Geography Intent Statement
Planet Earth is an amazing place which is full of awe and wonder. At Bishop Lonsdale, we provide our pupils a wide range of opportunities to explore and develop a keen interest in our planet, both in their local area and across the world. Furthermore, we also provide our pupils with the opportunity to develop transferable life skills, such as map reading and comparing places, which they will use later in their everyday lives. Through our big ideas, pupils will develop their knowledge and skills in the following four areas.
Locational Knowledge
Locational knowledge is being able to locate key features or places, both locally and globally. At Bishop Lonsdale, pupils will use a variety of resources such as maps, globes and atlases to learn and locate places and geographical features and compare locations. Pupils will learn about the seven continents of the world and locate where they are. Furthermore, pupils will learn and locate a range of countries in different continents and identify their capital city and other geographical features are. Pupils will also study about the UK and identify the countries, capital cities, counties, towns, rivers and other geographical features. In addition, pupils will also learn how to locate places using lines of latitude, lines of longitude, equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, Tropics of Cancer, Capricorn, Arctic Circles, Antarctic Circles, Prime Meridian and Time Zones.
Human and Physical Geography
Human geography is understanding and identifying objects and things which have been made by humans for a given purpose. Physical geography is understanding and identifying something that is naturally made and has not been affected by humans. At Bishop Lonsdale, pupils will learn what the difference is between human geography and physical geography and will identify both types in the local environment around them and in the wider world. Pupils will learn that human geography and physical geography can be used to describe a place or a significant place (for example, monuments, landmarks, cliffs, mountains, volcanoes). For Human geography, pupils will learn how some man-made things can have an impact on their local environment and the wider world (for example, littering, climate change, transport, weather and land use). Pupils will also learn that some materials are man-made in order to make a human feature (buildings, shops, places of worship). For physical geography, pupils will learn about what places and materials are naturally made (for example, rocks, fossils, cliffs, beaches, volcanoes, earthquakes). Pupils will also learn and describe how places around the world have different climates which can affect how land is used in different parts of the world. Furthermore, pupils will also learn what factors are impacting on our environment and how we can become more sustainable to help protect our planet.
Place Knowledge
Place knowledge is being able to compare geographical features (human geography and physical geography) between one place and another. At Bishop Lonsdale, pupils will use their knowledge of human features and physical features to study and compare two places. Pupils will also use their knowledge of the UK and compare it to contrasting non-European country. Pupils will also describe the similarities and differences between continents and compare climates between two differing regions.
Geographical Skills and Fieldwork
At Bishop Lonsdale, we are fortunate to have lots of space to conduct a range of investigations. Pupils will have the opportunity to head outside to complete investigations or have access to a range of resources which they can use to record data and identify patterns. To support this, pupils will learn how to record data using tally charts, pictograms and tables and understand that this is a way of creating a primary resource. Pupils will also learn how to record and identify patterns using secondary resources from reports, surveys, maps, books and research. Furthermore, pupils will also conduct geographical enquiries around key questions and will learn how to write conclusions and be able to compare conclusions that they have made. Pupils will also ask and answer their own geographical question. This means pupils will record, analyse and present their data, draw their own conclusions and identify any unexplained anomalies or variations. Throughout their time at school, pupils will also learn how to read maps using directional language. Pupils will also learn that maps contain symbols, a key and that they can use a four-figure grid reference, a six-figure grid reference, contour lines, lines of latitude, lines of longitude to find or locate a place or a geographical feature.
Geography is a huge part of our everyday lives and we hope that all pupils leave us critically analysing the world around them and having the skill set to find and locate places around the world. We also hope that all pupils leave us with a keen interest in all areas of geography, including the world which surrounds them.