Geography
Geography Intent, Implementation, and Impact
‘Growing Global Citizens’
Intent
At Broseley C of E Primary School, our children will observe, describe, and seek explanations as to why the world is as it is. Our geography curriculum allows our students to develop a range of geographical knowledge and vocabulary which enables them to know where places are local, nationally, internationally and globally, also enabling them to discuss human impacts on physical processes and vice versa.
Knowledge of local, national, and global geography enables children to understand the challenges of our own time with a specific school focus on sustainability, equality, and empowerment: engaging pupils in questions about people and locations that are both similar and different to their own experience and helps pupils to understand the present and prepare them for their future as a thriving global citizen.
We intend to bring geography alive through explicit teaching and experiential learning that inspires in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the physical and human world that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.
Pupils will have the knowledge about diverse places, people, resources, natural and human environments, and the complex relationships between them and understand the importance of becoming global citizens and creating a fair and sustainable world.
Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the frameworks and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features are shaped, interconnected, changed, and preserved over time.
The fundamental questions we are seeking answers from are:
· Where is this place?
· What is it like?
· How and why is it changing?
· How does this place compare with other places?
· How and why are places connected?
The programme of study for geography states that, ‘Children should develop a contextual knowledge of location globally; they understand the processes that that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world; and are competent in geographical skills, this will enable them to:
·Collect, analyse and communicate a range of gathered experiences
·Interpret a range of geographical sources such as maps, diagrams etc
·Communicate using geographical information in a variety of ways.
At Broseley C of E, our geography curriculum builds a strong foundation of knowledge and skills through an approach that teaches both the substantive knowledge and disciplinary skills that pupils will need. Pupils are taught to approach their learning as a geographer. Both the knowledge and skills build sequentially as pupils move through the school and are expertly mapped to ensure that pupils can make links with what has already been taught.
Within the geography curriculum, pupils are taught subject specific vocabulary and are able to use this expertly within their explanations, giving them the cultural capital they will need to be a responsible global citizen.
The outcome will allow them to clearly articulate well-formed questions and answers in addition to evaluating information about the people and place that they study. The geography curriculum at Broseley C of E is diverse and ensures that all parts of society are represented in the people and places that are studied.
Our aim is to empower our children so they can aspire to become an expert in the study of geography – if they choose to.
Implementation: How is Geography taught at Broseley C of E?
The curriculum is carefully sequenced to ensure that pupils build on the knowledge and skills they have been taught. In addition to this, the key themes of sustainability, equality, and empowerment are threaded throughout the curriculum from Reception to Year 6. Additional short units, relating to The Seven Wonders of the World (natural and modern), are used not only as a means to feed our children’s curiosity but to build their cultural capital.
Planning is sequenced in the following way to ensure consistency when moving between year groups and key stages in preparation for transition to secondary school and beyond. Following discussions with secondary school geography specialists, we now teach regular discrete map sessions and fieldwork throughout the whole year to ensure that key geographical knowledge is embedded. Although this sequence isn’t fully followed in Reception, teachers in the EYFS team ensure that key elements of the process (Golden Nuggets) such as exploration of their local environment; map skills; development of curiosity outside of the local area; connections between these things; and geography vocabulary are shared with the children in preparation for key stage 1.
Geography in EYFS
In the EYFS, geography is included in the ‘Understanding the World’ education program, which focusses on children making sense of their physical world and their community. Geography in the EYFS revolves mainly around first-hand experiences/visits and listening to a broad selection of texts (fiction, non-fiction, poetry and rhymes). It is also of great importance that children’s experiences outside of school are shared and discussed as part of this. Their use of Forest School is also essential in knowing how to look after the environment and live sustainable lives. In short, Geography in the EYFS is done through exploration, observation, experience, and discussion. Children are then able to express their knowledge and understanding verbally, through creativity, during structured play and through continuous provision.
Prior to the start of each geography unit
Each geography learning sequence will begin with an explicit explanation of what geography is and the purpose of studying it. Children are shown what they can study at university and the jobs linked to the geography as well as the significant people, organisations, and achievements within this field.
Revision
Key vocabulary from prior year groups will be revisited in preparation of the introduction of new vocabulary. Map skills relating to local, national and world locations will be revisited throughout the year (not just during a sequence of learning).
Knowledge Organiser
Pupils are provided with a Knowledge Organiser for each unit of learning. The organiser includes key information and vocabulary that pupils will need during their lessons. This will be shared with parents and children and referred to throughout the topic for retrieval practice.
The ‘Big’ Question
Each learning sequence will begin with a ‘Big’ question such as ‘Why is our world wonderful?’ Children are told that the knowledge gained throughout the topic will allow them to answer this ‘Big’ question using a range of substantive and disciplinary knowledge
Lesson overview
Knowing More and Remembering More
Lessons begin with a focus on ‘Knowing more and remembering more’ short session where pupils revisit the knowledge that has previously been taught to ensure that they have remembered this in order to build on it.
Vocabulary Focus
Lessons have a strong focus on vocabulary (Wow Words) and these are introduced at the beginning of each lesson and referred to at the end, ensuring that pupils clearly understand the meaning of each word and are able to use them confidently.
Progression in vocabulary examples-
Reception: Uses vocabulary to identify geographical features and processes as and when they are observed.
Year 1: Continent, country, ocean, sea, river, urban, rural, town, physical, human – Local, named places.
Year 2 - Continent, country, ocean, sea, river, urban, rural, town, physical, human – Further afield, named places.
Year 3- City, county, River, Upper Course, Middle Course, Lower Course, Erosion.
Year 4- Flood defence, Industry, Agriculture, Delta, Estuary, sea walls, groin, harbour, port, beach
Year 5- Source, Mouth, Delta, Peninsula, Gulf, Channel, biosphere reserve, National Park, conservation
Year 6- Plate tectonics, plate boundaries, convergent, divergent, , pyroclastic flow, crater, vents earthquake, tsunami, Ring of fire, Mid Atlantic Ridge,
Substantive and Disciplinary Knowledge
Pupils are taught both substantive knowledge: names of places, names of continents or features of something etc.
Pupils are taught disciplinary (second order) concepts:
Place • Space • features • Physical and Human features • Diversity • Interdependence • Interaction • Process • Change over time • Scale • Landscapes • Environments
Disciplinary Knowledge/skills:
- Collect, analyse, and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes
- Interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs, and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
- Communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length
Example of substantive knowledge/concepts and disciplinary concepts/skills taught through our ‘Extreme Earth’ unit of learning in Year 6.
Substantive knowledge (names, places and features) |
What are the names of the most extreme features and phenomena on Earth and what are their features?
|
Substantive concepts |
Equality |
Disciplinary concepts |
Interaction- knowing how volcanoes, tsunamis and earthquakes affect both the environment and humans and how humans and the environment react and adapt. |
Disciplinary / geography skills |
Geographical enquiry – locating volcanoes, tsunamis and earthquakes on the map and analysing the importance of these locations as they all lie on or near a fault line |
Independent work
During the independent work section, pupils apply their knowledge to a task. Tasks are differentiated to provide a scaffold for pupils who may need it. All pupils have the opportunity to meet the same learning objective.
Deeper thinking question
Th majority of lessons are structured to include a question to be answered (verbal or written) by the end of the lesson. We encourage all learners to answer this question but children requiring further challenge are asked to respond with more than just shallow knowledge and should use a mix of substantive and disciplinary knowledge (if applicable).
Support for Pupils with SEND
At the beginning of each unit of work, key pieces of knowledge for the unit are selected and work takes place to ensure that pupils with SEND are retaining and building on this. In addition, scaffolding ensures that pupils can meet the same learning objective as their peers.
Assessment
At the beginning of a unit, children will complete a mini assessment based on substantive knowledge about the subject. This will be administered again at the end of the topic as a measure of progression in this learning domain.
At the beginning of each lesson, pupils either complete a ‘knowing more and remembering more’ task which assesses the knowledge they have retained from previous lessons, or they use knowledge organisers to self or peer quiz. Teachers use the outcome from the task to support pupils who may have gaps in their knowledge. Children use the outcome of their self and peer quizzing to revise any gaps at home.
At the mid and end point of the topic, pupils complete a quiz which comprises of several questions linked to the learning within the unit. Teachers use the quiz outcomes to support pupils who may have gaps in their knowledge.
During lessons, teachers move around the classroom and give pupils verbal feedback, they may be asked to check an answer again or prompted to include further details or information.
The sequence of learning ends through assessment using a ‘Big Question,’ Children will answer this question using either substantive or disciplinary knowledge in the form of an essay or a double page spread. Essays are the preferred method for our older children in preparation for the expectations when studying geography in secondary school and beyond.
Children record their learning and assessments within their geography book. This book is passed on to the next year group teacher. The next teacher can use the assessment outcomes from the previous unit/year to plan for consolidation of knowledge and plan for next steps to ensure maximum retention of knowledge and progression.
Presentation
At Broseley C of E, geography is planned and delivered at a very high standard, and we set very high expectations for the students in the lesson. We expect the work in their books to be at the same standard as their core lesson books.
Impact
Regular learning sessions show that pupils are confident and able to talk knowledgeably about what they have learned in geography using subject specific vocabulary. The pupil voice discussions show that pupils greatly enjoy geography and can recall their learning and knowledge over time, making links between units of work. Lesson observations also triangulate this.
Work in pupil exercise books demonstrates that geography is taught at a high standard across the school with opportunities for pupils to work at a greater depth. As a result, pupils make sustained progress across both key stages. Work is of high quality, with pride taken and demonstrates pupils are acquiring knowledge, skills, and vocabulary in an appropriate sequence.
Geography Progression of Knowledge and skills