Geography

At Thurton CE Primary School, we want our children to be fascinated about the world around them and the people in it. We aim to develop a desire to care for and nurture the Earth, in addition to an understanding of the impact of human beings in protecting the future of our planet. We intend to achieve this through their knowledge and understanding of physical processes and the link between physical environments and human activity. It is our intention that children will leave our school with a strong understanding of, and respect for, the diversity of people and places and natural environments around the World.

Progression of Learning

The key knowledge that the children will acquire is embedded within the National Curriculum for both key stages. At Thurton CE Primary school we link this learning to the broader topics being covered each term in each class. Key skills and knowledge have been mapped for each year group and are progressive across the school. The use of accurate geographic vocabulary is a focus within each lesson.

Succession of Geography Knowledge

Progression of Geographical Disciplinary Knowledge

Each unit of learning is presented to the children as a learning journey with a clearly defined end point which can often be a project or investigation which will demonstrate their understanding. This allows children to understand the small steps in learning that need to take place to achieve the larger goal at the end of the of the journey.

Use of the school grounds and the local area are encouraged to support learning and opportunities for learning further afield are planned for.

Example Year 2 Geography Unit

Teaching Tube Map:

Teacher Guide:

Links to the broader curriculum are explicitly made. Teachers frequently check existing knowledge prior to starting a learning journey and links to previous and future learning are made clear.

As children move through the learning journey they are able to track how well they have performed at each stop through the use of colour coded feedback. At the end of each learning journey, knowledge and skills are reviewed and assessed. Feedback is shared with parents at termly learning conferences and in school reports.

Characteristics of an effective GEOGRAPHER at Thurton CE Primary School: