Geography

INTENT

We offer a structure and sequence of lessons to help teachers ensure they cover the skills required to meet the aims of the national curriculum. The content allows for a broader, deeper understanding of the four areas of geography identified in the curriculum. It will develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places and understanding of the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, along with how they bring about variation and change over time. We intend to develop pupil’s curiosity and a fascination of the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives which will enable them to explore the foundations of life-long geographers.

Our school community is concerned about the environment. Our pupils live in urban London with many unable to access the enriching experiences the outdoors can provide. Therefore, our curriculum aims to ensure our pupils understand the impact of our way of life in the world we live in. As such, we undertake to support Pope Francis’s message in his encyclical – ‘Laudato Si’ which found inspiration in Saint Francis of Assisi ‘Canticle of the Sun’; a beautiful prayer to celebrate God’s creation. We see our pupils as stewards of the earth; therefore, our curriculum explores big questions about the environment and Pope Francis call for action.

The units of study offer a range of opportunities for investigating places around the world as well as physical and human processes. The lessons are intended to improve children’s geographical vocabulary, map skills and geographical facts and provide opportunities for consolidation, challenge and variety to ensure interest and progress in the subject. As pupils progress their growing knowledge of the world will deepen their understanding of the interaction between the physical and human processes and the consequences of that interaction on landscapes and environments.

IMPLEMENTATION

Based on research of learning and cognition our curriculum is designed so that learning is built on over time. The teaching activities in our programme of study - Oddizzi enable our teachers to ensure that planning is sequential with a connectivity to other subjects. Lessons assure lively, effective and appropriate learning. Lessons are taught with depth with a clear purpose for learning. In KS1, pupils begin to use maps and recognise physical and human features to do with the local area, building to using maps to explore the continents and oceans of the world in year 2. Further, in year 2, pupils will begin to compare where they live to places outside of Europe and ask and answer geographical questions.

Pupils expand on their skills in local knowledge, place knowledge, human and physical geography, geographical skills and fieldwork. We offer a range of opportunities for pupils to experience geography through practical engaging tasks beyond the classroom. Our lessons come with end of unit assessments to give the teachers and TAs confidence in the progression of skills and knowledge and that outcomes have been met. Key words are also highlighted in each lesson pack, to be used by children to deepen their geographical knowledge.

IMPACT

We believe that the impact of using Oddizzi lessons as the basis of your curriculum is clear through the love of learning our teachers and pupils demonstrate across the school. Teachers have higher expectations and high-quality evidence is clearly presented in pupil’s books. All pupils 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.

Pupils 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 pupils, as stewards of the earth, will realise that they have choices to make in the world, developing a positive commitment to the environment and the future of the planet. Pupils 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 pupils in the school will be able to speak confidently (Pupil Voice) about their geography learning, skills and knowledge.

The impact of the geography curriculum will also be measured in the following ways:

Pupil voice – Pupils will show how geographical knowledge is impacting on their choices as citizens
Standards and quality of pupil’s learning is evaluated through learning reviews, knowledge assessments and their written work.