Geography is a key part of the National Curriculum at Danson.

A lot of time is put in to make sure that the subject is fun and engaging throughout the school. Each year group teaches the subject via our Creative Curriculum time.

The subject is organised into key skills that every aspiring geographer will master by the time they leave Danson in Year 6. These skills are implemented into the planning of each year group to show progression throughout the school.

The 4 Key areas are:

Location and place Knowledge: This focuses on children’s understanding of where places are in the world in relation to them and each other. We make these lessons relevant to each child by looking at the immediate local area so that every child has context before learning. After this, we branch out to counties, countries and continents. Children will use resources such as atlas’ and Ordnance Survey maps to contrast the key features of the local area as well as the world around them. Students will learn about their local area and the world around them, discussing the differences between continents, countries and regions and why these human and physical differences exist.

Fieldwork: Fieldwork is learning directly in the real world outside of the classroom and it is one of the distinctive features of a geographical education which helps to feed out curiosity about the world. At Danson, fieldwork is done locally, even within the school grounds. The outdoors is a resource for geographical learning and fieldwork is planned as part of the geography curriculum across all Year groups. However, we are not limited to our school grounds and your child will have the opportunity for a domestic trip which will enhance their learning and understanding of the world. Your child will learn an array of geographical fieldwork skills which are built upon each year to show progression. 

Human and Physical Geography: Children are expected to ask and answer questions about the world that they live in, whilst also looking at data in various contexts and explaining what this means to them and the area around them. This also includes understanding key geographical terms and vocabulary which will help their understanding of the subject. Children will learn about how their local area is changing as well as the world around them, thinking about what we could change to make the world a better place. Children will look at patterns across the human and physical areas of geography through case studies given to them. From changing seasons to changing physical processes such as erosion and weathering, children will understand why these changes take place and what impact they have on our lives. These lessons provide rich discussions and help to show the children how encompassing Geography is as a subject. 

Geographical Enquiry: This is the use of evidence from a variety of sources to build up an understanding of various geographical issues. The children will make deductions using both primary and secondary historical sources as well as using opportunities for fieldwork.

In Key Stage 1 we cover:

·         Children’s understanding of the local area through ‘Home Sweet Home’

·         Map reading skills using the local area with an Australian theme.

·         Hot and cold places by looking at Antarctica, The Arctic and the Rainforest. 

In Key Stage 2 we cover:

·         The makeup of our local area.

·         A wider understanding of the continent around us – Europe and other European countries.

·         An understanding of river systems and mountains, looking at the physical processes that take place.

·         A  closer look at a South American region – Brazil and how the human and physical characteristics differ to those of the UK.

·         Natural disasters and why they occur.

·         A look at ancient civilizations and how they used the Geographical features of the land to aid their dominance and domestication.