Intent
At St Augustine of Canterbury, through our geography curriculum, we aim to expand geographical vocabulary, increase our children’s knowledge and curiosity of the wider world and promote high aspirations.
We seek to create a life-long love of the subject, through teaching our children about diverse places, people and resources. Through the study of natural and human environments, as well as physical and human processes, our desire is to provide our children with a sense of awe and wonder about the world they live in.
As they continue on their journey of geography, we aim to foster a deep understanding of the subject that develops alongside their geographical skills. Our aim is that our children go on to apply these skills across all subjects, as well as in their futures beyond their education at St Augustine of Canterbury.
Our curriculum is designed to provide our children with the subject specific language they need to describe, question and discuss the world, as well as their place in it.
Our pupils are encouraged to recognise that they have a voice and to use it confidently to debate topics that they feel passionate about, for example, deforestation or renewable energy. We aim to produce well- rounded individuals by providing our children with opportunities to expand their cultural capital and experiences of the world.
Implementation
Geography is taught at St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Primary School as a subject in its own right as well as being integrated within the learning of other subjects (as part of our creative curriculum).
Based upon the National Curriculum and the individual needs of our children, we have created a Geography progression map, which sets out the objectives taught in each year group. Geography is taught each half term. We take the opportunity to create links between the geography and other subjects to help solidify the learning taking place. Each individual lesson has content that is differentiated between, and within, year groups so that learning is age-appropriate and high expectations are maintained. Children use learning their topic books to record learning in a way that is memorable to them. We use writing tasks and other inclusive methods within geography as an opportunity for children to showcase what they have learned and embed their knowledge. Maps are displayed throughout the school and teachers are encouraged to reference these when appropriate during all lessons to help to develop an awareness of the globe.
Teachers use questioning, and provide opportunities for discussion and investigation to support the development of vocabulary, which is explicitly taught and modelled by teachers in every lesson. Key geographical knowledge and language (such as, the name and location of continents, countries, capital cities and oceans) is revisited frequently, to make learning memorable, relevant and easy to retrieve.
We support learning, when possible, with trips or visitors to our school in order to inspire our children and widen their cultural experiences. Teachers are also encouraged to use a range of resources such as videos, photographs and newspaper articles during lessons to help create immersive learning experiences.
Impact
The impact of our geography curriculum is measured in a variety of ways, such as:
· Questioning during lesson time
· Marking children’s written work
· Listening to child-led discussion
· Pupil conferencing across the school about their learning
· Book monitoring
· Using images/videos of children’s practical learning
By end of the geography curriculum at St Augustine of Canterbury, our children will:
· Have a growing knowledge of the world and their place in it
· Have a wider vocabulary of geographical terms
· Aspire to discover more about the world, through reading, travel or the media
· Know that they can use their voice to express themselves and their opinions
· Develop their geographical skills, such as, evaluation, creativity, problem solving and enquiry
Below are some websites to help with geography learning:
National Geographic Kids
Website: https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/teacher-category/geography/
Key Stages: Key Stage 1 and 2
This website has lots of resources and packs to help support your child or just explore something new too! You have to register with an adult’s email but it’s free.
BBC Bitesize- Home Learning Service
Key Stage 1 link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zcdqxnb
Key Stage 2 link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zbkw2hv
Free learning with videos to support learning. Some topics also have links to resources such as worksheets too.
Twinkl
Website link: https://www.twinkl.co.uk/resources/home-education/subject-resources-home-education/parents-home-education-geography
Lots of resources and it is free to sign up to at the moment for home learning. Worksheets as well as PowerPoints to explain concepts or countries/ continents to children.
School Run
Website link: https://www.theschoolrun.com/homework-gnome-geography
This website has lots of different topics for both KS1 and KS2. It also has some activities for the children to do as well as fun facts too.
Other useful websites you may wish to look at: