Geography
"The study of Geography is more than just memorising places on a map. It's about understanding the complexity of our world.“
Barak Obama
Intent
At Dundale, children are encouraged to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, as well as their place in it. Our curriculum is designed to ensure that the teaching equips pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s physical and human process. As pupils progress through the school, their growing knowledge about the world helps them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes as well as the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge and skills are progressive and are sequenced to provide the explanation of how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time. We seek to inspire in children a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people which will remain with the children, equipping them well for secondary education and beyond.
Our geography studies follow a thread of learning throughout pupils’ time at Dundale Primary School. We encompass the disciplines of human and physical geography through the overarching topic of ‘Change’. This is covered through examining how the earth has changed over time: mountains forming, volcanoes erupting, rivers, the impact of pollution. Then ‘Change’ through the human lens - migration, reasons for settling, the growth of villages and towns and the services within them, evidence of change observed in maps and satellite imaging. At Dundale Primary School we strive to prepare children for the changing world and arm them with the knowledge of how we reached the point we are at today.
Implementation
We teach the National Curriculum, supported by a clear skills and knowledge progression. This ensure that skills and knowledge are built on year by year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children. Lesson content and tasks are designed to provide appropriate challenge to all learners, in line with our commitment to inclusion. It is important that children develop the skills of a geographer by fully immersing them in all areas of the subject. The local area is fully utilised to achieve desired outcomes, with opportunities for learning outside the classroom.
Intended Impact
During the children’s learning journey at Dundale our intended impact of the Geography curriculum is to ensure that children:
- Have a clear understanding of where places are and what they are like.
- Have a clear understanding of the ways in which places are interdependent and interconnected and how much human and physical environments are interrelated.
- Have the ability to reach clear conclusions and develop reasoned arguments to explain findings.
- Have 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.
- Have the ability to express well-balanced opinions, rooted in very good knowledge and understanding about current and contemporary issues in society and the environment.