St John s Catholic Primary School Geography Policy Mission Statement We at St John s strive for excellence in education by providing a safe, secure and caring family environment where individuals are valued and respected, enabling them to reach their full potential, whilst growing in their love and understanding of the Catholic faith. Introduction: At St John s Catholic Primary School we believe that 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. Teaching should 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, 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 provides the tools and approaches that explain how the Earth s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time. Our aim is to stimulate the children s interest and understanding about the world around them. Geography teaches an understanding of places and environments. Through their work in geography, children learn about their local area, and they compare their life in this area with that in other regions in the United Kingdom and in the rest of the world. They learn how to draw and interpret maps, and they develop the skills of research, investigation, analysis and problem-solving. Through their growing knowledge and understanding of human geography, children gain an appreciation of life in other cultures. Geography teaching also motivates children to find out about the physical world, and enables them to recognise the importance of sustainable development for the future of mankind.
Through the teaching of Geography we aim to: Help children develop knowledge and understanding of places and themes including patterns and processes. Foster children s sense of wonder at the world around them. Help children develop a sense of identity through learning about the UK and its relationships with other countries. Develop an informed concern about the future of our planet. Enhance children s sense of responsibility for the the earth and its inhabitants. Teach the skills and knowledge necessary to develop children as geographers. Encourage learning through enquiry-based projects and lessons in order to develop children s independent research skills. Help children understand how to use a map in a variety of different contexts. Through Geography we can also: Improve pupils' skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT. Develop pupils' thinking skills. Promote pupils' awareness and understanding of gender, cultural, spiritual and moral issues. Develop pupils as active citizens. Expectations Below is a list of skills children will develop in each Key Stage. (New curriculum 2014) Foundation Stage During the foundation stage, children will work towards the geographical aspects of the Early Learning Goals for Knowledge and Understanding of the world. Key Stage 1 Location 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: (1) key physical features, including: beach, cliff, coast, forest, hill, mountain, sea, ocean, river, soil, valley, vegetation, season and weather, (2) 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 (e.g. 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 2 Location 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.
Teaching and learning style We use a variety of teaching and learning styles in our geography lessons. We believe in a creative curriculum using whole-class teaching methods, and we combine these with enquiry-based research activities. We encourage children to ask as well as answer geographical questions. We offer them the opportunity to use a variety of data, such as maps, statistics, graphs, pictures, and aerial photographs, and we enable them to use ICT in geography lessons where this serves to enhance their learning. Children take part in role-play and discussions, and they present reports to the rest of the class. They engage in a wide variety of problem-solving activities. Wherever possible, we involve the children in real geographical activities, for example research of a local environmental problem, or use of the Internet to investigate a current issue. We recognise the fact that there are children of widely different geographical abilities in all classes, and we provide suitable learning opportunities for all children by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the child. We achieve this by: Setting tasks which are open-ended and can have a variety of responses; Setting tasks of increasing difficulty with some children not completing all tasks; Grouping children by ability in the room, and setting different tasks to each ability group; Providing resources of different complexity, according to the ability of the child; Using classroom assistants to support the work of individual children or groups of children. Planning At St John s Catholic Primary School, we plan Geography as part of our creative curriculum and the aims and objectives are covered presently through the topics in our long term plan (Lancashire County Council), as-well as special themed activities such as The Olympic Games, Waste Week, World Cup, when the whole school gets together to take part in organised activities. Class teachers deliver medium term planning, which is monitored to ensure learning activities are sequenced and to ensure progression and continuity throughout the school. Roles and responsibilities It is the role of the Geography Coordinator: To organise Geography within the curriculum and to ensure progression and development. To assist with and monitor planning and quality of delivery within the curriculum.
To keep abreast of developments within Geography and carry out INSET when required. To monitor and update resources and draw up a budget. Resources All resources are centrally stored in the atrium corridor cupboards in topic boxes and all classrooms have Interactive whiteboards with internet access to enhance learning. Every class has a globe. There are atlases specifically aimed at KS1 and KS2 in the resource cupboard. Health and Safety When planning fieldwork all teachers are required to gain permission from the Deputy Head-teacher before confirming a booking. The teachers must also complete a risk assessment, even if it is a site they have visited previously. Teachers should refer to the school s Health and Safety Policy and the safety procedures recommended in the DfES Health & Safety of Pupils on Education Visits guidelines. Updated January 2015 Mrs C Morris