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Our Learning

Geography

Here at Whitehall Nursery and Infant School Geography is a very important part of our curriculum. Our local area provides lots of opportunities for the children to explore and develop their geography skills. The local area is used to support the children’s geography learning in each year group.

Geography teaches an understanding of places and environments. Through their work in geography, children learn about their local area and compare their life in this area with that in other regions in the United Kingdom, and in the rest of the world. They learn how to draw and interpret maps and they develop the skills of research, investigation, analysis and problem-solving. Through their growing knowledge and understanding of human geography, children gain an appreciation of life in other cultures.

Geography teaching also motivates children to find out about the physical world and enables them to recognise the importance of sustainable development for the future of mankind.

Geography teaches an understanding of places and environments. Through their work in geography, children learn about their local area and compare their life in this area with that in other regions in the United Kingdom, and in the rest of the world. They learn how to draw and interpret maps, and they develop the skills of research, investigation, analysis and problem-solving. Through their growing knowledge and understanding of human geography, children gain an appreciation of life in other cultures. Geography teaching also motivates children to find out about the physical world and enables them to recognise the importance of sustainable development for the future of mankind.

Intent 

Geography is a fundamental part of all of our lives in both the natural and    man-made world. It is very important to us at Whitehall and therefore has a very important place in our school curriculum. Our intent for all of our children is to ensure that they are engaged in a relevant, challenging and enjoyable geography curriculum whilst also meeting the requirements of the national curriculum programmes of study for geography. Our intent is to develop the children’s competence in specific geographical skills which they will be able to take with them and apply through the rest of their school life and beyond. We intend to stimulate children’s interest and curiosity about their surroundings by creating and encouraging a sense of wonder about the amazing world that they live in. We are also committed as a school in educating the children to have a sense of responsibility and care for the environment and its people locally and globally.  

Implementation

Geography lessons are taught termly in a cross curricular topic approach linked to cornerstones curriculum.  

Children in Early Years at Whitehall get the opportunity to: 

  • Learn first-hand about the school community and wider community that they are a part of. 

  • Explore different places, cultures and environments by visiting the local area, reading a variety of stimulating books and having access to small world provision.  

  • Use every day technology such as ‘Google Maps/Earth’ or ‘Sat Navs’. 

  • Have hands on experiences of using maps and atlases through adult led activities and child initiated activities such as role-play.  

  • Learn the skills of observing, questioning and comparing the world around them.  

Children in Key Stage 1 at Whitehall get the opportunity to  

  • Work collaboratively with their peers and work independently. 

  • Enhance their questioning and analytic skills in a variety of situations. 

  • Enjoy and create a passion for geography through inspiring lessons.  

  • Learn outside of the classroom by taking part in exciting fieldwork opportunities.  

  • Develop their personal interest in geography by taking part in an after school club or during child initiated activities.  

Impact 

The impact of our Geography curriculum is that our children begin to recognise how changes to places and the environment happen and affect us, both as a result of natural processes and through human activity. Children will begin to see how they are both part of the problem and the solution to the challenges we face in caring for the world we live in. Geography at Whitehall helps our children to understand and value the community they live in and the world that they are part of. Our children will leave with a passion for geography. They will have been drawn into the learning through the wonder of mountains, deserts, rivers, and oceans and developed the skills to see change all around them so that they can understand and appreciate the world they live in and the people who live in it alongside them.  

Geography at Whitehall Nursery and Infant School

Geography is taught in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) through the area of learning ‘Understanding the World’. Initially the children will learn about their own home, school environment and the local surrounding area. This awareness is extended through providing the children with real first hand experiences, by visiting places and by finding out about different environments in books, on TV and through using other technology.

The children will learn about their community and the world in which they live. They will develop their understanding of similarities and differences. They will begin to talk about their environment and make observations of the place they live and their environment. They will begin to ask questions, explore, investigate and make comparisons.

Geography is taught in Key Stage 1 (KS1) each term and is linked to the creative curriculum themes.

During Key Stage 1 the children will develop a variety of skills, including enquiry skills, problem solving, computing skills, questioning skills and investigation skills. The children are encouraged to ask their own questions and they have the opportunity to use a variety of methods to gain information, for example, by visiting the local area, going on trips, through photographs, through using maps and aerial views, by searching the internet and using geographical equipment.

In Key Stage 1 the children will begin by looking at their own immediate environment. They will then build on their understanding and explore places in the local area such as Palfrey Park, the Dingle, Caldmore and Walsall town centre. This will extend their learning through first hand experiences, which will help them to build geographical knowledge and skills. As their learning progresses the children will move on to looking at places around the world. They will think about what it is like to live in different places and begin to discuss the similarities and differences between where they live and a contrasting environment such as the Masai Mara or Sydney, Australia.

In Year 1, the children will learn more about their local area. They will go out into the local area to investigate and complete field work. They will build on this further in the year and think about problems their local area faces such as; keeping the area tidy. They will then carry out research and think of ways to improve where they live.

Year 1 also develop their geography skills through links with literacy. Little Human Planet provides the children with opportunities to develop their understanding of a variety of different places around the world, such as Brazil and the Arctic. They begin to compare places with their local area and think about different ways of life. In the summer term, the children will focus on the film The Lion King in literacy. This provides the children with opportunities to learn more about Africa and the Masai Mara tribe, something which the children find fascinating.

   

In Year 2, the children will build on their knowledge and understanding of the local area further by exploring Caldmore and Walsall. In the summer term, the children research a contrasting place in the United Kingdom. They visit the seaside and gain real first hand experiences to help them develop their understanding.

 

Field work

Across the school children take part in some fantastic geography visits and field work which provide them with real first hand experiences. These help the children to develop their geography skills and understanding.

Our local area provides lots for the children to explore and discuss and it is used to support the children’s geography learning throughout their time at school. Children in the EYFS will begin learning more about their school environment and a small area outside school. In Year 1 this is built upon and the children explore the surrounding area of their school including Palfrey Park. In Year 2 the children explore even further and visit other surrounding locations, such as the Dingle and Walsall town centre, and they also visit a contrasting place in the UK.

Get in touch

Whitehall Nursery and Infant School West Bromwich Road, WS1 3HS

T: 01922 721991