We love Geography...
I loved doing the research and finding things out about the Cumbria Coal Mine proposal.
The Coal Mine debate was great. I liked that you got to pick a side that you were on and then comment and challenge other people about their side.
I likes working in teams and finding out facts about South America. We found where we all lived on Google Maps and it was really cool!
I loved making a map of the school and I didn't even know that Mrs McCarthy had her own office!
Our debate on the Cumbrian Coal Mine was very intense1 We enjoyed researching our local area and the associated environmental issues.
We voted 16 to 9 against the mine!
Geography
Intent
At Beckermet School, we want all our children to become Geographers with a love of the subject. Our children will have opportunities to be cartographers, town planners, conservationists or weather forecasters. We want our children to explore, appreciate and understand the world they live in and how it continually evolves. Our children will explore the relationship between Earth and its people. Our pupils will learn the skills of understanding locational knowledge; how and where people fit in the world. We want our children to be passionate and knowledgeable about their local community and beyond, by learning through experiences and practical fieldwork activities.
Implementation
To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in geography, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. We aim for knowledge and skills to be progressively built upon and revisited where appropriate. Geography is usually taught as part of a termly topic, focusing on geographical knowledge and skills, with other subject areas being interlinked where appropriate. We also teach it as a discrete subject to focus on specific skills. We use Rising Stars Geography plans as a framework for breaking down the National Curriculum programmes of study into more manageable chunks.
The progression document ensures the curriculum is covered and the skills/knowledge taught are progressive from Year 1 to Year 6. Revisiting prior knowledge and links/comparisons to other geographical topics are also made. Use of quality resources as well as the development of a topic learning wall enhance the children’s geographical learning.
Geography teaching focuses on enabling children to think as geographers. At Beckermet Primary School we provide opportunities for geography learning outside the classroom where appropriate, making use of our local area. This may take the form of field trips to the coast at St.Bees or Seascale, village walks, alongside visits to nearby lakes and mountains. Knowledge organisers are used to aid the learning of key knowledge.
EYFS
The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum supports children’s understanding of geography, people and communities through the planning and teaching of ‘Understanding the World’. Children learn about features of their own environment such as school, home, community and their city through first-hand experiences and learn how environments may differ through the sharing of books, stories, poems, small world play, role play and visits. Children enjoy the valuable experiences gained from our regular trips to places within their local community such as the library, park and local shops. Children are given time to discuss, comment and ask questions about what they observe about the world around them and are encouraged to be active learners and explore their interests further.
Impact
The impact of our curriculum is measured through (but not limited to) the following methods:
- Assessing children’s understanding of topic linked vocabulary before and after the unit is taught.
- Levels of pupil engagement with the subject…pupil voice.
- How do our children discuss their learning in Geography? Can they recall key knowledge?
- Work produced by our children
- Collaboration with cluster schools during subject cluster meetings
- Moderation staff meetings where pupil’s books are scrutinised and there is the opportunity for a dialogue between teachers to understand their class’s work.
- Subject leader book scrutiny, pupil interviews on learning, observations
- Annual reporting of standards across the curriculum.
- Marking of written work in books.
- Learning walks.
- Evidence of working wall displays.
- Termly assessment based on Rising Stars.
Click here to view the Primary National Curriculum for Geography.
Click here to view the EYFS framework.
Click here to view a progression of skills for Geography.
