Geography at Tiptoe
Geography Intent
At Tiptoe School we want our children to become geographers who have a broader and deeper understanding of the world around them. Our aim is for geography to be challenging, motivating, topical, and fun. We intend to develop children’s curiosity, and a fascination of the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. We need more than ever before for our children to understand other people, and their cultures, so that they appreciate and respect the diverse society we live in. Our enquiry-based curriculum provides children with the opportunities to investigate people and places around the world, as well as physical and human processes. We intend to improve children’s geographical vocabulary, locational knowledge, place knowledge, their geographical skills and fieldwork, as well as providing opportunities for consolidation and challenge. We also believe that geography can help foster children’s spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development by primarily reflecting on their own values and beliefs and those of others. ( see below for further information.)
At Tiptoe School geography matters.
Implementation
Each unit of study is taught to ensure that our children acquire subject specific knowledge that will not only prepare them for secondary school but also for life. We also ensure that subject specific expert vocabulary is taught in each unit to fully equip children with the skills they need to become confident geographers. We use knowledge organisers to help children learn the sticky knowledge and new terminology. Each half term children complete world news tasks and they learn songs to help embed their locational knowledge. Fieldwork is completed within each unit of work which may on be off site or within the school grounds. We ensure that subject specific skills are taught incrementally so that each skill builds on the last.
Impact
Our geography curriculum gives our children the skills and knowledge to identify how they, along with their communities and the human race are responsible for the health and well being of the home we all share, planet earth and the people within it.
Our curriculum is designed to prepare children for life, encouraging them to have enquiring minds, strong personal values ready to take on their responsibilities of global citizens of the future.
Geography plays an integral role in laying down these foundations.
For more information see our long term plans and progression of skills attached below
Spiritual, Moral, Social, & Cultural Development in Geography at Tiptoe School.
Spiritual development
There are many ways in which geography can contribute towards spiritual development, the study of real people in real places, and of our relationship with the environment, is at the heart of the geography curriculum. As such, there are many occasions when we can give pupils the opportunity to reflect on their own values and beliefs, and those of others. For example, we can give pupils opportunities to think about the feelings of a child living in a squatter settlement, or the victims of a natural hazard; to reflect on the beauty of a landscape, or the richness of an environment; and to explore their own feelings about the people, places and environments they are learning about.
Moral development
Most geographical issues have a moral dimension. Environmental relationships, in particular, provide a wealth of opportunities for distinguishing a moral dimension; for example, should the rain forest be exploited? Should open cast mining be allowed in an area of outstanding natural beauty? Discussion, role-play and decision making exercises enable pupils to explore such issues, In doing so they will learn about the views held by society, and by various groups within society, and will develop their own attitudes and values in relation to these.
Social development
Activities in the geography classroom -pair work, group work, role-play, geographical games - foster good social behaviour and self - discipline. However, through fieldwork geography makes a distinctive contribution to social development. Outside of the classroom pupils need a greater degree of self-discipline and a successful trip almost invariably relies on each member of the group making his or her full contribution. Geography also has a key role in developing an understanding of citizenship. For example, decision making exercises introduce pupils to the planning process in a town or city; learning about international trade fosters a sense of the interdependence of people and places; and through geography pupils develop a knowledge and understanding of the concept of sustainable development.
Cultural development
Through its study of real people in real places, geography makes a major contribution to cultural development. Pupils learn about the characteristics of their local area, and why it is like that, and contrast where they live with more distant localities, in this country and abroad. A sense of place requires a knowledge and understanding of the cultural traditions of the people who live there. For example, for younger pupils this could be knowing about different styles of dress while older pupils might explore different attitudes towards the environment. Geography is a natural vehicle for exploring our own multicultural society. For example, the history of settlement can be explored through the distribution of place names while the spatial distribution of ethnic minorities can be analysed and its causes and consequences considered.
Geography Fieldwork at Tiptoe School.
Fieldwork is an essential component of geographical education at Tiptoe School. It enables children to have a better understanding the the world they are living in, further develop their subject knowledge and gain a range of skills that are difficult to develop in the classroom alone. It also promotes problem solving, collaborative and reflective learning skills. Fieldwork lessons are taught each term alongside geographical topics.
This is why geography matters to us at Tiptoe School. Watch and enjoy!
Geography Progression of Skills at Tiptoe School