Geography at Acre Heads
At Acre Heads, our vision is to help develop the children’s curiosity and fascination in their own surroundings and the variety of conditions in the wider world. We believe geography needs to offer interesting and exciting ways for pupils to engage with all aspects of our amazing planet. Children should have many opportunities to use investigative and problem-solving skills to develop their understanding, both inside and outside the classroom with local fieldwork and visits. We also aim to help develop an informed concern and sense of responsibility for the care of the Earth and its people.
The Teaching of Geography Through a Structured Process
Our Geography curriculum uses the National Curriculum aims as a basis for our curriculum planning in geography, integrating a sequential development of knowledge whilst developing a range of skills and expansion of vocabulary across all key stages.
Overarching curriculum themes are planned through the school with specific geographical themes detailed in the Geography Long Term Plan (LTP). These themes and associated objectives form the Scheme of Work for each year group ensuring a basis of retrieving and developing knowledge as detailed in the Geography Road Map.
This ensures that the our scheme of work identifies what pupils already know before outlining the new learning in the next stage of the learning journey. Children will use their knowledge about environmental, physical and human geography (substantive knowledge) and challenge their understanding by asking geographical questions, as geography is a dynamic subject with changing ideas and viewpoints. Disciplinary knowledge is developed by: taking a holistic view of geography; making decisions about the validity of geographical questions asked; methods applied and the answers found; seeing how differing content is interconnected. These are detailed through the year group’s knowledge organisers.
Scheme of Work Structure
Lesson 1
Establish what the children already know from previous themes and introduce the key enquiry questions. Our initial focus is to inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the theme. Children are given the opportunity to create their own lines of enquiry, with the aim of answering all questions by the end of the theme.
Unit Lessons
Throughout the unit of work, pupils acquire new knowledge, geographical skills and experiences as they focus on their chosen geographical area. Each lesson begins with a retrieval activity, designed to revisit previous learning and strengthen the recall of key and sticky knowledge.
Summary
The unit of learning finishes with a summary of the field studied. The enquiry questions from the beginning of the theme, including the pupil lines of enquiry, are revisited to ensure these have been answered.
Progression of Knowledge through the Year Groups
Impact of Geography at Acre Heads
Our pupils study in depth the environmental, physical and human elements of geography. They are able to identify, locate and discuss different places and the relationships between people and their environments. They are able to discuss the differences in climates, cultures and the environmental impact humans are having on the Earth.
They have the opportunity to take part in leaning enquires and conduct geographical fieldwork. Through fieldwork, pupils encounter geographical concepts first-hand and connect their learning within the classrooms with the complexity of the real world.
Our curriculum prepares pupils for life in modern Britain and develops an understanding of how they can improve the world we live in. This learning knowledge will facilitate the critical, empathic and creative thinking, of lifelong learning and the core values and vision of Acre Heads.
Geography Journal Example
“I enjoyed the visit to Bemptom Cliffs, it gave me the opportunity to investigate the coastline, see the rockface and the habitats for different animals.”
“I can locate Australia on a map and know it’s night time during our day.”
test
“Hull’s location provided access to rich fishing grounds and has a fishing industry that began over a thousand years ago.”
“I can use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries around the world. ”
