Geography
INTENT
At Ambler, we have developed a rich geography curriculum tailored to our pupils and our diverse community. Through studying geography, we want them to understand their place in their community, country and the wider world, as well as how humans can affect our environment, both positively and negatively.
From the early years to Year 6, they develop an understanding of a sense of place that starts with recognising that some environments are different from their own and grows to a deep knowledge of environments across the globe and how humans interact with these. They learn field work skills such as reading and creating maps and how to use a compass. These skills are used out in our local area on field-work trips. As they go up through the school, they learn how to use evidence to communicate clearly the physical processes that shape our planet, and how we can be a positive influence on our environment. We ask them to make connections between places studied in order to embed a strong sense of self and a respect for other cultures. Above all, we want children to love geography and to be curious about the world. This will foster a lifelong love of learning, helping them to remember more and achieve more.
IMPLEMENTATION
What does this look like in practice?
Our curriculum is mapped out to enable an immersion into the area being studied. Core texts in reading lessons and text types in Literacy units will complement the area of geography being taught. This exposes the children to more background knowledge in the area, giving them a better grounding in the contextual elements of the topic.
We ensure that field work skills are covered through local area studies. KS1 focus on our playground and immediate vicinity. In LKS2 the children explore Finsbury Park and the Parkland Walk. UKS2 venture further into London to study the River Thames. We further increase the ‘wow’ factor of geography units through ‘launch days’ that look to front load a lot of the contextual knowledge in order to free up the rest of the unit for more skills-based lessons. A launch day may involve dressing up, a workshop, role-play or a trip. It excites, engages and sparks curiosity in the children for the upcoming learning and again helps them to remember more. We use our NowPressPlay resource to give classes an immersive, audio adventure (through bluetooth headphones) that is rich with key knowledge about the time period.
IMPACT
As a result of our rich Geography curriculum, consistent delivery and focus on geographical enquiry skills, our children leave Ambler with an awareness of the interconnectedness between humans and their environment. They are global citizens who are proud of their own cultures and backgrounds and have a secure knowledge of place. They feel empowered to affect positive change in the world through the careful selection, sequencing and tailoring of our units and remember what they have been taught through a variety of teaching techniques - not least, the fun, immersive launch days, workshops and trips.