Geography

Statement of Intent

At Wincle CE Primary School, we hope to inspire our pupils with a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people.

We aim to 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.

We want our children to gain confidence and practical experiences of geographical knowledge, understanding and skills that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time

Key features of our Geography curriculum:

Our 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:

1. collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes

2. interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)

3. communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.

Our Geography curriculum supports children to develop skills in the following key areas:

Location knowledge
In In Key Stage 1, the children will be taught to:

· name and locate the world’s continents and oceans

· name, locate and identify characteristics of the four countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom and its surrounding seas.

In In Key Stage 2, the children will be taught to:

· locate the world’s countries, using maps to focus on Europe and North and South America and 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, including hills, mountains, cities, rivers, key topographical features 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, and time zones (including day and night).

Place knowledge

In Key Stage 1, the children will understand geographical similarities and differences through studying the human and physical geography of a small area of the United Kingdom, and of a contrasting non-European country.

In Key Stage 2, the children will understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region or area of the United Kingdom, a region or area in a European country, and a region or area within North or South America.

Human and physical geography

In Key Stage 1, the children will:

· 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, coast, forest, hill, mountain, ocean, river, soil, valley, vegetation, and weather and key human features, including: city, town, village, factory, farm, house, office, and shop.

In Key Stage 2, the children will 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: settlements, land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals, and water supplies.

Geographical skills and fieldwork

In Key Stage 1 the children will:

· use world maps, atlases and globes to identify the United Kingdom and its countries, as well as the countries, continents and oceans studied

· use simple compass directions (North, South, East and West) and locational language (e.g. near and far) to describe the location of features and routes on a map

· use aerial photographs and plan perspectives to recognise landmarks and basic 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 the key human and physical features of its surrounding environment.

In Key Stage 2 the children will:

· 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 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 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.

Click here to see the skills your child will progress with in geography: Click here to see an overview of key knowledge: