Geography
Intent
At Vine Tree Primary we provide a geography curriculum that is ambitious and designed for all pupils. It is coherently planned and sequenced towards cumulatively providing the necessary knowledge and skills for the pupils’ future to empower them to take their role as informed and active citizens in the 21st century. Its emphasis is not just on geographical knowledge but also skills and concepts. We believe children deserve an opportunity to broaden their knowledge of their local area, within Britain and that of the wider world. Children should be inspired to have a natural passion and curiosity for both the physical world and the people in it. Teaching of Geography should focus on enabling children to think as geographers in a fun and exciting way. Field visits; maps and interactive resources should be used to bring Geography alive. As pupils’ knowledge in the subject progresses, we should help them to deepen their understanding of both human and physical processes as well as the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Recognising the importance of enriching our pupil’s vocabulary, pupils are introduced to topic specific language, given opportunities to use this new geographical language and recap it in future lessons.
Implementation
We teach the National Curriculum, supported by a clear skills and knowledge progression. Our curriculum is designed with core geographical knowledge identified and explained throughout. A breadth of teaching approaches appropriate to the content and desired learning outcomes are used to engage all pupils and enable them to not just acquire knowledge but to apply it in meaningful contexts. Appropriate discussion is recommended as a means of checking pupils’ geographical learning systematically, identifying misconceptions and providing immediate feedback. Questions and tasks to stretch and challenge the most able pupils are incorporated where appropriate. Revisiting ideas and concepts in different, more challenging, contexts in later units, using varied assessments and the inclusion of quizzes are all designed to help pupils remember content and integrate new knowledge into their evolving conceptual framework.
Impact
By the time children leave Vine Tree Primary School they will:
- Have an excellent knowledge of where places are and what they are like.
- Have an excellent understanding of the ways in which places are interdependent and interconnected and how much human and physical environments are interrelated.
- Have an extensive base of geographical knowledge and vocabulary.
- Be fluent in complex, geographical enquiry and the ability to apply questioning skills and use effective analytical and presentational techniques.
- Have the ability to reach clear conclusions and develop a reasoned argument to explain findings.
- Have significant levels of originality, imagination or creativity as shown in interpretations and representations of the subject matter.
- Be highly developed and frequently utilised fieldwork and other geographical skills and techniques.
- Have a passion for and commitment to the subject, and a real sense of curiosity to find out about the world and the people who live there.
- Have the ability to express well-balanced opinions, rooted in very good knowledge and understanding about current and contemporary issues in society and the environment.