Geography

Purpose of study

A high-quality geography education should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Teaching should equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world should help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the frameworks and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.

Aims

The national curriculum for geography aims to ensure that all pupils:

• 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. 

Key stage 1

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

Pupils should be taught :

Locational knowledge

• name and locate the world’s seven continents and five oceans
• name, locate and identify characteristics of the four countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom and its surrounding seas

Place knowledge

• understand geographical similarities and differences through studying the human and physical geography of a small area of the United Kingdom, and of a small area in a contrasting non-European country Human and physical geography
• identify seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom and the location of hot and cold areas of the world in relation to the Equator and the North and South Poles
• use basic geographical vocabulary to refer to:
• key physical features, including: beach, cliff, coast, forest, hill, mountain, sea, ocean, river, soil, valley, vegetation, season and weather
• key human features, including: city, town, village, factory, farm, house, office, port, harbour and shop

Geographical skills and fieldwork

• use world maps, atlases and globes to identify the United Kingdom and its countries, as well as the countries, continents and oceans studied at this key stage
• use simple compass directions (North, South, East and West) and locational and directional language [for example, near and far; left and right], to describe the location of features and routes on a map 
• use aerial photographs and plan perspectives to recognise landmarks and basic human and physical features; devise a simple map; and use and construct basic symbols in a key
• use simple fieldwork and observational skills to study the geography of their school and its grounds and the key human and physical features of its surrounding environment.

Key stage 2

Pupils should extend their knowledge and understanding beyond the local area to include the United Kingdom and Europe, North and South America. This will include the location and characteristics of a range of the world’s most significant human and physical features. They should develop their use of geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to enhance their locational and place knowledge.

Pupils should be taught :

Locational knowledge

• locate the world’s countries, using maps to focus on Europe (including the location of Russia) and North and South America, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, countries, and major cities
• name and locate counties and cities of the United Kingdom, geographical regions and their identifying human and physical characteristics, key topographical features (including hills, mountains, coasts and rivers), and land-use patterns; and understand how some of these aspects have changed over time
• identify the position and significance of latitude, longitude, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle, the Prime/Greenwich Meridian and time zones (including day and night)
•  

Place knowledge

• understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region of the United Kingdom, a region in a European country, and a region within North or South America

Human and physical geography

• describe and understand key aspects of:
• physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes, and the water cycle
• human geography, including: types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water

Geographical skills and fieldwork

• use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied § use the eight points of a compass, four and six-figure grid references, symbols and key (including the use of Ordnance Survey maps) to build their knowledge of the United Kingdom and the wider world
• use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in the local area using a range of methods, including sketch maps, plans and graphs, and digital technologies.

How do we plan for progress in geography?

By planning for progress, we ensure all children have the opportunity to improve in their skills alongside developing their geographical knowledge as they proceed throughout their primary education. The progression document below was created in collaboration with the Geographical Association and has been adapted for our split-year classes: Unicorns (Y1/2), Phoenix (Y3/4) and Dragon (Y5/6). 

What would you see in a geography lesson?

In a geography lessons at North Cadbury School, you will see the sequence of lessons and activities are well planned, and that teachers use a range of resources, especially ICT resources, to ensure progressive learning and acquisition of skills in geography. You will see lessons full of engaged and motivated pupils alongside teachers that have high expectations of pupils’ learning. In KS1 and Reception, geography is taught as an intrinsic part of the English curriculum with overlap into many other curriculum areas to complement learning. In contrast, KS2 approach geography in line with the expectations that will be found in KS3 and beyond where geography lessons are timetabled into discrete weekly blocks. Borrowing from the KS1 approach, KS2 also ensure their geography offering is enriched by combining with other curriculum areas, especially English, to provide the best learning outcomes. 

What would you see in books?

In the books, you will see a variety of evidence from photos of hands-on activities to extended writes which allow children to put to use their English skills in their foundation studies. The books will reflect the high expectations we have for all of the children under our care and clearly demonstrate our commitment to ensuring all of them meet fulfill their potential.

How do we assess geography?

We use Teacher Assessment at the end of the academic year to children's progress in geography by assessing them against our Framework of Skills. We take into account, not only the evidence demonstrated in books, but in their contributions during lessons over the course of the year. In KS2, geography units are followed by a "double-page spread" which demonstrates the cumulative learning over the course of the unit, and this is a major contributor to the Teacher Assessment grading. 

How do we tailor the learning to all students?

Differentiation is planning to ensure that all students in the class can understand and make progress in their learning.  At North Cadbury Primary School we ensure: all students have the opportunity to explore the key concepts and achieve success, we use frequent formative assessment is used in order to monitor students’ progress, teachers are flexible about how they group students by giving them the opportunity to work alone, with different people or as a whole class and students are actively engaged in activities that will enable them to achieve success. We believe that differentiation is related to differential learning gains rather than focusing on attainment levels. Students who are making progress, regardless of their starting point, will need different opportunities from those who are not.

Which hashtags do we use to signpost work on Tapestry?

#PixieGeography

#UnicornGeography

#DragonGeography

#GeographyEnrichment

Please note that you must have a Tapestry account to see the work which teachers have shared on Tapestry and involves your child.