Geography
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Geography
The intent of our Geography curriculum is to engender the excitement, curiosity, critical thinking and fascination about the world that will equip young people to make sense of and find their own way in it, and to inspire a sense of responsibility for the environments and people of the world in which we live through increased knowledge and awareness.
Children develop a core knowledge of locations, patterns and processes and environmental change, both human and physical. These are related to real issues, people and places, therefore having geographical significance to ensure that they begin to think geographically. We take a holistic approach to make connections between place (territories and regions), space (location and links) and environment (human and physical relationship), and their interactions, to gain a deeper understanding.
Children acquire and develop the skills and confidence to undertake investigations, problem solving and decision making and also gain an increasing competence in specific geographical skills. We ensure that it is delivered in such a way that the needs of all pupils will be met.
The four elements: locational knowledge, place knowledge, human & physical geography and geographical skills are all integrated throughout each unit.
The procedural knowledge (map skills and fieldwork skills) is taught alongside the substantive knowledge (the facts). This is through classroom based activity and also work done in the school grounds, village and on trips further afield.
6 key questions
Where is this place? What is this place like? Why is this place as it is? How is this place connected to other places? How is this place changing? What would it feel like to be in this place?
The 6 key questions help develop geographical thinking and are used throughout lessons. The children learn what these questions are so that by the end of KS2, they are using them to begin to structure their own investigations.
Enquiry questions
These allow opportunities for investigating, problem solving and debating such as ‘How do the Polar lands of the Arctic and Antarctic compare? Which would you rather visit? Why’
Focusing on the ‘interconnectedness’ of the subject
Knowing what the human and physical characteristics of a place are, how these features are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variations and changes over time
Geography Curriculum design:
Each year group has one main unit. This is taught in depth as a block to immerse the children in the subject for a rich experience. Skills are revisited throughout the year to consolidate. Some locational, human and physical work is also taught to give geographical context to some topics in other curriculum areas such as history and science.
KS1 start with what they know – the UK, the immediate locality of Holmes Chapel and London. We then move further afield to Chembakolli for a contrasting locality in a non-European country.
KS2 Year 3 day visit Macclesfield Forest (linked to forests & rainforests), Year 4 to the Crowden Valley (linked to rivers and coasts), Year 5 as part of their residential to the Conway Centre visit the Ogwen Valley in Snowdonia (mountains). Year 6 then come full circle. Having started with the UK in Y1, we return to the UK but with greater depth and sophistication.
Running through these units there is a clear progression of vocabulary, map and fieldwork skills taught. There is also a web of connections of rivers, weather & climate, trade & industry, settlement and other specific locations which builds and develops as the children move through the years.