Geography

 ‘The study of geography is more than just memorising places on a map.  It’s about understanding the complexity of our world.’  Barack Obama

Intent

At Boston Pioneers Academy we believe that inside each of our learners is an innate sense of curiosity and exploration that must not be allowed to lie dormant.  Geography is, by its very nature, an investigative subject and through our Geography curriculum we intend to provide our learners with opportunities to:​

• Find out about diverse locations and communities.​
• Learn about natural and man made environments​
• Understand the Earth’s key physical and human processes​
• Know where places are, what they are like, and how they are linked to other places​
• Ask questions about the world around them​
• Undertake geographical enquires through fieldwork​
• Draw conclusions from their enquiries and explain their findings​
• Share well-balanced opinions, which demonstrate good knowledge and understanding about current issues in society and the environment​
• Develop a broad range of geographical vocabulary and be able to apply this appropriately in different contexts​

Over time, our learners will gain a growing knowledge about the world and understand more deeply the interaction between physical and human processes, and the formation and use of landscapes and environments.  They will learn how to communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.​

However, above all else, the over-arching aim for our Geography Curriculum is to inspire within our learners a curiosity about, and fascination with, the world and its people which will remain with them for the rest of their lives.

Implementation of Geography in EYFS

Learners develop a range of geographical-related knowledge and skills during their time in EYFS, although Geography is not taught directly as an explicit subject. Rather, geography is encompassed in the EYFS through the Prime area of learning: ‘Understanding of the World’, which incorporates children’s understanding of ‘People and Communities’ and ‘the Natural World’. The focus in the EYFS is on learners developing their knowledge of other people, the places where they live and different aspects of the environment and beginning to note similarities and differences between them.​

Utilising our indoor and outdoor environments, our learners are offered a variety of experiences that help them to reflect on their own life and those of others around the world. For example, they are able to observe changes in the weather and seasons. We also promote recycling and respect for living things to encourage our learners to think about how we can look after our planet and ourselves.

Implementation of Geography in Year 1 – Year 6

At Boston Pioneers Academy our Geography Curriculum is informed by and aligned with the National Curriculum (2014). ​We teach geography as a discrete subject using an enquiry-based approach.  However, we make links to other subjects where appropriate to do so.  For example,  Geography is highly interlinked with History and Science, and it is important for us to build upon those links in order to support our learners in deepening their knowledge of the world around them.  Along with History and Science, I.T. also plays an important role in our Geography curriculum, with Digimaps (an online mapping tool) being used across both Key Stages to support children in developing their map skills.  

By adopting an enquiry-based approach, our learners will learn to collect, interpret and present data using geographical methodologies.  They will also learn to follow the fieldwork process of question, observe, measure, record and present.

The curriculum content has been arranged in such a way as to ensure that it is most appropriate for the developmental age of our learners. With this in mind, our youngest learners learn about their immediate surroundings and as the children’s capacity to take on wider knowledge develops, they study places further afield and in greater depth.

The main components of study at KS1 include:​ 

• Developing learners’ core knowledge about the world (continents & oceans), the United Kingdom (countries) and their locality (Boston) ​ 

• Developing knowledge of similarities and differences in the human and physical geography of a small area of the United Kingdom (Skegness) and of a small area in a contrasting non-European country (Boston, USA).​ 

• Identifying 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.​ 

• Developing learners’ core geographical vocabulary – including words relating to human and physical geography.​ 

• Developing learners’ field work skills, including making first-hand observations, measuring and recording to enhance their knowledge.​ 

• Developing learners’ core geographical skills including using maps, atlases and globes; using simple compass directions; Using aerial photographs to identify landmarks and basic human and physical features; plus making simple maps and using/ constructing basic symbols in a key.​

The main components of KS2 study include:​ 

• Extending their knowledge of place, space and scale by studying a range of other countries, cities and environmental regions, their topographical features and land-use patterns.​ 

• Developing a deeper understanding of physical geography and its associated vocabulary, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes, earthquakes and the water cycle.​ 

• Developing a deeper understanding of human geography and its associated vocabulary, including: types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water.​ 

• Further developing learners’ field work and enquiry skills so that they are increasingly able to develop their own questions and carry out investigations.​ 

What our learners say about Geography...

..."I loved learning about the rainforest and the exotic animals that live there."

..."We like to learn outside (fieldwork)."

..."I liked it when we learnt about rivers and went down the river on the Boston Belle."

..."We found out all about the seaside.  We looked at what people did there.  We went on the pier, paddled in the sea and even had donuts!"

Our Knowledge and Skills progression ladder for Geography, our medium-term plans and our linked knowledge organisers are available by contacting the Academy’s Geography lead: kimberley.bolland@bostonpioneersacademy.net