"Learning together we can reach for the stars"
Geography and Knowledge and Understanding of the world.
‘A high- quality Geography curriculum should inspire pupils’ curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.’
The Primary National Curriculum 2014.
First Steps
In the Foundation Stage our children learn about their own environment and the people who live there. They explore features, similarities and differences and talk about things that they notice, as well as their likes and dislikes. They learn about their school community and explore their immediate environment. They discover things that are usually found indoors and outdoors and, with support, they begin to talk about things they have observed.
Our youngest children explore and learn...
They use the local area to experience and notice both the human and physical aspects of their environment. As they are begin to use print and visual images to identify features of their area, they are encouraged to talk about things they have found to ensure they develop and maintain the learning skills they gain. Play maps and small world equipment are continuously utilised within the provision to encourage children to create their own environments, whilst simple map making, painting, drawing and creating models of known and imaginary places help develop Geographical skills. Through the sharing of stories from around the world they begin to be aware of different people and the countries where they live.
building in Key Stage 1...
In Key Stage 1 children build on their knowledge, skills and understanding of the world gained in Reception, they begin to expand their geographical knowledge to incorporate a wider national and global area. Children will be taught to understand basic geographical vocabulary used to describe features of the places they study, relating to human and physical geography and begin to use geographical skills, including first-hand observation to enhance their locational awareness.
In Key Stage 1 children are taught:
Locational knowledge -including the names, location and characteristics of the four countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom and its surrounding area, as well as the names and locations of the world’s seven continents and five oceans.
Place knowledge– is the understanding of similarities and differences by studying the people and features of a small area of the United Kingdom and of a small area in a contrasting Non-European country.
Human and physical geography teaches children basic geographical language of key physical features eg beach, cliff, coast, forest, hill, sea, river, season and weather and key human features eg city, town, village, farm, factory, house, harbour, shop etc.
Geographical skills and fieldwork involves the use of
world maps, atlases and globes to identify the United
Kingdom (and its countries,) as well as countries, continents and oceans. Children are introduced to simple compass directions (North, South, East and West) and location and directional language (eg near and far, left and right to describe features and routes on a map.)
Aerial photographs, plans and internet maps help children to view their own locality and those from around the world and enable them to create their own maps and to construct a simple key to identify landmarks and basic human and physical features.
