Geography - Teaching & Learning
Curriculum Intent
Our Geography curriculum at Dundonald Primary School encourages children to explore, appreciate and comprehend the world in which they live. We aim to provide children with the opportunity to develop their locational knowledge, place knowledge and understanding of human and physical geography. Children develop their geographical and fieldwork skills through practical work and enquiry based lessons.
We are proud of the cultural diversity of our community. The 'Language of the Month' focus gives children a voice to share and celebrate their own backgrounds, traditions and beliefs. As a Rights Respecting School, our ethos and curriculum promotes positive attitudes towards becoming responsible and successful citizens. Children engage in debates and investigative learning to understand how important sustainability is for the future of our planet.
Curriculum Implementation
We have chosen to follow the Kapow scheme of work for Geography from Early Years to Year 6. The curriculum is carefully sequenced to ensure that children build upon key geographical skills. In Early Years, children explore their local surroundings in a mixture of adult-led and child-initiated activities. They learn to ask questions and observe the natural world around them as part of the four specific areas of development in the EYFS framework. By Key Stage 1 and 2, learning follows a cycle of enquiry, involving the process of question, observe, meausre, record and present. In exploring these enquiry questions, children develop the skills to collect, analyse and present data using geographical methids, enabling them to make informed decisions based on their geographical understanding.
Geographical concepts, as outlined in the National Curriculum, are woven across all units:
- locational knowledge
- place knowledge
- human and physical geography
- geographical skills and fieldwork
Geography lessons incorporate various teaching strategies including practical hands-on, computer based and collaborative tasks. This variety means that lessons are engaging and appeal to those with a variety of learning styles and abilities. Children learn to make, read and interpret maps. They use globes and atlases to develop their geographical knowledge and learn to identify human and physical features of places in the UK and beyond.
All topics contain elements of geographical skills and fieldwork and these skills are revisited in our spiral curriculum with increasing complexity. from exploring the physical features of Dundonald Recreation Ground on a 'seasons' walk in Nursery to discovering the depths of the River Wandle in Year 5 and finally planning and leading their own fieldwork enquiry in Year 6.
Curriculum Map
Skills Progression
Geography Progression of Skills
