Thorp Primary School

Geography

Intent

At Thorp Primary School we believe that to ensure our children are informed and active future citizens they need to understand how their lives are connected to others and are both shaped by and impact on the environments they inhabit if they are to make responsible choices for the future.
Our geography curriculum is designed to provide a sequenced learning journey from Early Years to Year 6 to ensure that teaching equips pupils with the skills and 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. It is also designed to ensure it has relevance to the children’s lives in the local area.
As pupils progress through the school, their growing knowledge about their local area and the wider world helps them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. We seek to inspire in children a curiosity through field trips, local walks to identify previous and current land use and virtual field work to fascinate them about the world and its people which will remain with them for the rest of their lives, ensuring they are school ready and life ready.

Implementation

Children in Reception will:
• Draw information from a simple map.
• Recognise some similarities and differences between life in this country and life in other countries.
• Explore the natural world around them.
• Recognise some environments that are different to the one in which they live.
• Describe their immediate environment using knowledge from observation, discussion, stories, non-fiction texts and maps.
• Explain some similarities and differences between life in this country and life in other countries, drawing on knowledge from stories, non-fiction texts and (when appropriate) maps.
• Understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons.


Children in Key Stage 1 will:
• Investigate the world’s continents and oceans.
• Investigate the countries and capitals of the United Kingdom.
• Compare and contrast a small area of the United Kingdom with that of a non-European country.
• Explore weather and climate in the United Kingdom and around the world.
• Use basic geographical vocabulary to refer to and describe key physical and human features of locations.
• Use world maps, atlases and globes.
• Use simple compass directions.
• Use aerial photographs.
• Use fieldwork and observational skills.


Children in Key Stage 2 will:
• Locate the world’s countries, with a focus on Europe, North and South America
• Identify key geographical features of the countries of the United Kingdom, and show an understanding of how some of these aspects have changed over time.
• Locate and understand the significance of the geographic zones of the world.
• Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region or area of the United Kingdom (different from that taught at Key Stage 1).
• Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region or area in a European country.
• Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of the human and physical geography of a region or area within North or South America.
• Describe and understand key aspects of: physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes and the water cycle.
• Describe and understand key aspects of: human geography, including: settlements, land use, economic activity including trade links and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water supplies.
• Use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied.
• Use the eight points of a compass, four-figure grid references, symbols and keys (including the use of Ordnance Survey maps) to build knowledge of the United Kingdom and the world.
• Use a wide range of geographical sources in order to investigate places and patterns.
• Use fieldwork to observe, measure and record the human and physical features in the local area using a range of methods, including sketch maps, plans and graphs and digital technologies.


In ensuring high standards of teaching and learning in geography, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. Geography is taught as part of a half-termly topic, focusing on knowledge and skills stated in the National Curriculum. We ensure that geography has the same importance given to it as the core subjects, as we feel this is important in enabling all children to gain ‘real-life’ experiences. For example, using real-life and stories in EYFS to draw and describe simple routes and maps, to drawing and taking part in maps and fieldwork of the local area in Key Stage 1, to comparing the similarities and differences in environments and communities in Lower Key Stage 2, through to debating world issues on pollution in Upper Key Stage 2.


Impact
The impact and measure of this is to ensure that children at Thorp Primary are equipped with geographical skills and knowledge that will enable them to be ready for the curriculum at Key Stage 3 and for life as an adult in the wider world. At Thorp, the impact of quality first teaching in Geography will foster a love and enthusiasm for the subject.
• Well-constructed and well-taught lessons provide pupils with opportunities to research and apply skills independently – skills essential for lifelong learning.
• Pupils will leave KS2 with a strong knowledge of their local area and a confidence of the location of other countries and cities around the world. All pupils will be able to discuss and recall a variety of events and where they happened in the world, as well as explain aspects of human and physical geography and confidently use maps and atlases (physical and digital).
• Knowledge and skills will have developed progressively to not only enable them to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum but to prepare pupils to become competent geographers in secondary education. We want pupils to have thoroughly enjoyed learning about geography, therefore encouraging them to undertake new life experiences now and in the future

 

Curriculum Road Map

 

Knowledge Organisers

Year 1

 

Year 2

 

Year 3

 

Year 4

 

Year 5

 

Year 6

 

 

 

 

 

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