Geography
The Millfield Geography Curriculum is designed to provide a sequence of concepts showing clear progression of skills and knowledge. It provides a framework from which relevant learning experiences can be planned, to broaden the horizons and experiences of Millfield children, to enable them to recognise and take full advantage of opportunities available to them, promoting the concept of possibilities.
The Geography breadth map shows the topics covered in each year group.
Year group | Autumn Term | Spring Term | Summer Term | Throughout the year |
1 and 2 Year A | Name and locate continents and oceans.
| Focus on the countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom. | Compare Brownhills with a town in a non-European country.
Local area study.
| Seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom – studied through the year with daily weather display and calendar.
|
1 and 2 Year B | Name and locate continents and oceans. Compare a UK port with a port in a non-European country. | Focus on the countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom.
| Local area study.
| Seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom – studied through the year with daily weather display and calendar. |
3 | Counties of the United Kingdom.
| Countries in Europe.
| Local area study - The town of Brownhills.
| Physical Geography including volcanoes and earthquakes taking the lead from the news and current events. |
4 | Focus on land use.
| Cities in the United Kingdom.
| Links between Brownhills and cities in the United Kingdom.
| Physical Geography including volcanoes and earthquakes, climate zones and water, taking the lead from the news and current events. |
5 | Focus on Europe.
| Focus on Rivers (Compare the Nile to the River Dove).
| Focus on North America including a comparison between London and Washington DC.
| Physical Geography including volcanoes and earthquakes, climate zones, water, biomes and vegetation belts and Human Geography (economic activity including trade links) taking the lead from the news and current events. |
6 | Local area study to be completed on the area where camp is held.
| Focus on South America including rainforests and change in land use.
| Compare an area of forest in South America with a local wooded area (during summer camp).
| Physical Geography including volcanoes and earthquakes, climate zones, water, biomes and vegetation belts and Human Geography (economic activity including trade links, land use and natural resources) taking the lead from the news and current events. |
Lessons and activities are planned with reference to the relevant threshold concepts and curriculum driver, possibilities. For geography the threshold concepts are, to investigate places, to investigate patterns and to communicate geographically. Threshold concepts will be repeated and revisited, applied in different situations when addressing the breadth of the curriculum, to develop greater depth of learning.
Assessment for learning is used throughout the teaching of this curriculum to ensure that progress in understanding is developed from basic, advancing to deep with reference to the threshold concepts. Opportunities for the children to apply their knowledge and understanding are provided throughout the year and summative assessment takes place at the end of the year.
What we've all been up to...
Power of Nature and Power Production - optional home learning tasks for the summer term related to the geography curriculum
Year 5 looked at a sample area of the field.
Year 1 walked along the canal spotting human and physical features.
Year 1 study the map to see where they will be walking.
Beaudesert 16-19th October 2017
Children use their map skills to track the path that we have walked and to check that we are going in the right direction. The children also found out how to find North using the sun's position in the sky.
Outward Bound, Aberdovey September 2017
Children using their map work skills in the great outdoors.
Plas Gwynant, Wales. February 2017
To dev
elop the children's map skills and to encourage team work and good communication the children completed a walk through the Welsh countryside completely unaided by adults. They plotted the route on an OS map and adults hid along this route (to make sure they were always on the correct route and never in danger). The children completed the walk with a great sense of satisfaction and achievement.
Bryntysillio, Wales. 12th-16th September 2016
Year 6 children developed their map work skills as we walked along the Llangollen branch of The Shropshire Union Canal and made our way up The Clwydian Range of hills in our first camp of the year.