Geography

Why do we teach this in the way that we do?

At Furze Infant School we teach Geography through a range of exciting projects, built around a broad and balanced curriculum.

Our Geography curriculum will give children the opportunity to DEVELOP:

Develop: To teach a deep and rich Geography curriculum which will develop children’s greater understanding and knowledge of the world around them, far and wide, as well as their place in it.

Experiences: To experience the breadth and depth of the National Curriculum for Geography to create keen geographers. This will allow children to develop skills in recognising, describing, expanding, comparing and evaluating human and physical geographical elements with technical vocabulary being accurately applied throughout learning.

Values: To ensure that children learn through a diverse Geography curriculum that can influence their decisions about personal choices, attitudes and values.

Explore: To enjoy exploring our world through engaging Geography experiences to immerse children within projects and maximise learning for all children

Lifelong: To offer a coherent and progressive learning journey in Geography, that builds on prior knowledge and skills that are transferable to other curriculum areas and prepare children for future learning through the curriculum in the years ahead.

Opportunities: To develop a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people, provoking and providing answers to questions about the natural and human aspects of the world.

Purpose: To realise the importance of Geography learning to become responsible, independent citizens who will make the world a better place.

As part of our Creative Curriculum, we teach Geography through a project based approach so children can achieve depth in their learning.

In Nursery and Reception, our Geography teaching comes under the learning area of ‘Understanding the World’.

The children will engage in activities in which they gain an understanding of the locality around them by talking about their own home and the places nearby, and looking at features of their own environment and thinking about how these vary in other environments.

In Year One and Two, our projects ensure the coverage of the National Curriculum for Key Stage One

Pupils are taught to:

name and locate the world’s seven continents and five oceans
name, locate and identify characteristics of the four countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom and its surrounding seas
understand geographical similarities and differences through studying the human and physical geography of a small area of the United Kingdom, and of a small area in a contrasting non-European country
identify seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom and the location of hot and cold areas of the world in relation to the Equator and the North and South Poles
use basic geographical vocabulary to refer to key physical and human features
use world maps, atlases and globes to identify the United Kingdom and its countries, as well as some countries, continents and oceans
use simple compass directions (North, South, East and West) and locational and directional language
use aerial photographs and plan perspectives to recognise landmarks and basic human and physical features; devise a simple map; and use and construct basic symbols in a key
use simple fieldwork and observational skills to study the geography of their school and its grounds and the key human and physical features of its surrounding environment.