Geography
| Curriculum Intent Statement |
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At Priory Academy we believe that our subject helps students find answers to and ask questions about the physical and human aspects of the world. Students are encouraged to develop a greater knowledge and understanding of the world as well as finding their place in it and to ensure they become confident critical thinkers on a local, national and global scale. The curriculum within geography enables students to acquire and develop their knowledge and skills that are progressive, which can also be transferred to other subjects and it also enhances their spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development in order to enrich their cultural capital. It is fundamental in a language rich curriculum, that students are introduced to, and expected to use, the correct and appropriate geographical vocabulary for their stage of development. Geography aims to inspire students with a curiosity and fascination about the World and it’s people which will remain with them for their whole lives. Our subject also seeks to promote the interests and understanding of diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments along with the key processes that shape it. The curriculum is designed to enable the students to make secure and informed choices based on past and present events in order to shape a sustainable future for the world around them and to prepare them for our ever-changing society we live in today. |
| The Purpose of Knowledge Organisers |
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A knowledge organiser sets out the important, useful and powerful knowledge on a topic. For students to succeed in Geography, they must have a foundation of factual knowledge, understand those facts and be able to apply them to a specific context. We at Priory Academy believe that the use of knowledge organisers can enhance and further students’ learning, therefore we are building them into our curriculum and are encouraging the use of them at home for home learning purposes and for revision. Please click on the correct year group and term for the current knowledge organiser being used. |
Curriculum Overview
Key Stage 3
Year 7
In Year 7 students build on the units studied at KS2. They start by completing a unit focused on their geographical skills which is then reinforced throughout Key Stage 3 and 4. The students will study topics such as:- Continents and climatic regions of the world, development and a country study of Russia.
Year 8
In Year 8 Students build on prior understanding gained from previous topics in Key Stage 2 and 3 such as rivers, hazards and population. Students also start to develop knowledge on how to prepare for their GCSE
'Year 9 will study 4 units this year that develop and build upon their topic work from KS2 and early KS3. These units also link to their GCSE, if they choose to study Geography at this level. After Easter, students start Paper 3 of their GCSE which is aimed at preparing them for the workload and engaging them before the Summer, starting this early also gives them a taster of GCSE Geography before they choose their options. The topics vary from Natural Hazards to the Emerging Powers of China.'
Assessments
Students across all year groups will be assessed in geography through various means including, essay style questions, tests, stories and classwork. There will be an emphasis on SPAG in all year groups and in particular the use of geographical vocabulary and using capital letters for places.
Fieldwork Opportunities
Where possible fieldwork activities will be offered to students to help bring the subject alive. This may be local or further afield.
The department is now registered with the Royal Geographic Society and the Geographical Association, which brings with it exciting opportunities at all Key Stages.
Useful Resources
Digimaps – http://digimapforschools.edina.ac.uk/ students can get username and password from their Geography teacher
TeachitGeography – www.teachitgeography.co.uk useful for KS3 and KS4 revision and resources.
Key Stage 4
In GCSE Geography we follow the Edexcel B specification. The units include:- Hazardous Earth, Development Dynamics and the UK's Human and Physical Landscape. These topics are divided into three papers which are assessed at the end of Year 11. Paper two also includes compulsory fieldwork which is undertaken over two days.
