GEOGRAPHY AT BOURNEHALL
VALUE STATEMENT
At Bournehall Primary School we value geography because it:
- inspires a curiosity and fascination about the world, its people and its environments and an understanding the and the processes that create and affect them
- encourages children to compare their life and local area with that in other regions in the United Kingdom and in the rest of the world.
- motivates children to find out about the physical world
- enables recognition the importance of sustainable development for the future of mankind
- develops skills and attitudes that will allow children to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain
- develops spatial awareness in and about the environment.
- develops a sense of place and space in the world at a range of scales, through the study of locations, places and environments.
- encourages a holistic appreciation of how the world works
- links together concepts such as scale, community, cultural diversity, interdependence and sustainability.
- has the capacity to make tangible and effective connections across subjects, adding to schema, bringing context to - and enriching understanding in e.g. science, history , music, art and design.
- develops the skills of research, investigation, analysis and problem-solving
A GEOGRAPHER :
- knows where places are and what they are like.
- understands the ways in which places are interdependent and interconnected and how much human and physical environments are interrelated.
- has an extensive base of geographical knowledge and vocabulary.
- asks questions which lead to geographical enquiry and the ability to use effective analytical and presentational techniques.
- reaches clear conclusions and develops a reasoned argument to explain findings.
- frequently uses fieldwork and other geographical skills and techniques.
- has a passion for and commitment to the subject, and a real sense of curiosity to find out about the world and the people who live there.
- expresses well-balanced opinions, rooted in very good knowledge and understanding about current and contemporary issues in society and environment.
Chris Quigley – Essentials Curriculum
Delivery of our geography curriculum
At Bournehall, we use Chris Quigley's Geography Curriculum Companion as well as a range of other resources to support our planning and delivery.
The Essentials Curriculum is based around the following Threshold Concepts:
- investigating places
- investigating patterns
- communicating geographically
Through their time at the school, children should:
- develop an understanding of the physical and human features of different places (locational knowledge) through studying a range of case studies
- understand how physical and human processes are interdependent and lead to change over time
- build their geographical skills by undertaking fieldwork, interpreting aerial photographs, maps and data
- use appropriate geographical vocabulary to communicate their ideas
Geography may be taught in discrete units (for example, when focusing on a particular process or location) or as part of continuous provision and links made through other subjects.
EYFS
Children:
- begin to gain a wider experience of the world around them
- learn through first-hand experiences to explore, observe, problem solve, predict, think critically and make decisions. talk about the creatures, people, plants and objects in their natural environments
- learn about seasons, the weather, features in the local area and the buildings that surround them.
- are encouraged to record their findings through drawing and modelling.
Key stages 1 and 2
Through discrete lessons and through continuous learning - and through making intra-curricular links
Children:
- learn about the diversity of places and people, physical and human processes and the formation and use of landscapes.
- use maps, globes, aerial photographs and digital mapping to
- develop geographical skills of collecting and analysing data
- name and identify countries, continents and oceans and physical features
- use fieldwork, take part in educational visits
- study their local area and compare it with others, nationally and globally
Conditions for learning
Children tell us that they enjoy geography and learn best when they:
- they work together using atlases and Google Earth
- they know what they have done well and what they need to do to improve
- the practise our map skills using the world maps and globes in their classrooms
- they play games to learn new vocabulary
- they see our learning up on their working wall
- they have time to investigate and explore
- they select from a range of equipment
- they find out about other people around the world and how they live
