Geography

Our Geography Intent Statement:

"To inspire pupils to be curious and intrigued by the world around them and its people, by equipping them with the key geographical skills and diverse knowledge they need to ask questions and explore their world."

Mrs Johnson, Geography Lead

We recognise that our pupils may face a range of barriers to learning, so our geography curriculum will be designed to address these barriers, with a particular focus on building vocabulary, developing language skills and broadening horizons through virtual and real-life experiences.

Ultimately, our goal is to equip our pupils with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to succeed in life, regardless of their background or circumstances. By providing a high-quality geography education, we aim to empower our pupils to become active, engaged citizens who are committed to making a positive difference in the world.

We teach the National Curriculum and local geography through the Ark Curriculum within KS1 and the Opening Worlds Geography Curriculum in KS2.

Curruiuclum Design: Sequencing & Progression

Geography Curriculum Overview

Geography Overview

KS2 Curriculum Rationale

Humanities_curriculum_plan_and_rationale_REVISED_May_2023_OW (5).pdf

KS1 Progression & Curriculum Rationale

primarymastery_geography_progressiondocument (1).docx

KS2 Progression

Progression-in-Opening-Worlds-Geography.pdf

How Geography is taught at St James the Great

We teach the national curriculum, using Ark as the vehicle for this journey, adapting it to suit the needs of our children.

Our Geography lessons follow this structure:

Retrieval and recapping of previous learning
Explicit and embedded teaching of new high level vocabulary
Story telling and teacher modelled reading of new content
Pupils discussing their new learning with peers and adults, using their new vocabulary
Vocabulary is specifically and intentionally taught to support the children's understanding in the coming lesson
Lessons then build through the use of retrieval tasks (to ensure that children comprehend the knowledge being imparted) and independent / group tasks that allow them to apply the knowledge they have gained.
Units then accumulate into a more significant piece of work which allows children to apply their understanding from the unit and provide an opportunity for summative assessment.