Intent

At Darras Hall Primary School, our intention is that all children are provided with opportunities to investigate and wonder at the world in which they live. We aim for pupils to build a deep understanding of the interlinked relationship between human and physical geography and recognise how this has shaped the world that we live in today. Our curriculum is designed to support pupils in recognising what it means to be a geographer and is progressively sequenced to develop pupils' skills in field work and mapping. We aim for children to develop their locational knowledge at a local, national and global level in order to understand their own place in the world and to spark a curiosity and appreciation for diversity of place and culture.

Implementation

Each term, pupils develop their knowledge and skills in the following 3 areas. In each geography unit, children revisit these areas through carefully identified key questions which underpin the core aspect of their learning

          Physical Geography                                                                    Human Geography                                              Locational Knowledge and                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Mapping Skills

Physical Geography

Children build upon their understanding of physical landmarks, both at a local and global level.  They learn about the impact of rainforests, mountain ranges, volcanoes, earthquakes, biomes and climate/vegetation belts. This learning is sequenced to ensure that children build upon their knowledge in a logical manner, extending the depth of their understanding as they travel through school. Many children share their learning and wonder of the natural world through our pupil led assemblies.

Human Geography

Children consider how land features and barriers have influenced settlers of the past and reflect upon how natural resources have impacted the landscape of human geography today.  They consider population densities and draw comparisons between different countries around the world. Children study distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water.  Our school wide focus on the Sustainable Development Goals links this learning to both inequalities that we may see in the world, environmental factors and technological advancements that play a key role in the changing landscape of geography in the modern world.

Locational Knowledge and Mapping Skills

Our carefully sequenced curriculum builds upon children's understanding of the world by making connections of scale from local to global level.  During their time at Darras Hall Primary School, children become familiar with key vocabulary including latitude, longitude, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle.  Children are encouraged to engage with a range of maps and become confident in locating places using four and six figure grid references, symbols and keys. Our learning is planned with an enquiry led focus to allow children to actively investigate their local surroundings through field work. Children create maps and charts to present physical and human features of their locality and share their findings about locations in a range of sketch maps, charts and graphs.