Geography
In 2023 - 2024, we have been working hard on our Geography curriculum and made some changes in January to ensure the children have the best possible learning opportunities and resources. The transition from the resources used in the Autumn term to the Spring term means that there have been some slight changes and adaptations to our planned curriculum so themes taught in Autumn 2023 may look slightly different now on our new improved curriculum plan.
Intent:
Geography Skills and Knowledge Progression
Geography Long Term Curriculum Plan for KS1 and KS2
At St Michael's CE School, we have developed a Geography curriculum that ensures all the skills required to meet the aims of the national curriculum are taught. It allows for a broad and deep understanding of the four areas of geography identified in the National curriculum. It will develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places and understanding of the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, along with how they bring about variation and change over time. We intend to develop children’s curiosity and a fascination of the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Our curriculum offers a range of opportunities for investigating places around the world as well as physical and human processes. Our lessons are intended to improve children’s geographical vocabulary, map skills and geographical facts and provide opportunities for consolidation, challenge and variety to ensure interest and progress in the subject.
Implementation:
Our geographical journey begins in our Early Years classroom. Here children spend lots of time talking about similarities and differences between themselves and others, and among families, communities and traditions. This is then developed in Key stage 1, when our children begin to use maps and recognise physical and human features to do with the local area, building to using maps to explore the continents and oceans of the world. Our children will begin to compare where they live to places outside of Europe and ask and answer geographical questions. In KS2, map skills are developed further using digital maps, more keys and symbols and children begin to use more fieldwork skills. By revisiting and consolidating skills, it helps our children build on prior knowledge alongside introducing new skills and challenge. All children expand on their skills in local knowledge, place knowledge, human and physical geography, geographical skills and fieldwork. Across both key stages, children have a range of opportunities to experience geography through practical engaging tasks beyond the classroom. Each lesson has key words for the children to use to deepen their geographical knowledge.
Impact:
We believe that the impact of our Geography curriculum is that geography learning will be loved by pupils across school. Our children will use geographical vocabulary accurately and understand the different strands of geography, with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. Children at St Michael's will begin to make relevant links from geography to other curriculum subjects, such as history and science. They will improve their enquiry skills and inquisitiveness about the world around them, and their impact on the world. Our children will realise that they have choices to make in the world, developing a positive commitment to the environment and the future of the planet. Children will become competent in collecting, analysing and communicating a range of data gathered. They will be able to interpret a range of sources of geographical information and they will communicate geographical information in a variety of ways. All children at St Michael's will be able to speak confidently about their geography learning, skills and knowledge. This will be evidenced in our assessments of each unit of learning.