Geography
Subject Leader: Mrs I McKeever
Subject Vision
Throughout our lives, it is our instinct to begin to explore the world around us with all our senses. At Milton Primary Academy, we feel it is important to nurture and encourage this natural curiosity, to shape and direct it as our children become inquisitive, questioning learners who look closely at our environment and begin to interpret what they see. Our teaching of geography therefore aims to foster curiosity, prompt fascination and develop the next generation of explorers.
Curriculum
At Milton Primary Academy, we provide a geography curriculum that is creative, inclusive, challenging and inspired by the real-world. It inspires future-thinkers, innovators and problem solvers in an immersive environment that stimulates curiosity and supports high-quality learning, allowing each and every learner to fulfil their potential, all whilst fully meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework and National Curriculum.
Our geography curriculum is divided into five areas:
- locational knowledge;
- knowledge and understanding of human and physical geography;
- following directions and maps;
- geographical enquiry and investigation;
- map making.
It aims to ensure that all pupils:
- develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both terrestrial and marine – including their defining physical and human characteristics;
- understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world;
- are competent in the geographical knowledge needed to:
- collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork.
- interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS).
- communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative knowledge and writing at length.
Programme of Study
Our programme of study for geography was developed internally and it clearly sets out what will be taught and learnt at each point in the year for all year groups, including a range of famous geographers. Although this bespoke programme of study is the 'spine' of our geography curriculum, as it sets out the essential knowledge and skills that pupils must be taught and learn, teachers have the autonomy to make their own judgement as to the best way to achieve this and they enrich the content with a range of high-quality resources from a range of different sources.
Assessment
During the teaching of each curriculum objective, children’s subject knowledge is application of this is assessed using formative evaluation by their class teacher on a lesson-by-lesson basis. Teachers consider the objectives covered during each session and the end-goal that is to be achieved; in doing so, they will then make judgements that are subsequently used to inform future teaching based on the children’s competencies relating to the aspect of geography being learnt or explored.
Examples of this type of assessment include:
- evaluation of pupils’ written work;
- evaluation of pupils’ verbal responses to questioning;
- low stake quizzing;
- structuring tasks and questions to enable the identification of knowledge gaps and misconceptions;
- discussion between individual children and teacher observation.
At the end of each unit of learning, teachers then make a summative judgement relating to each child’s knowledge and understanding of the geographical context explored in line with the objectives set out in the National Curriculum. This information is recorded online, allowing leaders to track and monitor the progress and attainment of individuals as they make their way through the school.