At Blackpool Gateway Academy, we teach our Geography topics alongside Key Questions. Our comprehensive scheme of work has been created to help our staff deliver a very exciting and challenging geography curriculum based on a Key Question concept. The scheme of work has been developed to ensure that we have full coverage of the National Curriculum. It follows the programmes of study for each year very carefully and provides the right balance between different aspects of geography, e.g. human and physical geography as well as geographical knowledge, skills and enquiry.
Through high quality teaching, we aim to develop the following essential characteristics of geographers:
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To stimulate children’s interest in their surroundings and develop a knowledge and understanding of the physical and human processes which shape places.
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To provide learning opportunities that enthuse, engage, and motivate children to learn and foster a sense of curiosity and wonder at the beauty of the world around them.
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To make sense of their own surroundings through learning about their own locality and the interaction between people and the environment.
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To develop the geographical skills, knowledge and the vocabulary necessary to carry out effective geographical enquiry.
The curriculum is designed to develop knowledge and skills that are progressive, as well as transferable, throughout their time at Blackpool Gateway Academy, and also to their further education and beyond. Please see the Geography Progression Document for a detailed overview.
EYFS
Geography is taught in reception as an integral part of the topic work covered during the year. We relate the geographical aspects of the children’s work to the objectives set out in the Early Years curriculum which underpin the planning for children aged three to five. Geography makes a significant contribution to the ELG objectives of developing a child’s understanding of the world through activities such as finding out about different places and habitats and investigating our locality. Below is a table of how these relate.
Key stage 1 & Key stage 2
Each year group teaches either Geography or History each half term. In total, a year group will teach a total of 3 Geography topics per year. However, in Year 5 and Year 6 they will each teach a total of 2 Geography topics to allow for other things going on such as SATS and Wider Opportunities. When teaching Geography we base our teaching on the following aims:
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To stimulate children’s interest in their surroundings and develop a knowledge and understanding of the physical and human processes which shape places.
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To provide learning opportunities that enthuse, engage, and motivate children to learn and foster a sense of curiosity and wonder at the beauty of the world around them.
-
To make sense of their own surroundings through learning about their own locality and the interaction between people and the environment.
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To develop the geographical skills and the vocabulary necessary to carry out the effective geographical enquiry.