“Geography is a subject which holds the key to our future.”
-Michael Palin
"It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living."
-Sir David Attenborough
Why Geography is important
Geography, from the Greek, ‘geo’ (earth) and ‘graph’ (Writing), is the study of the physical features of the Earth, as well as the human activity that affects – and is affected by – these physical elements. Geography lends itself as a highly cross-curricular subject that encourages children to critically examine, explore, appreciate and comprehend the world which we inhabit.
At a primary curriculum level, the study of geography focuses on notions of place, space and environment, whereby students develop the skills of understanding a locality and how humans have adapted to this physical space, transforming it – over time – in to a ‘place’. Furthermore, a fundamental element of working geographically is the notion of physically venturing out into the world and exploring the processes of our planet. through practical fieldwork investigations.
National Curriculum– Purpose of Study
A high-quality geography education should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Teaching should equip pupils 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. As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world should help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the frameworks and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and changed over time.
What Geography Looks Like At Ranworth Primary School
During geography lessons, children will build upon their learning – year on year – through development of geographical skills, understanding and technical knowledge. This will be achieved through a variety of whole-class teaching, group activities, and individual tasks. Children will be given the opportunity to practise, consolidate and extend their geographical skills; this will be done through both written and verbal methods depending on the skills to be developed.
For each unit of work children will be building up knowledge to answer an overarching question. Vocabulary will be explicitly taught throughout every lesson. To facilitate children to know more and remember more key concepts run through the whole of our curriculum and opportunities to revisit previous learning are planned into every lesson.
Inclusion
All geographical lessons/activities are designed and planned to include all children through a range of approaches. Lessons are planned to facilitate the best possible outcome for all children within the class.
Concepts Running Through Geography
- Change - Landscape, Population, Climate
- Power - Volcanoes, Weather
- Diversity - Climate, Vegetation, Fauna, Bodies of Water, Landscape, Land Use
- Comparison - Weather, Population, Places
- Significance - Places, Features
When Geography is Taught at Ranworth
Geography is taught throughout the year. Children will cover three topics within Geography each year. As the children progress through the years, their geography learning delves deeper into more complex concepts and builds on important skills needed to be young geographers.