Geography Curriculum Policy Subject Leader: Jo Hamill From: September 2016 The Purpose of the Policy At Winlaton West Lane Primary, we aim to deliver a high-quality Geography education should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. We aim to equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth s key physical and human processes. As pupils progress through our school, their growing knowledge about the world should help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the frameworks and approaches that explain how the Earth s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time. Aims of this Policy At West Lane Primary School the aim of teaching Geography is to help pupils: Develop knowledge of the location of significant British and global places to include their physical and human characteristics. Understand the processes that cause change, over time, to physical and human features.
Gain competence in the geographical skills needed to: 1. Collect, analyse and communicate data gathered through fieldwork 2. Interpret geographical information from maps, globes and aerial photographs 3. Present geographical information in a variety of ways Roles and Responsibilities The Subject Leader The Staff The Pupils To ensure own subject knowledge is up to date including theory, methods, programmes of study, attainments, Ofsted standards and other expectations. To understand the practice of Geography across the school, knowing how Geography is delivered and understanding the expectations. To know and understand the attainment across the school, and how that compares with national expectations. To ensure that the Geography curriculum is taught effectively through supporting staff development, including supporting planning, teaching and assessments. To monitor planning, teaching and work samples and attainment across the school in line with West Lane s Monitoring and Assessment Policy To keep up to date on current initiatives, relaying the information to SLT and the wider staff. To keep an up to date audit of resources, ensuring that they are well organised and enable effective teaching to take place. To build on existing good practice, striving for continuous improvement through a Geography development plan. To ensure that Geography is taught effectively throughout the school as set out in this policy. To strive to achieve their own potential in Geography. To have high expectations of themselves as learners, striving to build on their own basic skills.
The Parents The Governors To support their children s interest in Geography by visiting a variety of places to compare and contrast (such as farms, the woods, parks, inner cities). To support their children in fostering love of Geography, enabling them to attend extra curricular activities if they wish. Be part of the school and understand their role and responsibility. In addition, becoming actively involved in whole school events. Curriculum Organisation and Resources Geography is taught throughout the school by the class teacher during topic afternoon, generally once a week for one hour. Lessons often take place within the classroom but there are other spaces that are used (such as the library, quad area and field) for research and investigation lessons. This is also supplemented by visiting specialists from outside Geography organisations such as the World Wildlife Trust and Sunderland Winter Gardens. Resources to support the teaching of Geography can be found in our Geography topic boxes. Planning for Geography At West Lane Primary School Geography is taught through a topic approach alongside Design & Technology, Science, History and Art. Our Creative Curriculum is carefully planned to engage and excite all our learners, in order to provide the school with a world class curriculum, it is the driving force for our planning. English Geography contributes significantly to the teaching of Literacy by actively promoting the skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. Some of the texts that we use in Literacy are geographical in nature. Children develop their speaking and listening skills through discussions, debates, working as a team, researching topics and presenting their findings to
the rest of the class. They develop their writing ability by composing reports and letters among many other genres. Mathematics Geography teaching contributes to the teaching of mathematics in a variety of ways. Children learn to use their mapping skills through Geography lessons, create statistical graphs to interpret and present information and can apply their measurement skills to scale drawings. These are just some of the mathematical possibilities within the teaching of Geography. ICT Children use ICT in Geography to enhance their skills in data handling and in presenting written work, and they research information using the Internet. Children have the opportunity to use the digital camera to record and use photographic images. Class teachers use the planning pro forma to map out the learning over the course of a half term, following the long term planning for Geography. The Teaching of Geography Foundation Stage In the Foundation Stage Geography will be provided through a balance of child initiated and adult led tasks where staff will provide resources and/or support children to recognise what they might need and where to find it (based on the stage of development the child is at). In the Foundation Stage, Geography requirements will be taken from the Understanding the World section of Development Matters document for Early Years. A topic based approach to teaching and learning will also apply in the Early Years. This will form the hook into learning and a broad and balanced coverage of Geography will be developed in the indoor and outdoor provision. Ideas and suggested coverage of the objectives will be mapped out for each topic and will initially form the basis of planning. However, this will flexible and subject to change based on children s ideas and interests. Staff will develop their planning taking into account the children s ideas as well as from assessment information recorded through incidental and longer, planned observations. A variety of activities will be planned across the academic year, where skills will be continuously repeated to enable children in the Early Years to develop them securely, based on these observations. Assessments of these observations will be underpinned by the Developmental
Matters statements to show evidence of progress. Evidence of children s learning will be held in Learning Journals and documented on planning to evaluate the success of the activity and develop the next steps in the learning process. Key Stage One Geography is also taught in Key Stage One as an integral part of topic through child-initiated and adult led actives. Geography should have coverage of 25% over the year within topic. Each Geography topic will cover at least one objective from the New National Curriculum. The progression will be seen in the planning for the basic skills in Year One and Year Two developing these skills further. Locational Knowledge Name and locate the world s seven continents and five oceans Name, locate and identify characteristics of the four countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom and its surrounding seas Place Knowledge Understand geographical similarities and differences through studying the human and physical geography of a small area of the United Kingdom, and of a small area in a contrasting non-european country Human and Physical Geography Identify seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom and the location of hot and cold areas of the world in relation to the Equator and the North and South Poles Use basic geographical vocabulary to refer to: ~ key physical features, including: beach, cliff, coast, forest, hill, mountain, sea, ocean, river, soil, valley, vegetation, season and weather ~ key human features, including: city, town, village, factory, farm, house, office, port, harbour and shop Geographical Skills and Fieldwork Use world maps, atlases and globes to identify the United Kingdom and its countries, as well as the countries, continents and oceans studied at this key stage Use simple compass directions (North, South, East and West) and locational and directional language [for example, near and far; left and right], to describe the location of features and routes on a map
Use aerial photographs and plan perspectives to recognise landmarks and basic human and physical features; devise a simple map; and use and construct basic symbols in a key Use simple fieldwork and observational skills to study the geography of their school and its grounds and the key human and physical features of its surrounding environment. Key Stage Two Geography is also taught in Lower Key Stage Two as an integral part of topic through childinitiated and adult led actives. Geography should have coverage of 25% over the year within topic. Each Geography topic will cover at least one objective from the New National Curriculum. Lower Key Stage Two has to share the new national curriculum objectives with Upper Key Stage Two, ensuring that all objectives will be covered in depth over the four years. Objectives pupils should be taught about in Key Stage Two: Locational Knowledge Locate the world s countries, using maps to focus on Europe (including the location of Russia) and North and South America, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, countries, and major cities Name and locate counties and cities of the United Kingdom, geographical regions and their identifying human and physical characteristics, key topographical features (including hills, mountains, coasts and rivers), and land-use patterns; and understand how some of these aspects have changed over time Identify the position and significance of latitude, longitude, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle, the Prime/Greenwich Meridian and time zones (including day and night) Place Knowledge Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region of the United Kingdom, a region in a European country, and a region within North or South America Human and Physical Geography Describe and understand key aspects of: ~ physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts,
rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes, and the water cycle ~ human geography, including: types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water Geographical Skills and Fieldwork Use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied Use the eight points of a compass, four and six-figure grid references, symbols and key (including the use of Ordnance Survey maps) to build their knowledge of the United Kingdom and the wider world Use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in the local area using a range of methods, including sketch maps, plans and graphs, and digital technologies. Assessment and Monitoring At West Lane Primary, we carefully assess across the curriculum to ensure that each child reaches their full potential by: planning and assessing appropriate future activities to ensure continuity and progress for all pupils providing accurate and summative reports on the progress and attainment of individual pupils To achieve this, teachers will continually assess throughout lessons, reshaping the learning to enable all pupils to progress. This formative assessment will also inform planning for future Geography lessons and units, ensuring continuity and progress for all. Due to the many skills involved in Geography, assessment will be seen through photographs, oral discussion and written work. At the end of each unit, further formative assessment will take place to inform future planning, ensuring progress. At the end of each academic year, a summative Geography report will summarise each child s learning in topic and will form part of the main school report. This information is then passed to the next class teacher to support their planning to ensure progression is maintained for all pupils. For more information about assessment in Geography, refer to the Assessment Policy.
Extra-Curricular Opportunities At West Lane Primary, we pride ourselves on the extra-curricular opportunities for our pupils. The following opportunities are available to pupils in Geography: Opportunities to take part in whole school events such as International Week, when each class learns about various countries around the world. Many class trips are organized to visit a range of places in and around Newcastle to compare and contrast. Children in Year 5 and 6 have the opportunity to go on a residential trip, and explore many of the similarities and differences between the seaside town and Newcastle. Children with Special Needs, including Able and More Able At West Lane Primary School we plan to provide for all pupils to achieve, including boys and girls, higher achieving pupils, more able pupils, those with SEN, pupils with disabilities, pupils from all social and cultural backgrounds, children who are in care and those subject to safeguarding, pupils from different ethnic groups and those from diverse linguistic backgrounds. If a programme needs to be adapted then the teacher in charge will do this in consultation with the coordinator and SENCO (if applicable). Able and more able children will be targeted by support staff and teachers to attend extra-curricular activities. Health and Safety Teachers should ensure that all learning takes place within a safe environment with special reference to the use of resources. Visits to off-school sites should be arranged in line with the School Visits Policy and Risk Assessment Policy. Parental Involvement Parents are invited into school to celebrate children s work as part of their class assemblies. Parents will be invited to join children on school trips to where possible.
Parents are also provided with topic webs to show the teaching and learning within Geography so they can support their child s learning at home. Community Links Visits are planned to enhance learning and give hands on activities. People with an interest, or expertise, in a particular topic or area of Geography could be invited into school to work with the children. These might be parents, grandparents, other family members, neighbours or representatives of the local community. Geography Co-ordinator will work closely with other Geography Co-ordinators within the council. Professional Development Support is always available to the staff here to ensure that standards of delivery are high. Specialist staff will be offered (when available) training sessions. Specialist members of staff always aim to keep abreast of new movements and initiatives. Policy Review This policy was agreed by the governing body in September 2016 and is due for review by the subject leader in July 2017.