Geography
Intent
Our Geography scheme of work enables pupils to meet the end of key stage attainment targets in the National curriculum and the aims also align with those set out in the National curriculum.
At Barming Primary School our Geography scheme of work aims to inspire pupils to become curious and explorative thinkers with a diverse knowledge and understanding of the world; in other words, to think like a geographer. We want pupils to develop the confidence to question and observe places, locate geographical locations, measure and record necessary data in various ways, and analyse and present their findings. Through our adapted scheme of work, we aim to build an awareness of how Geography shapes our lives at multiple scales and over time. We hope to encourage pupils to become resourceful, active citizens who will have the skills to contribute to and improve the world around them.
Our adapted scheme encourages:
• A strong focus on developing both geographical skills and knowledge.
• Critical thinking, with the ability to ask perceptive questions and explain and analyse evidence.
• The development of fieldwork skills across each year group.
• A deep interest and knowledge of pupils’ locality and how it differs from other areas of the world.
• A growing understanding of geographical terms and vocabulary.
Implementation
Our Geography scheme has a clear progression of skills and knowledge within the four strands across each year group. Flashbacks at the start of lessons ensure prior knowledge is retained in order to continue the learning journey. The skills taught within each year group show how these develop to ensure that attainment targets are securely met by the end of each key stage. Lessons incorporate various teaching strategies from independent tasks to paired and group work, including practical hands-on and collaborative tasks. This variety means that lessons are engaging and appeal to those with a variety of learning styles. Each unit contains elements of geographical skills, map skills and fieldwork to ensure that fieldwork skills are practised as often as possible.
Our adapted scheme is a spiral curriculum, with essential knowledge and skills revisited with increasing complexity, allowing pupils to revise and build on their previous learning. Locational knowledge, in particular, will be reviewed in each unit to coincide with our belief that this will consolidate children’s understanding of key concepts, such as scale and place, in Geography.
Each unit contains elements of geographical skills and fieldwork to ensure that fieldwork skills are practised as often as possible. Our units follow an enquiry cycle that maps out the fieldwork process of question, observe, measure, record, and present, to reflect the elements mentioned in the National curriculum. This ensures children will learn how to decide on an area of enquiry, plan to measure data using a range of methods, capture the data and present it to a range of appropriate stakeholders in various formats.
Fieldwork includes smaller opportunities on the school grounds to larger-scale visits to investigate physical and human features. Developing fieldwork skills within the school environment and revisiting them in multiple units enables pupils to consolidate their understanding of various methods. It also gives children the confidence to evaluate methodologies without always having to leave the school grounds and do so within the confines of a familiar place. This makes fieldwork regular and accessible while giving children a thorough understanding of their locality, providing a solid foundation when comparing it with other places.
Lessons incorporate various teaching strategies from independent tasks to paired and group work, including practical hands-on, computer-based and collaborative tasks. This variety means that lessons are engaging and appeal to those with a variety of learning styles. Lessons are adapted to ensure that all pupils can access learning. Knowledge organisers for each unit support pupils in building a foundation of factual knowledge by encouraging recall of key facts and vocabulary.
Impact
An enquiry-based approach to learning will allow teachers to assess children against the National curriculum expectations for Geography. The impact of the scheme can be constantly monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities.
Each lesson has opportunities for assessing pupils against the learning objectives. Furthermore, each unit has a unit quiz, which can be used at the end of the unit to assess children’s understanding. Opportunities for children to present their findings using their geographical skills will also form part of the assessment process in each unit.
Pupils should leave school equipped with a range of skills and knowledge to enable them to study Geography with confidence at Key stage 3. We hope to shape children into curious and inspired geographers with respect and appreciation for the world around them alongside an understanding of the interconnection between the human and the physical.
The expected impact of following the adapted Kapow Primary Geography scheme of work is that children will: