Intention
Our intention is to inspire children’s curiosity and interest to explore the world that we live in and its people, and in turn, incite a passion for learning. Children will be equipped with essential geographical skills, which enable them to develop their knowledge of places, people and environments, both human and physical. Our Geography teaching will help children to acquire and develop the skills and confidence to undertake investigations, problem solve and seek answers to their own questions through exploration and research. By inspiring children’s sense of responsibility for the environment and people of the world we live in, we can increase children’s awareness of our changing planet and what is needed to improve and sustain it for future generations. Through our teaching, we intend to develop respect for, an interest in different cultures, races and religions, and in turn, understanding the relationship that the United Kingdom has with other countries.
Implementation
Our Geography teaching is organised into three ‘Key Concepts’:
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Investigating Places
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Investigating Patterns
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Communicating Geographically
Each of these concepts contains a multitude of skills which children will acquire as they progress through St. Joseph’s.
A typical Geography lesson will begin with a vocabulary focus learning new vocabulary or reinforce previously learnt vocabulary. Lessons will be based on the ‘micro-topics’ and will contain a POP task, which shows proof of progress in the lesson. The POP tasks provide opportunities for children to really challenge their thinking and deepen their learning.
As children move through school, their knowledge and skills will develop progressively, and they will be constantly making links to prior learning. This will enable children to retain, use and build on their skills and understanding as they make the transition to secondary education. Learning is continuously assessed throughout the lesson, with children accessing proof of progress tasks. Teachers also use quizzes both in lessons and at the end of micro-topics, as well as evidence seen in books to inform summative assessments. These methods also allow children to be aware of the progress they are making.
Impact
As children move through school, their knowledge and skills will develop progressively, and they will be constantly making links to prior learning. This will enable children to retain, use and build on their skills and understanding as they make the transition to secondary education. Learning is continuously assessed throughout the lesson, with children accessing proof of progress tasks. Teachers also use quizzes both in lessons and at the end of micro-topics, as well as evidence seen in books to inform summative assessments. These methods also allow children to be aware of the progress they are making.
