Markington CE Primary and Nursery School

"Geography is the study of people and places

and the interaction between them."

At Markington Primary School we believe that the skills of geographical enquiry, alongside a knowledge and understanding of different cultures, people and places, provides children with a strong sense of self identity, self-esteem and an empathy and understanding for people throughout the world. Through engaging lessons, we teach children about ‘being a geographer’ and enable them to develop knowledge and skills that are transferable to other curriculum areas. We seek to inspire curiosity and fascination about the world and its people, which will remain with children for the rest of their lives. Our curriculum promotes the importance of this for their future, and it begins in the Early Years. Here, within the provision areas and through explicit teaching, children learn about their local environment and the wider world, building their knowledge progressively through a carefully constructed curriculum which enables children to develop a deeper understanding of people and places around the world. Alongside this, children build the geographical skills for reading maps/atlases/globes and learn to use computer software to enhance their learning. Class texts support and enhance geographical learning and children’s SMSC, as they learn about life in other places, and contrast this with their own, providing opportunites for children to develop the abilty to celebrate difference and diversity, through rooted knowledge. Teachers plan meaningful revisits to embed learning, and use cross-curricular links to help children make connections between events, people and places. Responding to events in the news, locally, nationally and globally, enables teachers use their professional knowledge to strengthen children’s understanding and deepen their learning, by making links between people, places and events.

Through our teaching of Geography we aim to:

• provide opportunities for children to investigate geographical issues using wide-ranging resources
• explicitly teach the skills of enquiry and interpretation of information
• provide opportunities for children to investigate place in a local, national and international context
• provide opportunities for children to investigate environmental change and sustainable development
• provide opportunities for children to investigate patterns and processes
• help children to foster a love of writing and a recognition of its value
• develop a wide vocabulary
• enable children to express their ideas, emotions and views through written and spoken language

Our geography curriculum begins in the Early Years’ where our children are taught to:

·         Talk about some of the things they have observed such as plants, animals, natural and found objects.

·         Ask questions about aspects of their familiar world or the natural world and some of the things they have observed such as plants and animals.

·         Explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants, describing what they see, hear, feel whilst outside.

·         Understand more about growth, decay and changes over time.

·         Identify features of living things such as animals with legs or those with wings.

·         Identify similarities and differences between the natural world around them and contrasting environments, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class.

·         Understand some important processes and changes in the world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter.

Children revisit learning regularly so they retain and build on these concepts over time.

Our geography curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to engage with the world. Through fieldwork, map skills, digital technologies and collaborative projects we bring geography to life. We encourage exploration of real-world issues which promote inquiry based learning and critical thinking. Lessons are planned in a carefully constructed series of units which ensures that all children in our mixed-age classes can build knowledge and skills progressively from EYFS to Y6, providing a firm foundation for future learning and life beyond school.

Topics are chosen to reflect our local environment, children’s interests, and the statutory requirements, with clear end points.

• Children are given the opportunities to use a wide range of maps, including thematic maps at a variety of scales appropriate to the activity being undertaken.
• Activities within the classroom and further afield are planned in such a way as to encourage full and active participation by all children irrespective of ability.
• All children have the opportunity to use ICT where appropriate.

• There are planned opportunities for children to compare environments over time.

• Children map their local environment.
• Children plan journeys to and from places of interest.
• Children discuss and record their own questions and answers.

• Pupils recognise physical and human processes and how these can cause changes in places and environments.

• Children are taught about recycling and why this is important.
• Children have a sense of responsibility for their school environment.
• Children are able to offer their own suggestions and responses to how their environment and the wider world can be improved.

• Pupils understand how people can improve their environment and how their decisions can affect other people’s lives.

Geography Policy - click here