Geography

“Everything has to do with geography”-Judy Martz (first woman governor of Montana).

Intent

At Godolphin Junior Academy, the pupils will embark on a journey of discovery and learning about human population settlements in different landscapes of the world and how global changes are increasingly affecting how we live today and in the future. The study of Geography promotes healthy curiosity for pupils about people and places and enables them to think more critically on how human actions and decision-makings can impact the natural world and human habitation environment. GJA’s curriculum is aligned with the National curriculum and delivered through inclusive and engaging lessons in classroom, online learning portals and outdoor learning. Pupils learn about basic geographical concepts at local, national, and global scales and are groomed to be ambassadors that celebrate diversity of the physical and human worlds. At GJA, cross-curricular links are planned to ensure all skills and knowledge taught in one subject are transferable to another subject to promote integrated learning and also prepare pupils for eventual transition to Year 7 and beyond.

Implementation

At Godolphin Junior Academy, geography is taught in units over 6 lessons. The learning objectives are aligned with the National Curriculum for KS2 and our Park federation Skills Progression list. At the beginning of each unit, pupils are provided with knowledge organisers that outline the key vocabulary and facts that they will learn linked to educational learning objectives. At GJA, the learning progress of all pupils is carefully monitored to ensure timely support is given to those that require additional assistance without impeding the learning progress of others. Proper consideration is given to all students to ensure the right balance of depth and width of coverage which is in line with the school’s commitment to inclusion. Geography lessons include solo taxonomy questions, high quality photos, GIFs, Videos, interactive maps, atlases, and globes and much more. Class-based tasks are inclusive and allow flexibility for pupils to inject creative learning variables such as inclusion of colour, drawings, and diagrams to their work. For certain lessons, pupils are required to conduct independent research to build upon their classroom and outdoor learning. Each classroom is equipped with a clear world map for teachers and pupils. Cross curricular outcomes in geography are specifically planned for, with strong links between geography and the Power of Reading texts. The local area and community are utilised to achieve the desired learning outcomes, with opportunities for learning outside the classroom available.

Geography Curriculum Timeline

A Concept Curriculum

We have key concepts running through our geography curriculum. Through these concepts we teach pupils the essential knowledge they need to know to be successful in their learning, and build upon this knowledge as they progress through each unit of geography

Our pupils are able to refer to our geography concepts when making connections between geography units and across the wider curriculum. We know that if pupils can make connections in their learning then they are more likely to embed this knowledge and remember it over time. This is because pupils have been given the opportunity to think deeply and recognise how knowledge is connected and related to their prior learning.

The geographical concepts that interweave within our geography curriculum are:

Human Processes, Physical Processers, Settlements, Land Use, Climate, Population, Sustainability, Economic Activity

Knowledge Organiser

To support pupils' learning every topic in Geography has a knowledge organiser. This contains key information and knowledge that pupils will access during the topic. It supports their learning of key facts and concepts. Please find a copy of Geography knowledge organisers below:

Autumn Term

Impact

At Godolphin Junior Academy, we use a variety of strategies to evaluate the knowledge, skills and understanding that our pupils have gained during each geography block: