Geography Vision
Aims
To enable children to know that they are global citizens, who can understand their own place in the locality and beyond. Children learn how the physical geography of the earth can be affected by humans and how it changes over time. They also understand how human aspects of geography are affected by geographical processes and how the two are interlinked. They understand and appreciate the impact we have on the world we live in.
Intent
As the Newhaven Beacon looks out upon the world; in the same way, our children need to look out and engage with the wider world.
By the time they leave Harbour, children should be equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to understand their local environment and our wider world. They should ask and answer questions about the physical and human aspects of the world.
Through their lessons, children will discover more about our wider world and the diversity of the places, people and environments within it.
Our curriculum encourages a hands-on approach, allowing the children to become geographers, using practical resources to develop their understanding and deepen their knowledge of their place in the world.
The Geography Curriculum is divided into 4 sections:
Geographical skills and fieldwork
This includes learning how to interpret a range of sources of information such as maps, atlases, globes and photographs to describe and locate features and areas studied. Where possible, the children are given opportunities to use the skills they learn in the classroom and transfer them to real field work in our extensive school grounds and local areas.
Locational knowledge
Children will learn locational knowledge so that they have a firm grounding in the skills of locating key features of local, national and world geography. They will learn how the Earth is separated into hemispheres and tropics as well as how to locate these significant places.
Place knowledge
Children learn to recognise and understand geographical similarities and differences through contrasting case studies, such as a location in the UK compared to another in North America. They study the physical and human features of areas studied.
Human and physical geography
Children learn what human and physical geography are. In order to draw comparisons between areas, children research human features of locations such as settlements, land use, trade and resources as well as looking at physical features such as mountains, rivers, volcanoes and climate zones.
Implementation
There are three terms of geography taught throughout each year, each building on the last, so that children achieve depth in their learning. The key knowledge, concepts, skills and vocabulary that children will acquire and develop have been mapped to ensure progression between year groups throughout the school.
At the beginning of each new geography topic, teachers will elicit prior knowledge through activities such as mind maps or KWL grids, allowing them to address any gaps or misconceptions. Key knowledge is reviewed by the children and checked and consolidated by the teacher.
Each lesson will begin with a low-stakes retrieval quiz. This may be a whole class sorting activity in EYFs or KS1, or a multiple-choice quiz in KS2. These are marked with the children to address any misconceptions immediately. Knowledge organisers are used to support these.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) uses the EYFS’ guidance which aims for all children in EYFS to have an ‘Understanding of the World’ by the end of the foundation stage.
Children will begin by studying the school area and local area and widening the scope each year progressively. Vocabulary and mapping skills will develop each year as children learn about the United Kingdom and its seas, moving on to learn about specific continents. Each year will study the local, national and global geography of our world, focusing on a particular continent. The children will then learn about this continent in depth including the physical and human features, where in the world it is and how it compares to other locations.
Geography has close links with science and maths and the children will be encouraged to make connections between these. The local area is fully utilised to achieve the desired outcomes, with extensive opportunities for learning outside the classroom embedded in practice.
Planning is informed by and aligned with the National Curriculum. In addition, staff have access to Digimaps subscription and subject lead support.
The geography curriculum is designed to ensure appropriate diversity in the locations that children learn about. Teachers’ cater for the varying needs of all learners, differentiating the support needed to access learning, where necessary and as appropriate, and ensuring an appropriate level of challenge. Outcomes of work are regularly monitored to ensure that they reflect a sound understanding of the key identified knowledge.
Impact
Outcomes in Curriculum books evidence a broad and balanced geography curriculum and demonstrate the children’s acquisition of identified key knowledge. They show a clear development of subject specific vocabulary.
Children develop key knowledge of the National Curriculum strands, as appropriate to key stage; locational knowledge, place knowledge and human and physical geography. This is in addition to the development and application of key skills, supported by fieldwork. As children progress throughout the school, they develop a deeper knowledge, understanding an appreciation of their local area and its place within the wider geographical context.
Children understand how the planet is changing and can begin to suggest reasons for this. They can identify physical and human features.
There is a strong focus on discussion and children can use subject specific vocabulary to describe and explain their learning.
Vision and Progression
