Geography
“Geography has made us neighbours”
— John F Kennedy
Geography subject lead: Mr R. Dickinson
Intent
At Saint Augustine Webster Catholic Voluntary Academy, our Geography curriculum is based on a desire to provide our children with knowledge and understanding of our rich and diverse community and the world within which we live. Teaching in Geography is linked to a clear progression of skills and development of knowledge rooted within the National Curriculum. Children will be introduced to a wide range of maps, atlases and globes, including computer mapping to enable them to locate countries and their features. Over time children will develop an extensive knowledge of our local area, the country in which we live, and the wider world. With high expectations for all, we promote support for each child to enable them to collect, analyse and present information about key physical and geographical features of the world.
The Geography curriculum teaches children to respect the cultural diversity of our world and our school community. As humans can have significant effects on our physical world, we aim to provide children with opportunities to learn about the impact that our choices have upon the future of our planet.
Our fieldwork tasks provide opportunities for children to enquire, collaborate and communicate their learning. Our ultimate intent is that we are considerate of cognitive load and represent our lessons in a way which will not overload the children’s working memory. Every topic in Geography is built upon previous learning and is regularly reviewed and assessed. Vocabulary at Saint Augustine Webster CVA is extremely important and this is evident in our Geography curriculum. We ensure children understand and use technical language throughout their topics.
Learning in geography is linked into other curriculum areas, particularly History, ensuring it becomes an integral part of all learning.
Implementation
The CUSP Primary Curriculum offers full coverage of the KS1 and KS2 Geography curriculum, with connection to the EYFS curriculum. The CUSP Curriculum, developed by Unity Schools, is underpinned by evidence, research and cognitive science. Modules are deliberately sequenced for robust progression building upon and revisiting prior learning. There is an emphasis on rich knowledge and vocabulary acquisition. Retrieval practice strengthens the memory trace and is used to break down learning barriers and accelerate progress for all pupils. It is a high quality and ambitious curriculum supported by high-quality images and diagrams to enrich and inspire learning.
In KS1 and KS2, Geography is taught in focused teaching sessions that sit within a curriculum sequence built around the principles of interleaving and spaced retrieval practice. This ensures full coverage across the whole school.
Impact
When pupils leave Saint Augustine Webster CVA, they will be independent learners with a rich geographical knowledge. They will be adept at categorising content and making connections within topics and other subjects. Pupils will be skilled at removing unnecessary information and organising how to present their learning in order to simplify complex information.
The implementation of this curriculum ensures that they will have developed learning schemata that are not static. Since they will have been taught to regularly add new information and build on the foundations of prior learning, they will be skilled in organising how to assimilate new knowledge.
If you were to walk into geography lessons at Saint Augustine Webster CVA, you would see:
- High expectation for pupil outcomes
- Increasing depth of knowledge and understanding
- pupils returning to prior learning
- pupils learning to select, organise and integrate new knowledge with prior learning
- cumulative quizzing as a learning and assessment tool
- high quality worked examples
- sequential lessons building up technical skills and vocabulary in small steps
- guided practice leading to independent application
- children becoming proficient in locational knowledge
- a wide range of maps, atlases and globes, including computer mapping being utilised to enhance the learning outcomes of our children, across the curriculum.
- high quality images and diagrams supporting and scaffolding learning
- learning walls which support, celebrate and provide challenge
- a learning buzz as children engage in fieldwork, debate and question reasons for change
- collaboration, support and communication
Geography knowledge and skills progression grid
Geography Subject Story coming soon.....
