Subject Overview
At Eldon, our Geography curriculum is designed to develop children’s curiosity and fascination about the world and its people. Children investigate a range of places – both in Britain and abroad – to help develop their knowledge and understanding of the Earth’s physical and human processes. We are committed to providing children with opportunities to investigate and make enquiries about their local area of Plungington and Preston, so that they can develop of real sense of who they are, their heritage and what makes our local area unique and special. We also develop the children’s ability to apply geographical skills to enable them to confidently communicate their findings and geographical understanding to a range of audiences.
Intent:
Through high quality teaching, we develop the following essential characteristics of geographers:
An excellent knowledge of where places are and what they are like, both in Britain and the wider world;
A comprehensive understanding of the ways in which places are interdependent and interconnected;
An extensive base of geographical knowledge and vocabulary;
Fluency in complex, geographical enquiry and the ability to apply questioning skills, as well as effective presentation techniques;
The ability to reach clear conclusions and explain their findings;
Excellent fieldwork skills as well as other geographical aptitudes and techniques;
The ability to express well-balanced opinions, rooted in very good knowledge and understanding about current issues in society and the environment;
A genuine interest in the subject and a real sense of curiosity about the world and the people who live here.
Implementation:
Our pupils should be able to organise their knowledge, skills and understanding around the following learning hooks:
Investigate places
Investigate patterns
Communicate geographically
These key concepts underpin learning in each milestone. This enables pupils to reinforce and build upon prior learning, make connections and develop subject specific language. As part of the planning process, teachers will plan the following:
A knowledge organiser which outlines knowledge (including vocabulary) all children must master and apply in lessons;
A cycle of lessons for each subject, which carefully plans for progression and depth concentrating on the geographical skills suited to the age group;
A low stakes quiz which is tested regularly to support learners’ ability to block learning and increase space in the working memory;
Challenge questions for pupils to apply their learning in a philosophical/open manner;
Eldon’s vehicles such as the Eldon Forest, Eldon’s Burrow and 4D immersive room to enhance learning;
Trips and visiting experts who will enhance the learning experience;
Appropriate curriculum themed home learning tasks which children complete with adults at home;
Impact:
Our Geography Curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. Our assessment systems enable teachers to make informed judgements about the depth of pupil learning and the progress pupils make over time.
If children are keeping up with the curriculum, they are deemed to be making good or better progress. In addition, we measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:
We use comparative judgement in two ways: in the tasks we set and in comparing children’s work over time;
A reflection on standards achieved against the planned outcomes;
A celebration of learning for each term which demonstrates progression across the school;
Pupil discussions about their learning;
Lesson observations to see if the pedagogical style matches our depth expectations
