Geography

Intent

We believe that Geography offers opportunities to provoke children to question and seek to answer issues about natural and human aspects of the world. They are encouraged to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world and their place and responsibilities within it. We aim to inspire children to develop a life-long curiosity about the world and its people; to promote their understanding of different places, people, resources and natural human environments. We also aim to develop their understanding of Earth’s key physical and human processes. Children will progressively develop their geographical knowledge and skills which will be transferable to the rest of their full-time education. Learning will be enhanced through classroom learning and fieldwork and educational visits.

The curriculum at Seer Green aims to ensure that all children:

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.

Implementation

The Geography curriculum at Seer Green CE School is based upon the 2014 Primary National Curriculum in England and is delivered through engaging and exciting lessons appropriate to each Key Stage.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage children develop their knowledge through the learning area Understanding the World in which they learn: to comment and ask questions about aspects of their familiar world; talk about some of the things they have observed, why things happen and how things work; to begin to understand growth, decay and changes over time; to show care and concern for living things and the environment; to look closely at similarities, differences, patterns; to recognise similarities and differences between themselves and others, places, objects, materials and living things. They talk about the features of their immediate environment and how environments might vary from one another.

At KS1 pupils will develop their knowledge about the world, the United Kingdom and their locality. They will understand basic subject-specific vocabulary pertaining to human and physical geography. They will begin to use geographical skills, including first-hand observation, to enhance their locational awareness.

During KS2, pupils will build on the work begun at KS1. By the end of Year 6 they will have studied all required units from the NC programme of study. By the end of Year 6, children will have extended their knowledge and understanding beyond the local area to include the United Kingdom and Europe, North and South America. They will have learned the location and characteristics of a range of the world’s most significant human and physical features. They will have developed their use of geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to enhance their locational and place knowledge.

Impact

Pupils will be able to:

use maps, atlases, globes and digital mapping to locate the world’s countries
Identify the position and significance of latitude, longitude, the Prime/Greenwich Meridian and time zones
Use the eight points of the compass, six figure grid references and identify a wider range of map symbols, including Ordnance Survey maps
Describe features of the UK (physical and human geography)
Describe counties in the United Kingdom (physical and human geography)
Compare and contrast a region of the UK and a region within North or South America, showing an understanding of similarities and differences (physical and human geography)
Know some European countries and their capital cities
Name some countries outside Europe and the UK, and major cities
Know some of the main rivers, mountains and regions in the UK, for example the Yorkshire Dales or Lake District
Use fieldwork to observe, measure record and present human and physical features in the local area, using a range of methods, for example sketching maps and creating plans
Know some key vocabulary related to physical and human geography (vocabulary from Year 1 to Year 4, climate zones, biomes, vegetation belts, economic activity, trade links and the distribution of natural resources like food and water)