At Plymtree C of E Primary we shape our Geography curriculum to ensure it is fully inclusive for all children. We provide a broad, balanced, and relevant curriculum; ensuring the progressive development of geographical concepts, knowledge and skills which fulfils the requirements of the National Curriculum for Geography, but more importantly, inspires a love of the subject.
Intent
At Plymtree, we deliver for a high-quality Geography curriculum which awakens pupils curiosity and fascination about the world and its people. Our teaching equips pupils with knowledge and skills to help them develop a deep understanding of the physical features and human processes of our world. We want children to enjoy and love learning about Geography by gaining this knowledge and skills, not just through experiences in the classroom, but also with the use of fieldwork and educational visits.
Our curriculum drivers aim to:
* Use of quality non-fiction texts to explore place.
* Promote the use of maths facts to enable a deeper understanding of aspects of geography such as scale and distance.
* Plan units with enquiry in mind, with overarching enquiry questions supported by ancillary questions to aid the building of geographical knowledge and skills.
* Support IT literacy through research skills and use of online maps.
* Learn about diverse cultures, contrasting environments and the impact of it upon socio-economic wellbeing.
Implementation
By ensuring quality first teaching, our children are given the opportunities for investigation.
Geography is taught in a cross-curricular topic to ensure its relevance. The students start to learn about their locality and where they live understanding Exeter as the nearest city to where we live. This moves onto learning about the UK, Europe and finally countries across the world drawing comparisons between them.
Planning is informed by and aligned with the National Curriculum. By the end of year 6, children will have geographical understanding of locational knowledge and place understanding, fieldwork, human and physical features, enquiry skills and globes, maps and plans. New geographical vocabulary is present throughout all teaching of geography
At Plymtree, 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 the local area to follow maps 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
We aspire for all children at Plymtree 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.
We aim to:
- Develop the use of geographical language and vocabulary through quality teaching and using the language in context as well in other curriculum areas, for example Guided Reading.
- Promote working together and develop a natural curiosity, which encourages them to question and make suggestions.
- Build on this curiosity to develop a geographical awareness of their surroundings but also what is in the wider world.
- Make links between geography and other curriculum areas.
- Instill and understand the values of our society and how we can protect our environment and world for years to come.