Geography

Intent

We aim to inspire pupils to become curious and explorative thinkers with a diverse knowledge of the world, thinking like a geographer. We want pupils to develop the confidence to question and observe places, measure and record necessary data in various ways, and analyse and present their findings. Through our scheme of work, we aim to build an awareness of how geography shapes our lives at all levels and over time. We hope to encourage pupils to become resourceful, active citizens who will have the skills to contribute to and improve the world around them. 

The National curriculum organises the geography attainment targets under  four subheadings or strands: 

• Locational knowledge 

• Place knowledge 

• Human and physical geography 

• Geographical skills and fieldwork 

Our National curriculum mapping document shows which of our units cover each of  the National curriculum attainment targets as well as each of the four strands. The Gerrans curriculum document also shows this.

The Kapow Primary scheme is a spiral curriculum, with essential knowledge and skills  revisited with increasing complexity, allowing pupils to revise and build on their  previous learning. Locational knowledge, in particular, will be reviewed in each unit to  coincide with our belief that this will consolidate children’s understanding  of key concepts, such as scale and place, in geography. Cross-curricular links are  included throughout each unit, allowing children to make connections and apply their geography skills to other areas of learning. 

Our enquiry questions form the basis for our units, meaning that pupils gain a solid  understanding of geographical knowledge and skills by applying them to answer enquiry questions. 

We have designed these questions to be open-ended with no preconceived answers  and therefore they are genuinely purposeful and engage pupils in generating a real  change. In attempting to answer them, children learn how to collect, interpret and present data using geographical methodologies and make informed decisions by  applying their geographical knowledge.  

Each unit contains elements of geographical skills and fieldwork to ensure that  fieldwork skills are practised as often as possible. Kapow Primary units follow an  enquiry cycle that maps out the fieldwork process of question, observe, measure,  record, and present, to reflect the elements mentioned in the national curriculum. This ensures children will learn how to decide on an area of enquiry, plan to measure  data using a range of methods, capture the data and present it to a range of  appropriate stakeholders in various formats.  

Fieldwork includes smaller opportunities on the school grounds to larger-scale visits  to investigate physical and human features. Developing fieldwork skills within the  school environment and revisiting them in multiple units enables pupils to consolidate  their understanding of various methods. It also gives children the confidence to  evaluate methodologies without always having to leave the school grounds and do  so within the confines of a familiar place. This makes fieldwork regular and accessible  while giving children a thorough understanding of their locality, providing a solid  foundation when comparing it with other places.  

Lessons incorporate various teaching strategies from independent tasks to paired and  group work, 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. Differentiated guidance is available for every lesson to ensure that all  pupils can access learning, and opportunities to stretch pupils’ learning are available  when required. Knowledge organisers for each unit support pupils in building a  foundation of factual knowledge by encouraging recall of key facts and vocabulary. 

Strong subject knowledge is vital for staff to deliver a highly effective and robust geography curriculum. Each unit of lessons includes multiple teacher videos to  develop subject knowledge and support CPD. Kapow Primary has been created  with the understanding that many teachers do not feel confident delivering the full geography curriculum, and every effort has been made to ensure that they feel  supported to deliver lessons of a high standard that ensure pupil progression.  

At Gerrans Primary School, we alternate between geography and history on a half-termly basis. Therefore, three units of each are taught during the year. This allows for effective coverage of the national curriculum over the two-year rolling programme. Further to this, children are given sufficient time to really get to grips with a topic and its new learning. We find that outcomes are higher as a result of this approach. We recognise the special nature of our locality and seek to get outdoors whenever possible, utilising our local-area to support our learning. 

Impact

An enquiry-based approach to learning will allow teachers to assess children against  the national curriculum expectations for geography. The impact of Kapow Primary’s scheme can be constantly monitored through both formative and  summative assessment opportunities. 

Each lesson includes guidance to support teachers in assessing pupils against the  learning objectives. Furthermore, each unit has a unit quiz and knowledge catcher,  which can be used at the start or end of the unit to assess children’s understanding.  Opportunities for children to present their findings using their geographical skills will  also form part of the assessment process in each unit. 

After implementing Kapow Primary geography, pupils should leave school equipped  with a range of skills and knowledge to enable them to study geography with  confidence at Key stage 3. We hope to shape children into curious and inspired  geographers with respect and appreciation for the world around them alongside an  understanding of the interconnection between the human and the physical. 

The expected impact of following the Kapow Primary geography scheme of work is  that children will: 

• Compare and contrast human and physical features to describe and understand  similarities and differences between various places in the UK, Europe and the  Americas. 

• Name, locate and understand where and why the physical elements of our  world are located and how they interact, including processes over time relating  to climate, biomes, natural disasters and the water cycle. 

• Understand how humans use the land for economic and trading purposes,  including how the distribution of natural resources has shaped this. 

• Develop an appreciation for how humans are impacted by and have evolved  around the physical geography surrounding them and how humans have had an  impact on the environment, both positive and negative.  

• Develop a sense of location and place around the UK and some areas of the  wider world using the eight-points of a compass, four and six-figure grid  references, symbols and keys on maps, globes, atlases, aerial photographs and  digital mapping.

• Identify and understand how various elements of our globe create positioning,  including latitude, longitude, the hemispheres, the tropics and how time zones  work, including night and day.  

• Present and answer their own geographical enquiries using planned and  

• specifically chosen methodologies, collected data and digital technologies. 

• Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the national curriculum  for geography.