Geography Intent
Through the Geography curriculum at Shillington Lower School, we try to inspire a curiosity about the world and its people. We offer opportunities for children to develop an understanding of human and physical geography. We give children the opportunity to develop fieldwork, geographical skills, and locational knowledge. We study a variety of countries and locations as well as improving their knowledge of the local area. We help promote children’s spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development helping them to understand their place in the world. Encouraging children to consider how their environmental choices have an impact on their local environment and the wider world. For example, we encourage children to reflect on how they can be more eco-friendly. Our curriculum gives children a solid foundation of geographical knowledge and skills they can build on in the future.
Geography Implementation
In KS1, children learn map skills, learning locational language, key, and spotting different features on a simple map. They learn to recognise physical and human features within their local area. This includes a walk around the nearby area to get a better understanding of the features they see every day. In year 2 they then build on this using their map skills to explore the continents and oceans of the world. Children will compare where they live to places outside of Europe and ask and answer geographical questions. In KS2, map skills are developed further in more detail looking at coordinates on the maps, detailed keys, symbols and fieldwork skills. Through revisiting and consolidating skills, our lesson plans and resources help children build on prior knowledge alongside introducing new skills and challenge. All children expand on their skills in local knowledge, place knowledge, human and physical geography, geographical skills, and fieldwork. Across both key stages, children have a range of opportunities to experience geography through practical engaging tasks.
Geography Impact
We believe that the impact of Geography lessons is that geography learning is loved by teachers and pupils across school, teachers have higher expectations and more quality evidence can be presented in books. All children will use geographical vocabulary accurately and understand the different strands of geography, with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. Children will begin to make relevant links from geography to other curriculum subjects, such as history and science. They will improve their enquiry skills and inquisitiveness about the world around them, and their impact on the world. All children will realise that they have choices to make in the world, developing a positive commitment to the environment and the future of the planet. Children will become competent in collecting, analysing, and communicating a range of data gathered. They will be able to interpret a range of sources of geographical information and they will communicate geographical information in a variety of ways. All children in the school will be able to speak confidently about their geography learning, skills, and knowledge.