Belvidere Geography Curriculum
Vision
Children at Belvidere Primary strive to become curious and explorative thinkers. They are encouraged to be resourceful, active citizens who will have the skills to contribute to and improve the world around them.
Intent
Geography is about understanding the world we live in. As an enquiry-based subject, it helps to provide answers to questions about the natural and human aspects of the world.
At Belvidere Primary School, children are encouraged to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, as well as their place in it. The geography curriculum enables children to develop knowledge and skills that are transferable to other curriculum areas. Geography is an investigative subject which develops an understanding of concepts, knowledge and skills.
Our intent when teaching geography is to inspire a curiosity and fascination of the world and the people within it; to promote the children’s interest and understanding of diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes.
At Belvidere we have:
• A strong focus on developing both geographical skills and knowledge.
• A focus on critical thinking, with the ability to ask questions and explain and analyse evidence.
• The development of fieldwork skills across each year group.
• A deep interest and knowledge of pupils’ locality and how it differs from other areas of the world.
• A growing understanding of geographical concepts, terms and vocabulary
Implementation
Geography is split into three topics per year group and taught half termly from Reception to Year 6. The Kapow Primary Scheme is used to plan and teach geography sessions; ensuring full coverage of content of the National Curriculum. Geographical key concepts are woven across all units rather than being taught discretely. Each session identifies clearly the skills and knowledge to be taught which enables progression, both throughout the year, as well as throughout the school.
The National curriculum organises the geography attainment targets under four strands:
• Locational knowledge
• Place knowledge
• Human and physical geography
• Geographical skills and fieldwork
It is important that children develop the skills of a geographer by fully immersing in all areas of the subject. The local area is utilised wherever possible to achieve desired outcomes, with opportunities for learning outside of the classroom embedded in practice throughout year groups. School trips and regular opportunities for fieldwork also provide first-hand experiences which enhance children’s understanding of the world.
Impact
The impact of the curriculum is the outcomes for the pupils. It includes what the pupils say and do, their attitude towards their learning in the different curriculum areas, and how they use and apply the knowledge and skills they acquire. Assessments linked to geography take place throughout the academic year and children are assessed against age related expectations by their class teacher.
By the time children leave Belvidere Primary School they will:
- understand different locations around the world and their characteristics
- understand how human and physical environments are interrelated and the ways in which places are interdependent and interconnected
- have a range of geographical knowledge and vocabulary
- have experience in geographical enquiry
- have the ability to reach clear conclusions and develop a reasoned argument to explain findings
- be experienced in fieldwork and other geographical techniques
- have an interest in the subject and a sense of curiosity to find out about the world and the people who live there
- understand contemporary issues in society, including environmental awareness both in their own locality and worldwide
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Pupil Voice
“Geography is my favourite subject because we learn about the world we live in.” – Year 1 pupil
“I enjoy using maps and atlases to help me learn.” – Year 2 pupil
“I like learning about where I live in Shrewsbury” – Year 1 pupil
“Geography is interesting. It is also important because we will use it in later life.” – Year 4 pupil
“Geography is so much fun!” – Year 3 pupil
“Learning in geography lessons is always interactive” – Year 4 pupil
Progression of Skills