Geography
Without geography, you're nowhere!
Intent
At Lenthall Infant and Nursery School, we teach our geography curriculum through learning challenges aimed at inspiring curiosity about the world we live in and our place within it. Children learn about their local environment as well as the wider world. They develop geographical knowledge, enquiry skills and learn how to use a range of tools such as maps, atlases, and globes. Children learn to recognise the human and physical features that are unique to a place, country, or continent. Additionally, we encourage our pupils to enjoy, value, and respect their local environment and consider their impact on the planet.
Implementation
At Lenthall Infant and Nursery School, we aim to deliver a geography curriculum that is progressive throughout school and builds upon previous knowledge so that connections can be made. Geography is taught every term, focusing on the knowledge and skills set out in the National Curriculum. Geography is given the same importance as all other subjects. Skills are taught progressively and regularly, allowing them to become embedded in the long-term memory of the children. The local area has a wide variety of human and physical features, which some children have not experienced before they start school, therefore we plan fieldwork and educational visits to enrich learning and provide first-hand experiences.
Lenthall Geography Learning Journey
Impact
Geography at Lenthall Infant and Nursery School is assessed using the following;
- informal judgements by staff during lessons
- pupil and peer assessments
- end of topic quiz/ challenge
- formal skills and assessment checklists
Come the end of each geography unit/ learning challenge, teachers make a summary judgement about the work each pupil has completed in relation to the success criteria. The geography subject leader monitors progress and attainment on a termly basis through a triangulation of the data, evidence in books and through children’s voice.
Our Ultimate End Goal:
What will our geographers to be able to do when they leave us?
Our geographers will have been inspired by a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Children will be equipped with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. They use the correct geographical terms and vocabulary to communicate geographical ideas effectively. As children progress, their growing knowledge about the world will help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. This will be taught through inspirational learning challenges and experiences which will enable them to put key geographical skills into place by means of fieldwork, computing, and developing geographical skills. Through this, the pupils will gain confidence and have practical experiences of geographical knowledge, understanding, and skills that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected, and change over time. From this, the pupils can continue their education with geographical knowledge and skills to understand how humans impact and influence the physical geography of the world around us. This knowledge will help to influence their life choices in making it a better place for all of earth’s inhabitants.
A teacher is a COMPASS that activates the magnets of curiosity, knowledge and wisdom.