Geography
Mrs Donnelly-Stott is the subject leader for Geography.
At Morland Area CE Primary we base our Geography curriculum on the Statutory National Curriculum. We have then considered carefully the wonderful rural environment that we live in, on the fringe of the Lake District, and how this can be interwoven. For example, we engage with local 'Mountain Leaders' to climb Catbells during our Lake District topic. Equally, we excite pupils with opportunities to explore cities such as York, London and Paris on residential – ensuring contrasting locations are experienced. We encourage and nurture young geographers through engaging and empowering their curiosity and understanding of the world around them. We want to translate our own enthusiasm for the subject to instil a desire in the children to find out more.
Our geography curriculum is based on a 2-year cycle (see our Long Term Plan) and is taught as a discrete subject, but with the understanding of the many and varied opportunities for cross-curricular links.
Our different topics are taught within the ‘CUSP’ framework/scheme as a resource tool – though some topics are bespoke to Morland Area e.g. Ghana – The Human and physical geography, economic settlement and trade links as we have specific links with the village of Ankoma in Ghana
Where possible, our geography is practical and hands-on, using outdoor opportunities to enrich the curriculum. We have links with e.g. Eden Rivers Trust and other local associations that we can use for developing our curriculum. Resources are centrally stored by topic and reviewed during the monitoring cycle.
Geography in the Early Years
Understanding the World Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community. The frequency and range of children’s personal experiences increases their knowledge and sense of the world around them – from visiting parks, libraries and museums to meeting important members of society, such as police officers, nurses and firefighters. In addition, listening to a broad selection of stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems will foster their understanding of our culturally, socially, technologically and ecologically diverse world. As well as building important knowledge, this extends their familiarity with words that support understanding across domains. Enriching and widening children’s vocabulary will support later reading comprehension.
Geography in the National Curriculum KS1 and KS2