Geography

Geography at Gateway Primary School

At Gateway, we develop our children to working geographers, gaining an understanding of the wider world and the people within it. Teaching will equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world will help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments.

We want our children to gain confidence and practical experiences of geographical knowledge, understanding and skills that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time. We use a thematic approach to use Geography as a basis for cross-curricular studies, in order to place work in an understandable context.

Key Stage One

Through our thematic approach, pupils in Key Stage One will develop knowledge about where they live during our ‘Hello’ and ‘We are citizens’ topic studying the local area using first hand observation. Through our ‘We are conservationists’ topic, our pupils study the wider world, comparing hot and cold places. They will learn about seasonal changes during the ‘We are environmentalists’ topic and explore the oceans and continents and where pirates travel through our ‘We are invaders’ topic. They will also understand geographical similarities and differences through studying the human and physical geography of a small area of the United Kingdom, and of a small area in a contrasting non-European country in our ‘We are international’ topic.

Key Stage Two

In Key Stage Two, children continue to be taught Geography through a thematic approach. Pupils will extend their knowledge and understanding beyond the local area to include the United Kingdom and Europe, North and South America. This will include the location and characteristics of a range of the world’s most significant human and physical features. For example, the study of rivers and the Amazon Rainforest. They will develop their use of geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to enhance their locational and place knowledge.

Geography offers children an opportunity to develop their skills as geographers to:

• Study real people and places.
• Look for similarities and differences.
• Look for relationships between people and their environments, both physical and cultural.
• Develop a sense of place and an understanding of how we fit into the wider world.
• Develop an enquiring approach.
• Develop Literacy, Numeracy and ICT skills.
• Develop graphicacy and mapping skills.
• Increase knowledge and understanding.
• Promote understanding of cultural variety and respect for others, countering ethnocentrism.
• Create interest and curiosity.
• Encourage experience and enjoyment of the world.

Geography lessons at Gateway School allow children to:

• Develop a strong interest in their own surroundings in the world as the home of mankind, i.e. local, regional, national, international and help them develop a sense of identity through this.
• Appreciate the variety of physical and human conditions in the world.
• Recognise some of the more important geographical patterns revealed in different types of landscape.
• Understand relationships between people and environments, and appreciate the importance of geographical location in human affairs.
• Understand what it means to live in one place rather than another.
• Become competent in a range of skills and techniques necessary to carry out geographical enquiry with primary and secondary data, interpreting geographical information.
• Appreciate the significance of people’s beliefs, attitudes and values within the world, promoting tolerance and understanding.
• Construct a framework of knowledge and understanding about the home area, their own country and other parts of the world, which will enable them to place information with appropriate geographical contexts.
• Develop understanding, knowledge and skills by fieldwork wherever possible.
• Use Geography as a basis for cross-curricular studies, in order to place work in an understandable context.
• Encourage pupils to work together and understand different societies by emphasising a multi-cultural approach to the subject.