Geography
Geography underpins a lifelong 'conversation' about the earth as the home of humankind
- Geography Association
Curriculum Statement
At Blackthorns we have designed our curriculum to support children in thinking and talking like a ‘Geographer’. Our intent is to provide all children with a knowledge and understanding of the local area, the United Kingdom and the wider world. Our intent is that they will acquire the knowledge and skills to help them make important connections with other curriculum areas, and to enable them to become responsible global citizens.
At Blackthorns we teach geography as part of our creative curriculum. We seek to inspire in children a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people which will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Cross-curricular links are made wherever possible, to ensure children are always recognising and making connections to the wider world. In line with National Curriculum requirements we aspire for our children to have a sound knowledge of their local environment, whilst also being able to place themselves accurately within the wider world. They will learn the skills to compare and contrast the human and physical geography of their locality with more global locations. All of this is underpinned with a growing confidence in using key vocabulary and terminology correctly. Field work is recognised as a key skill and is embedded within the framework of our curriculum.
Curriculum Intent
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Above all else, to nurture a sense of wonder about the world: locally, nationally and internationally.
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To help children acquire and develop the skills and confidence to advance their geographical understanding.
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To develop an understanding and use of geographical language to communicate their understanding of the world around them.
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To stimulate the children’s interest in and curiosity about their surroundings.
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To 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.
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To develop the children’s knowledge, to encourage a sense of responsibility for the environments and people of the world we live in, so they will think about how it can be improved and sustained.
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To develop a sense of place and identity by learning about the United Kingdom and its relationship with other countries.
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To think and talk like a geographer.
The programmes of study for geography are separated into KS1 and KS2. Our intent is for children in each key stage to foster their locational knowledge, build a greater understanding of place, learn about human and physical geography and develop geographical and fieldwork skills.
Early Years explore geographical themes and content through the ‘Understanding of the World’ strand of the EYFS curriculum. This involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.
Implementation
At Blackthorns Community Primary Academy, our geography curriculum is underpinned by a broad range of stimulating topics designed to bring learning to life with studies of natural phenomena and comparisons of our own locality with that of different regions of the world. We also have an annual geography theme week, which promotes field work, and encourages involvement from our community. Building on strong links with the National Curriculum, we foster an enquiry-based approach to children’s learning about understanding the physical and human aspects of our world.
Each year group has a geography curriculum overview document that sets out the substantive and disciplinary knowledge to be taught, through a range of exciting and stimulating topics such as ‘To infinity and beyond’, ‘Over land, under sea’, ‘Planet protectors’ and ‘Journeys’ etc. These documents also highlight the recurring themes children revisit throughout their geography journey at Blackthorns and the rationale behind content being taught. Assessment of knowledge is assisted by key focus questions that children are aiming to answer throughout a term’s learning. Where possible, links are made with other curriculum subjects such as history, RE, art, science and English, geographical units taught across the academy are planned with a clear progression of skills that ensures children consistently develop skills and knowledge, building on previous years and ensuring challenge for all.
Impact
Children are thinking and talking like Geographers!
Children will develop a deep geographical understanding, through which, a love of and curiosity for the world and people around them will be fostered. They will have a wide range of vocabulary and skills to draw upon which they can implement both in lessons and in real life situations. As children progress throughout the school, they will develop a secure knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their local area and its place within the wider geographical context of the world. They will understand that we have a duty to promote sustainability and to look after our world.
How do we assess Geography?
Children’s learning is assessed informally in each lesson using assessment for learning strategies and reviewing the children’s outcomes. Teachers adjust their planning responsively based on the children’s learning and build in time for recapping activities to consolidate knowledge. Our planning outlines the main objectives that the children will explore and focus questions are developed to encourage the children to think about key aspects of each geography topic.
At the end of a topic, children demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways, based on our focus questions. These tasks are carefully designed and require the children to recall their knowledge about the unit and to apply it in a way that demonstrates what knowledge has been learned. At the end of each term, class teachers then use a variety of sources of evidence, including the child’s verbal contributions and recorded work, to make a judgement as to whether each child is working at the expected level.
The study of geography is about more than just memorizing places on a map. It's about understanding the complexity of our world, appreciating the diversity of cultures that exists across continents. And in the end, it's about using all that knowledge to help bridge divides and bring people together