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Denbigh Geography Curriculum

Subject Lead: Mrs Hammill

The Geography curriculum at Denbigh aims to provide children with a range of cross-curricular opportunities that are closely linked to each year group’s chosen topics. Topics change on a termly basis for every year group. The aim is to show progression and development of our key concepts throughout the key stages. From Foundation Stage where children develop their understanding of the world up to Upper Key Stage 2 where children are prepared for secondary education.

The following key concepts are taught throughout our geography curriculum:

– Locational knowledge

– Place knowledge

– Geographical skills and field work

– Human and Physical Geography

We aim to provide children with a greater understanding of their locational and place knowledge, understanding of physical and human geography and a chance to develop their fieldwork skills through exploring their environment.

Through a variety of learning experiences, including educational visits, children develop a sense of their place in the wider world whilst gaining an understanding of the places around them in their local area, including our school. Children enhance their geographical skills through using and interpreting a range of maps, globes and digital mapping on iPads as well as creating a range of sketches.

We strongly believe that children should have an understanding of how humans can affect their environments over time and use this information to make comparisons between different places. Eco Day and International Day provide children with opportunities to explore global issues and other parts of the world.

Staff at Denbigh know that good geography occurs in our school when:

– Children are inquisitive about the world around them.

– Children can communicate their knowledge in a variety of ways.

– Children take an active interest in their local communities.

– Good quality assessment is used to inform planning and builds on prior learning.

Progression Threshold Concepts In Geography

Threshold Concept: Geographical skills and fieldwork

Milestone 1: To make simple maps and plans using basic symbols as a key.

 

 

Threshold Concept: Geographical skills and fieldwork

Milestone 2:To make more detailed fieldwork sketches and diagrams.

 

 

 

 

 

Threshold Concept: Geographical skills and fieldwork

Milestone 3:To carry out fieldwork including sketch maps, plans or graphs.

 

 

Year 1 Geography Curriculum 

Ask simple geographical questions e.g. what is it like to live in this place

Explain the main features of a hot and cold place

Use simple observational skills to study the geography of the school and its grounds

Use simple maps of the local area e.g. large scale, pictorial etc

Name some of the main towns and cities in the United Kingdom

Name a few towns in the south and north of the UK

Use world maps, atlases and globes to identify the United Kingdom and its countries, as well as the countries, continents and oceans studied at this key stage

Use locational and directional language e.g. near and far, left and right to describe the location of features and routes

Make simple maps and plans e.g. pictorial place in a story

Understand how some places are linked to other places e.g. roads, trains

Describe seasonal weather changes

Explain what he/she might wear if he/she lived in a very hot or a very cold country

Name, describe and compare familiar places

Name key features associated with a town or village, e.g. factory, detached house, semi-detached house, terrace house

Link his/her own home with other places in the same local community

Know about some present changes that are happening in the local environment e.g. At school

Suggest some ideas for improving the school environment

Use simple fieldwork to study the geography of the school

 

Year 2 Geography Curriculum 

Use world maps, atlases and globes to identify the United Kingdom and its counties, continents and oceans studied at this key stage

Use simple compass directions (N,E,S,W) and locational and directional language e.g. near and far; left and right to describe location of features and routes on a map

Use aerial photographs and plan perspectives to recognise landmarks and basic human and physical features; devise a simple map; and use and construct basic symbols in a key

Devise a simple map and use and construct basic symbols in a key

Use simple fieldwork and observational skills to study the geography of own school and its grounds and the key human and physical features of its surrounding environment

Consider how people often ‘spoil’ the area or make it better

Name and locate the world’s seven continents and five oceans

Name the main cities of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland

Find where he/she lives on a map of the UK

Name, locate and identify characteristics of the seas surrounding the United Kingdom

Describe some of the features associated with an island

Make plausible predictions about what the weather may be like in different parts of the world

Identify seasonal and daily weather patterns in the UK and the location of hot and cold areas of the world in relation to the Equator ad the North and South Poles

Make plausible predictions about what the weather may be like in different parts of the world

Use basic geographical vocabulary to refer to key physical features, including: beach, cliff, coast, forest, hill, mountain, sea, ocean, river, soil, valley, vegetation, season ad weather

Describe key features of a place, using words like, beach, coast, forest, hill, mountain, ocean, valley

Use basic geographical vocabulary to refer to key human features, including: city, town, village, factory, farm, house, office, port, harbour and shop

Say what he/she likes and doesn’t like about own locality and another locality like the seaside

Understand geographical similarities and differences through studying the human and physical geography of a small area of the UK and of a small area in a contrasting non-European country

Describe a place outside Europe using geographical words

Explain how the jobs people do may be different in different parts of the world

Explain what facilities a town or village might need

Year 3 Geography Curriculum 

Ask and respond to geographical questions e.g. Describe the landscape. Why is it like that? How is it changing? What do you think about that? What do you think it might be like if…continues? 

Analyse evidence and draw conclusions e.g. make comparisons between locations using aerial photos/pictures e.g. population, temperatures etc

Recognise that different people hold different views about an issue and begin to understand some of the reasons why

Explain how people’s lives vary due to weather

Communicate findings in ways appropriate to the task or for the audience

Describe how volcanoes are created

Understand and use a widening range of geographical terms e.g. specific topic vocabulary-meander, floodplain, location, industry, transport, settlement, water cycle etc

Use correct geographical words to describe a place and the things that happen there

Describe how earth quakes are created

Use basic geographical vocabulary such as cliff, ocean, valley, vegetation, soil, mountain, port, harbour, factory, office

Make more detailed fieldwork sketches/diagrams

Use fieldwork instruments e.g. camera, rain gauge

Use and interpret maps, globes, atlases and digital/ computer mapping to locate countries and key features

Name the two largest seas around Europe

Use 8 points of a compass

Identify where countries are within the UK and key topographical features

Name and locate largest cities of the UK

Identify physical and human features of the locality

Explain why a locality has a certain physical features

Explain about weather conditions/patterns around the UK and parts of Europe

Recognise there are similarities and differences between places

Develop an awareness of how places relate to each other

Name and located the capital cities of neighbouring European countries

 

Year 4 Geography Curriculum 

Understand and use a widening range of geographical terms e.g. specific topic vocabulary – contour, height, valley, erosion, deposition, transportation, headland, volcanoes, earthquakes etc

Measure straight line distances using the appropriate scale

Explore features on OS maps using 6 figure grid references

Recognise the different shapes of continents

Demonstrate knowledge of features about places around him/her and beyond the UK

Carry out research to discover features of cities and villages

Name areas of origin of the main ethnic groups in the UK and in own school

Identify where countries are within Europe; including Russia

Recognise that people have differing quality of life living in different locations and environments

Explain why people may choose to live in a village rather than a city

Know how the locality is set within a wider geographical context

Name and locate counties of the UK

Locate and name some main islands that surround the UK

List six cities in the UK and locate them on a map

Describe human features of UK regions, cities and/or counties

Explain why people are attracted to different cities

Understand the effect of landscape features on the development of a locality

Know about the wider context of places -region, country

Accurately measure and collect information (e.g. rainfall, temperature, wind speed, noise levels etc)

Explore weather patterns around parts of the world

Know the difference between the British Isles, Great Britain and UK

Understand why there are similarities and differences between places

Year 5 Geography Curriculum 

Understand and use a widening range of geographical terms e.g. specific topic vocabulary-climate zones, biomes, vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes and the water cycle

Identify and describe significance of the Prime/Greenwich Meridian and time zones including day and night

Recognise the different shapes of countries

Identify the physical characteristics and key topographical features of the countries within North America

Locate the USA and Canada on a world map and atlas. locate and name the main countries in South America on a world map and atlas

Plan a journey to a place in another part of the world, taking account of distance and time

Explain why many cities of the world are situated by rivers

Know location of: capital cities of countries of British Isles and U.K., seas around U.K., European Union countries with high populations and large areas and the largest cities in each continent

Use eight points of a compass, four and 6 figure grid references when reading maps

Understand about world weather patterns around the world and relate these to climate zones

Begin to recognize the climate for a given country according to its location on the map

Know how rivers erode, transport and deposit materials

Name and locate many of the world’s major rivers on maps

Know about the physical features of coasts and begin to understand erosion and deposition

Carry out fieldwork including sketch maps, plans, graphs and digital technologies

Understand how humans affect the environment over time

Report on ways in which humans have both improved and damaged the environment

Know about changes to world environments over time

Understand why people seek manage and sustain their environment

Identify where countries are within Europe; including Russia

Understand why there are similarities and differences between places

Recognise that people have differing quality of life living in different locations and environments

Compare the physical and human features of region of the UK and a region in North America, identifying similarities and differences

 

Year 6 Geography Curriculum 

Use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied

Plan a journey to another part of the world which takes account of time zones

Use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in the local area using a range of methods including sketch maps, plans and graphs and digital technologies

Use the eight points of a compass, four and six-figure grid references, symbols and key (including the use of O.S. maps) to build his/her knowledge of the U.K. and the wider world

Recognise key symbols used on ordnance survey maps

Use maps, charts, etc. to support decision making about the location of places e.g. new bypass

Locate the world’s countries, using maps to focus on Europe (including the location of Russia) and North and South America, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, countries and major cities

Name and locate countries and cities of the UK geographical regions and their identifying human and physical characteristics, key topographical features (hills, mountains, coasts and rivers), and land-use patterns; and understand how some of these aspects have changed over time

Describe how some places are similar and others are different in relation to their human features

Identify the position and significance of latitude, longitude, equator, Northern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle, the Prime/Greenwich Meridian and time zones (including day and night)

Explain how the time zones work

Name the main lines of latitude and meridian of longitude

Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes and the water cycle

Name the largest desert in the world

Describe how some places are similar and others are different in relation to their physical features

Describe and understand key aspects of human geography, including types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water

Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region of the UK, a region in a European country, and a region within North and South America

Denbigh Primary School