Geography

The Geography Curriculum at Wychall Primary School is designed and sequenced to ensure progression and meets the aims and objectives set out in the National Curriculum.

The sequence of learning has been acutely considered to ensure that prerequisite knowledge from all subject areas, where applicable (e.g. mathematics, history), is built upon.

Some units of the Geography Curriculum have been carefully positioned to ensure that essential learning is taught and can then facilitate new learning, both in Geography and other subject disciplines e.g. Teaching of European mapping prior to teaching about the Romans or World War 2. The curriculum ensures that pupils develop a sound knowledge of place, geographical processes and human and physical factors.

In year 1, pupils begin to develop a sense of place through understanding their own locality and building up to the United Kingdom as a country. Pupils learn through a journey of expanding areas of interest, starting with the school grounds and culminating in The United Kingdom, including the four countries and capitals that contribute to it. Pupils are exposed to compass points to support them in describing the location and land use of key geographical features, both human and physical. Key areas of learning will involve: our school, Weoley Castle, Birmingham and the West Midlands and the United Kingdom.  Pupils create and use maps to support them in: understanding ‘where things are’, develop a ‘bird’s eye view’ and understand ‘land and sea’. Pupils conclude the year’s programme by mapping key settlements (e.g. Capital Cities) that they will be studying in later programmes of study.

In year 2, pupils build on their previously learnt knowledge to develop an understanding of place on a global scale – constantly reviewing where The United Kingdom is compared to other locations on Earth. Pupils use maps, globes and Aerial images to build an understanding of where key countries, oceans and continents are located. Pupils build up a knowledge of where our planet’s polar, temperate and tropical zones are and how these affect The United Kingdom’s climate. Pupils become familiar with the five lines of latitude that divide these zones.

Lower KS2

In lower key stage 2, pupils begin to use their knowledge of place to help understand why people live in certain locations. Pupils use previous knowledge to look more deeply at settlements around The United Kingdom – developing a good awareness of different settlement types. Pupils will be taught to use their knowledge of countries and continents to more deeply map the location of rivers, towns and cities around Europe, identifying key patterns such as the majority of capital cities being located on major rivers and why this may be the case, considering trade and requirements for life to thrive. Pupils begin to compare and contrast their own locality with that of Berlin, investigating key human and physical factors. Within this phase, pupils also develop an understanding of key geographical processes that contribute to our country, these include:

  • Coasts – the key physical and human features and how they impact on one and other;
  • Rivers – their key features and how they are formed, as well as why humans settle along rivers;
  • The Water Cycle – the geographical and scientific processes that form the cycle including the role of rivers and oceans in this.

Upper KS2

In upper key stage 2, pupils use all of their previously learnt knowledge, including mapping, to develop an understanding of geographical processes which occur on a global scale, such as:

  • Tectonics – role in causing earthquakes and forming volcanoes and how this affects the human population;
  • Mountains – their formation and the role tectonics plays in this, where key ranges are located on each continent e.g. The Andes, The Alps, The Himalayas;
  • Biomes – where they are located, why they are located there and what the environment is like within them.

Pupils then use this knowledge and apply it to an in-depth study of The United Kingdom. Pupils broaden their understanding of settlements by comparing and contrasting another locality in South America.

Related information

Geography Curriculum Map

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