Statement
On this page, you will find relevant information about the Geography Curriculum at St Matthew’s.
View our Geography Policy on our Curriculum Policies page
Download: Geography – Overview 2024-2025 [PDF]
Download: Geography – Vision 2024-2025 [PDF]
Download: Geography – Milestones 2024-2025 [PDF]
Intent
At St Matthew’s Catholic Primary, we aim to provide an enriching and high quality Geography curriculum, which we hope will inspire our pupils to develop a curiosity and fascination about their world and the people in it. Our teaching equips pupils with knowledge about the differences and diversity of places and people together with resources found in the natural and human environment. Children will be taught to develop their knowledge of physical and human processes and the formation and use of landscapes and environments and how to discover these places through mapping. We hope to foster a love of learning for Geography, as the children gain knowledge and skills through class-based learning and experience alongside hands-on fieldwork and trips.
Implementation
Our Geography curriculum has been progressively planned across the year groups. Key skills are built on year upon year with key concepts being specifically taught within each year group. As children move into Key Stage 2 they work on objectives that foster independence and inquiry so that they are able to build on and consolidate what they have learned in each year group. Geography is taught through dedicated topics with cross curricular links planned wherever possible so as to achieve an increasing holistic approach and maximise curriculum coverage. We offer opportunities for children to go out and participate in ‘real life’ experiences, providing engagement through visits and studying localities first-hand.
Impact
Evidence of a dedicated curriculum will be evident within pupils’ books. Coverage will be balanced with human and physical processes and enquiry across the school. The measure of impact is the desirable acquisition of geographical skills and knowledge that will equip pupils for a smooth transition into Key Stage 3 and to give them the tools that they will need for life as an adult in the wider world.
Useful Resources
External Link: BBC Weather – Up to date weather forecasts
External Link: BBC Barnaby Bear – Activities, games and stories about Barnaby Bear’s travels for KS1
External Link: Newsround – World current events
External Link: Newsround UK – Current events
External Link: Channel 4 Geography – KS2 geography support materials
Environmental Themes
The children’s section has many useful facts, activities and animations and includes sections on: air, energy, land, climate change, people and lifestyles, resources and waste, water and wildlife.
External Link: Environment Agency – Fun
Mapping
An introduction for key stage 2 on how maps work and how to interpret them. It includes these 8 sections: starting mapping, symbols, compasses and directions, grid references, understanding scale, measuring distance, relief and contour lines and compass bearings.
External Link: Map Zone – Ordnance Survey
External Link: Up My Street – Local street maps including a ‘find my nearest’ function, which can be used to locate features e.g. schools, list them and link them to a map.
External Link: Street Map – Search for local street maps by postcode, OS grid reference, place name or street name. Maps are extendable in eight compass directions.
External Link: Google Maps – Online mapping site which includes eye level ‘Streetview’
External Link: World Mapper – Maps resized to show population sizes, income, etc.
Distant Locations
External Link: Global Eye – Very child-friendly site for understanding development issues.
External Link: Oxfam Cool Planet – Excellent site for global citizenship issues. Children’s pages include details of the history, geography and environment, people and society and a fact file for 14 countries), ‘children’ (exploring the lives of children in less developed countries) and ‘food’ (issues such as farming and fair trade).
External Link: Action Aid – Includes a range of resources for information supporting distant locality studies.
Images
External Link: Geograph – The Geograph Britain and Ireland project aims to collect geographical photographs and information for every square kilometre of Great Britain and Ireland, and you can be part of it.
External Link: Travel Images – Photographic images of countries which can be selected by continent, then by country.
External Link: Free Foto – UK, Europe and USA images
External Link: Panoramas – Panoramic images
Other Useful Links
External Link: http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/rivers.html
External Link: http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/riversevern/index.html
External Link: http://primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/mountains.htm
External Link: http://primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/mountains/volcanoes.htm
External Link: http://projectbritain.com/london/
External Link: http://projectbritain.com/
External Link: http://primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/rainforest.html
External Link: http://primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/water.html