wild classroom. In Key Stage 1 the children use the school grounds and explore the wider local area and in Key Stage 2 the children learn in locations across Northwich.
Units of work are planned to ensure full coverage of the geography National Curriculum. Units of work are planned termly, with approximately 6 lessons of geography taught each term. Lessons include a recap of prior learning to help to secure key subject knowledge. Children with additional needs are enabled to access the geography curriculum through the use of adapted resources, including annotated maps, word mats and guided learning.
Children and parents use knowledge organisers to understand the learning that informs them of how this theme builds on prior knowledge, the key learning, questions and vocabulary. The teachers and children use this to reflect and think, discuss and question, and assess attainment and progression.
In EYFS, geography is explored under the umbrella of ‘Understanding the World’. Children focus on their local area and the journeys they have been on. Through topics they learn what an island is, that we live on an island and some simple map skills. The learning is kept at a level that is relatable to the children so that they are able to express opinions about the world around them.
In KS1, children broaden their knowledge of the world around them and begin to learn and think about a wider context. They learn the 4 countries of the UK, their capital cities and some of their human and physical features. Children learn to name and locate the 7 continents and 5 oceans. They study Mumbai as an area of a contrasting non-European country and compare similarities and differences with their local area. Children complete fieldwork in the school grounds and the local area, identifying the key physical and human features of Kingsmead. Children learn to use maps, atlases and globes and draw simple maps with basic symbols in a key.
In Lower Key Stage 2, children deepen their understanding of our world, identifying the human and physical characteristics of regions and countries, in our local town, across Europe and within South America. They identify which county we live in and name and locate counties and cities in the UK. They develop their skills in using fieldwork to investigate, compare and enquire. Children use more precise map skills, learning the 8 points of the compass and to read 4 figure grid references.
In Upper Key Stage 2, children build on and extend their knowledge of our world. They make comparisons between where we live and an area of North America. They develop their understanding of climate and human use of environments. They develop their understanding of human (trade and settlements) and physical (coasts) processes. They use equipment and technology to measure, record and present information representing both human and physical features in the school grounds.
Our Beautiful Work
We will be able to see that children know more and remember more in geography, through evidence in their learning journals and pupil voice. We will also see that they are able to recall prior learning and apply it. Children will start their next year of learning with the necessary skills and knowledge to build upon.
The impact of our geography curriculum is that children at Kingsmead will be able to talk confidently with empathy about the world they live in, making links to Northwich and the wider world using the correct geographical vocabulary to describe the similarities and differences in human and physical features, and the interaction between them. They will be able to explain the relationship between people and their environments.
Children will be able to collect, analyse and present data collected through fieldwork. They will be able to interpret a range of sources of geographical information and communicate geographical information in a variety of ways
The children will show curiosity about our world and the people who live in it and will be equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary for the next step in their learning.
“We have exciting lessons. We were learning about trade. We played a trading card game and countries had to trade with each other to earn the most money’ - Maya Y6
If you were to walk into a geography lesson at Kingsmead you would see:
All children engaged and challenged whilst enjoying their geography lesson.
Some geography fieldwork taking place in the school grounds and local area.
Opportunities to consolidate taught concepts.
New learning which builds on prior knowledge.
Children using maps, atlases, globes, aerial photographs, plan perspective and digital mapping to understand the world around them.