Geography
Geography is the study of places and the relationships between people and their environments. Geographers explore both the physical properties of Earth's surface and the human societies spread across it. At Dollis, we aim to help develop pupils’ curiosity in both their immediate surroundings and in places and environments in the wider world.
Intent
The intent of our Geography curriculum is to help pupils to understand the world around them: to instil an interest, fascination and desire to investigate a variety of human and physical characteristics of different places, both local and afar, through purposeful research and careful questioning.
To be well rounded citizens, we believe children need to understand the differences between places and their cultures and be able to recognise how these change over time.
We provide children with many opportunities to use a range of geographical skills to help them understand, present, analyse and communicate a range of information either collaboratively or as an individual. These skills are put into practice both inside and outside the classroom through local fieldwork and trips.
Implementation
In ensuring high standards of teaching and learning in Geography, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. Geography at Dollis is taught in blocks throughout the year, so that children can achieve depth in their learning.
Teachers have identified the key knowledge and skills of each blocked topic and these are mapped across the school, ensuring that knowledge builds progressively and that children develop skills systematically. Existing knowledge is checked at the beginning of each topic.
We place focus on three main areas:
- Physical Geography, the study of natural phenomenon that takes place on our planet (e.g. earthquakes, volcanoes, rivers, mountains and the weather)
- Human Geography, the study of what humans do on our planet (e.g. cultures, religions, demographics, jobs, housing, transport, economic impact)
- Environmental Geography, the study of the impact that we as humans have on our planet (e.g. pollution, sustainability, environment).
Each Geography lesson has three parts which assist pupils in developing key geographical skills and understanding of what geography actually is.
The 3 parts of a Geography lesson
1. Developing place knowledge
- Where – location
- What – topology
- Why – physical and human processes
- How – short term and long-term impact
2. Developing geographical thinking skills
- Collecting, interpreting and presenting data
- Proving or disproving theories
- Forming conclusions
- Creating models / making generalisations
3. Recapping, Reusing and Applying
- Where – recap on previous learning
- What – extend the planned learning
- Apply – What does this mean and what is the geographical impact
- Why – connect - what must be learnt next
- How – connect - what could it be learnt next.
Geographical skills by the end of Key Stage 2 |
Locational Knowledge |
Locate the world’s countries, using maps to focus on Europe (including the location of Russia) and North and South America, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, countries, and major cities. Name and locate counties and cities of the United Kingdom, geographical regions and their identifying human and physical characteristics, key topographical features (including hills, mountains, coasts and rivers), and land-use patterns; and understand how some of these aspects have changed over time. Identify the position and significance of latitude, longitude, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle, and time zones (including day and night) |
Place Knowledge |
Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region of the United Kingdom, a region in a European country, and a region within North or South America. |
Human & Physical Geography |
Describe and understand key aspects of: - Physical Geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes, and the water cycle - Human Geography, including: types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water. |
Geographical Skills and Fieldwork |
Use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied Use the eight points of a compass, four and six-figure grid references, symbols and key (including the use of Ordnance Survey maps) to build their knowledge of the United Kingdom and the wider world Use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in the local area using a range of methods, including sketch maps, plans and graphs, and digital technologies. |