Geography lessons at Richard Lee Primary inspire a curiosity about the world and a desire to find out more about the planet we call home. The natural and human environments are studied alongside a range of engaging locations. In lessons teachers consider all learners and strive to enable all groups to make progress.
By the end of Year 6, children are ready for the next phase in their Geography learning. They have a secure understanding of the identified KS1 and 2 human and physical concepts, ready to be built on in KS3 and beyond.
Geography Curriculum Design
Our Geography Curriculum has been designed to have four strands running through every unit; Locational knowledge, Place knowledge, Human and physical geography and Geographical skills and fieldwork. These strands are taken from the National Curriculum and under each strand, as a school, we have knowledge categories which help children to express their understanding.
We have designed our curriculum to cover National Curriculum content in clearly identified year groups, but enhanced through carefully thought out additional steps in learning, to ensure content is progressive and taught across each key stage.
We refer to three types of knowledge in Geography; Substantive, Disciplinary and Procedural. Substantive knowledge is the content that pupils will learn through studying the Geography curriculum. Disciplinary knowledge is where pupils gain knowledge of the subject as a discipline, considering how geographical knowledge (substantive knowledge) originates through geographical practice. Procedural knowledge is gained through geographical skills and fieldwork. Children learn knowledge of how to collect, analyse and communicate data and geographical information from fieldwork, maps and other sources and consider how to interpret this range of sources to answer enquiry questions.
Our curriculum incorporates frequent opportunities for students to connect new learning to what they already know. To enable the shift of knowledge into long-term memory and the assimilation of new knowledge into meaningful schema, our primary geography curriculum incorporates research-based strategies that promote deep learning and retention.
Children learn best when they are actively engaged in the process of inquiry. Our curriculum encourages students to ask questions, make predictions, and seek answers through geographical investigation. By providing opportunities for open-ended exploration, we empower students to develop critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities, and a deeper understanding of geographical concepts.
Specialist vocabulary is taught to enable effective geographical discussion and is revisited purposefully in succeeding years to help deepen understanding and aid remembering more and knowing more.
Our Curriculum will be implemented by expert teachers through:
| Adaptive Teaching 6 Principles of Great Teaching | Adaptive Teaching SEND – 5 a day | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Challenge Explanation Modelling Practice Questioning Feedback | Explicit Instruction Cognitive/Metacognitive strategies Scaffolding Flexible Grouping Using Technology | Readers Toolkit principles for reading Habits of a Reader Comprehension Fluency Vocabulary Disciplinary Literacy |
| Oracy Framework | Digital Learning | Aspirations |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Linguistic Cognitive Social and Emotional | Enables accessibility Enhances Transforms 21st Century Skills | High expectations Broadening Horizons Personal Development Extra Curricular |