Geography

“The study of geography is about more than just memorizing places on a map. It’s about understanding the complexity of our world, appreciating the diversity of cultures that exists across continents. And in the end, it’s about using all that knowledge to help bridge divides and bring people together.” – Barack Obama

At Hurworth Primary, we want our children to understand and appreciate the uniqueness and diversity of our world, its people and cultures. We want them to understand how it has been shaped and developed, how it is constantly changing and how humans interact with and impact upon it. We want children to understand how environments are interdependent and to appreciate their fragility and our role in caring for and protecting them. We want children to be curious and excited about the world around them; to explore it (both through practical fieldwork and through texts and other media); to ask and find answers to questions about it; and to take an interest in local and global geographical events and issues.

We aim to develop children’s knowledge of the location of significant places in their own locality, country and around the world. They learn where places are in relation to each other, the physical and human processes that have shaped them and how they are similar and different. Children are taught to discuss and describe these using an increasingly wide range of geographical vocabulary.

As well as locational knowledge and an understanding of the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features, children learn range of geographical skills: reading and interpreting representations of the world using a wide range of maps, diagrams and photographs; being able to locate and describe places using compass points, symbols and keys and grid references; and using fieldwork and their own observations to collect, record and analyse information. Both skills and knowledge and are taught, practised, revisited and built upon progressively through each key stage.

There are planned opportunities for children to use and apply knowledge and skills from other subjects, such as maths and science, whilst strengthening their understanding and enjoyment of geography. Meaningful links are made with other subjects such as history in order to contextualize learning, while visits, visitors and a variety of approaches and activities help to motivate and engage all children including the most disadvantaged and those with SEND. Children are encouraged to be creative and to present and share their knowledge in a variety of ways, ensuring that all children are able to achieve and enjoy in this subject.

 

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The document below provides an overview of our Geography curriculum for each year group.