geography
what we say about geography at dean bank primary school
Tyler – “It’s nice, I get to learn about the world.”
Ciara – “I like that it’s fun and I like learning different things about land features.”
Carter – “I like the writing in Geography.”
Jessica M – “I have enjoyed learning about forests.”
intent
The geography curriculum at Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School has been designed in accordance with the Early Years Foundation Stage and the National Curriculum. It has been tailored for our students and designed so that pupils’ knowledge and skills can be securely built over time, ensuring that previous knowledge is built upon to allow children to develop secure schemas, and particular consideration has been given to prevent cognitive overload within lessons. The teaching of particular skills has also been planned so that it links with teaching in other areas of the curriculum and is taught at an appropriate time so that these skills can be used appropriately.
Through their work in geography, children learn about their local area and its place in the United Kingdom. This knowledge develops to gaining an understanding of the U.K.’s place in the world and children will compare geography in this area with that in other regions in the United Kingdom and in the rest of the world. Children will gain a secure understanding of key aspects of physical and human geography, including key physical processes, whilst developing geographical skills that will allow them to work as geographers and approach the subject with confidence.
To enhance learning, students make visits and carry out fieldwork within the local area and utilise our immediate location, mapping our village and school grounds. Students will also have the opportunity to visit other locations within the region in order to study key geographical features and further develop geographical skills.
IMPLEMENTATION
Within geography, teachers are provided with medium term planning for each term that clearly show the sequence that knowledge and skills should be taught, prior learning to be built upon, key vocabulary, possible misconceptions, activities to impart knowledge and where what they are learning will lead to in the future. The focus of teachers is on preparation rather than planning so that they focus their attention on providing high-quality teaching and resources. Teachers will also plan opportunities for retrieval and recall of key knowledge to support children build secure schemas so that they can retain the new knowledge and skills taught.
Geography Lessons
Geography lessons at Dean Bank should follow a similar pattern in both key stage 1 and 2 – unless it is an activity designed for retrieval and recall of previous content. In order to support children build secure mental schemas, prior learning should be made explicit at the beginning of a lesson. After sharing of the learning objective, the introduction of key vocabulary should also take place to support understanding and manage cognitive overload (some vocabulary may not be shared if it needs to be taught alongside the concept to support understanding).
The example below outlines what a geography lesson at Dean Bank should contain:
- Activation of prior knowledge (this could be quizzes, short activities and teacher-led retrieval)
- Sharing of learning objective
- Vocabulary introduction
- Content teaching
- Tasks
- Mini-plenaries may take place throughout the tasks/lesson
Geography in EYFS
Geography in EYFS is designed so that it provides children with a foundation of knowledge and skills that will support them as they move through school. Skills and knowledge linked with geography are explored within understanding the world but are also present in many of the other prime and specific areas in EYFS. Teachers adopt a text-led approach and the objectives for geography inform carefully planned formal and play-based activities.
iMPACT
Teachers will be using formative assessment continually within their teaching and using this to support their teaching and support children to develop the knowledge and skills appropriate. They will then use recall and retrieval activities to support students to retain information and support their own ongoing assessment. Staff will record a student’s progress against the relevant knowledge and skills objectives for the unit on the online ‘Insight’ tracking system. Children will be judged as working towards age-related expectations or working at age-related expectations based on the number of objectives achieved at the given assessment point.
In EYFS, teachers will use the setting’s assessment system to track progress against the prime and specific areas but will also record evidence of children developing key skills and knowledge through the use of seesaw.