Geography
Curriculum Lead - Ms Huntlea
Intent
As a school for our restructuring process at Hepworth we reviewed and audited our current curriculum to focus on a two-year rolling programme in KS2 and a three year one in KS1 and Early Years to include three discrete year groups.
In terms of our audit we considered how children learn most effectively to be able to recall information and apply skills learned to new situations.
Key skills and concepts have been identified from the National Curriculum to enable children to be procedurally fluent in Geography and these ideas underpin the new planning of our geography curriculum maps:
1. Geographical enquiry
2. Locational knowledge
3. Geographical skills & fieldwork
4. Human & physical geography
5. Place knowledge
Our intent with geography at Hepworth is to contribute towards the ‘cultural capital’ for children in terms of the knowledge and skills they need to be successful learners and in life. In terms of ‘Cultural Capital’ this means knowledge useful to our lives. Our intent is to encourage an awareness that powerful knowledge will put our children at an advantage. Such powerful knowledge includes:
- Encouraging learners to question local, national and global issues.
- Helping learners to recognise complexity/understand differences across varying contexts.
- Open ‘eyes’ to a lifelong learning journey with a different ‘view’.
- Learning from famous geographers eg William Morris Davis and acquiring knowledge about physical geography shared by Sir David Attenborough.
Children will also experience fieldtrips to places of local interest.
Use computer software to identify places in the world and understand their key physical and human characteristics. Have access to GPS systems.
Children’s Cultural Capital will be developed through links with other subjects; hearing diverse voices from other cultures and societies especially as children at Hepworth might not get to hear such diverse voices.
Implementation
The curriculum maps for geography are monitored through lesson observations and feedback to ensure that the planned progression of skills and knowledge is actually taking place. Children will be challenged through geographical enquiry tasks linked to meaningful contexts delivered via fieldwork and utilising children’s personal and lived experiences of the world.
Impact:
Children will be enabled to work as geographers by developing a shared curiosity about the world. Geographical concepts will be evidenced in drawing, writing, responding to a stimulus and concept mapping [individual and in groups] There will be an emphasis on eco issues so children can develop an awareness of climate change etc.
