Geography

Subject Lead - Miss Collins

At St Marie's we adopt an enquiry focused approach to learning and teaching in geography, which develops our pupils as young geographers. Through enquiry, our pupils not only build subject knowledge and understanding but become increasingly adept at critical thinking. We structure learning in geography through question led enquiries about relevant geographical topics, places and themes. Our curriculum is therefore ‘knowledge rich’ rather than content heavy, allowing opportunities for pupils to master and apply critical thinking skills and achieve more challenging subject outcomes. Resulting in children knowing more, doing more and remembering more.    

Intent

At St Marie's we follow the National Curriculum.  Staff have collaborated to build a bespoke and engaging curriculum where Geography works alongside History in our Humanities curriculum to provide a basis for themed work.

In EYFS, Geography is planned through stories, songs, planned activities and opportunities for exploration through the Continuous Provision, linked to the half termly topics. Geography is part of the Understanding the World area of learning using Birth to 5 Matters and Development Matters.

The study of geography involves our pupils exploring the relationship and interactions between people and the environments in which they live and depend upon. 

Our Geography curriculum aims to be aspirational in terms of providing pupils with the opportunities to excel in terms of their acquisition of long-lasting knowledge and understanding and mastery of core geographical skills.  Our subject content aims to be logical, broad and balanced, guided by the National Curriculum. It includes enquiries that engage pupils in studying issues such as environmental, economic and social change. We want our pupils to show curiosity about how the world works and to ask questions about how we treat our planet and each other.

Implementation

Each lesson focusses on a manageable step of new learning based on the National Curriculum.

What a typical lesson looks like:

Flashback: an opportunity for pupils to retrieve and build upon previously acquired skills, through a ‘Last Lesson, Last Unit, Last Year, Challenge’ approach.

Teach it: introduction to new learning with live modelling and explicit addressing of potential misconceptions.

Practise it: Children are given the opportunity to practise and use new skills. Learning can be independent and collaborative, all pupils participate through active learning strategies.

Prove it: Children apply new knowledge and skills.  They make choices, explain ideas, select, categorise, classify information, interpret and investigate problems, evaluate, justify and hypothesise giving reasons for their ideas.

Dig deeper: To ensure all children are appropriately challenged, the skills ladder is used to enable all children to move forward and make progress at their level.

Our Geography curriculum is sequenced to ensure that pupils can build on previous knowledge and understanding as they tackle more complex and demanding enquiries. Learning activities are varied, including the use of maps, geographical puzzles, photographs and drama.  Similarly, we provide varied and differentiated ways for pupils to record the outcomes of their work including the use of PowerPoint, concept mapping, annotated diagrams, graphs and the application of a wide range of writing genres, including the use of technology for vlogs. Flashback activities are used at the beginning of lessons to recap on previously learnt facts. In this way knowledge becomes embedded and ‘sticky’ and ensures that our pupils can build on what they know and understand from one year to the next. 

Impact

Our Geography curriculum is inclusive in terms of delivering the same curriculum to all of our pupils irrespective of specific learning needs or disabilities and adapting where necessary through, for example, in class support, providing different learning environments, alternative learning activities and assessment outcomes to enable all learners to be engaged in their learning.

Assessment

Termly data drop on Bromcom is informed by on-going formative assessments within every lesson through questioning, live marking with instant feedback, quizzes, and end of unit assessments as required.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Review

St Marie’s implement a systematic approach to Monitoring, Evaluation and Review in Geography which comprises of the following:

• Learning walks and informal lesson observations
• Book trawls
• Pupil interviews
• Data analysis and pupil progress meetings