Geography across the curriculum

Part of the PGQM examples series

1f. Geography supports other curriculum areas, contributes to the enjoyment and achievement of learners and to whole school initiatives .

Image from Austrey CE Primary School Application

1f.Geography supports other curriculum areas, contributes to the enjoyment & achievement of learners and to whole school initiatives

BRONZETeachers are beginning to manage the curriculum demands by making appropriate links with other subject areas.Out of school geographical learning is encouraged and the involvement of parents in this activity is encouraged.Teachers have enhanced the learning by organising onsite and offsite visits and by inviting visitors.

SILVERPupils’ work demonstrates the use of Geography as a context for work in core curriculum areas.Pupils participate in extra-curricular `challenges’ that engage them in learning geography beyond the normal school day.A programme of regular visits/visitors is being developed for all classes to enhance specific geographical units/themes.

GOLDEffective links with other subject areas are made explicit whilst ensuring that geography’s contribution to the curriculum remains distinctiveDirect contact with a distant school or community is made by pupils. This should be ‘sustained and mutually supportive.Pupils participate in national initiatives that engage them in learning geography beyond the normal school day

But is ‘topic’ work underpinned by rigorous geography and good subject knowledge?

How do you know? What do pupils have to say? What impacts can you evidence?

How does geography support e.g. Sustainability? Community cohesion? School visits and visitors?

Year 1 explore the local area and investigate road signs. They make their own signs- linked to art and DT. They look at traffic in the immediate vicinity and find out how busy a road is by making a tally- linked to maths.

Extracts from application evidence Beacon Hill Primary Bronze 2011

Year 1 programme a Beebot around an island (evaluation activity)

“We are in our first year of developing a topic based curriculum, linking subjects to a particular topic.”

Year 6 enquiry on the Hindhead Tunnel is linked to art and literacy (Geography: Patterns and Processes 4a,b Knowledge & Understanding of Environmental Change 5a,b).

Extracts from application evidence Beacon Hill Primary Bronze 2011

Year 6 ‘Speedwatch’, having fun catching speeding drivers.

Extracts from application evidence Austrey CE Primary School Silver 2011

“ ‘Austrey Week’ started the development of the Creative Curriculum. Here teachers made sure that the children in each class studied outside the class addressing other curriculum areas including geography.

Class 4 studied 4 figure grid references and measured distance using trundle wheels. Class 2 pupils located the two playgrounds and drew maps to direct others there whilst then investigating the materials the playground equipment was made from, a science link. They then designed a new playground ride –DT.

Reception studied where pupils in the class lived. A literacy link was made when children had to write their address on a card, another child read the address and placed the card in the correct area on the map.”

As a geographical, art & literacy link, Josie uses natural materials found in the school environment to make her own Stickman

“Having moved away from QCA Units to a more creative and active learning curriculum, it has been possible to link other subject areas more specifically.”

Class 3 visited Compton Verney Volcano art display as a starting point for their topic in the Autumn term. They made 3D models to describe the canopy layers in a rainforest.

Class 4 linked Geographical work about India to Indian customs and art.

Extracts from application evidence Austrey CE Primary School Silver 2011

Extracts from application evidence Kingmoor Nursery and Infant School Gold 2011

Year one have had fun doing an archaeological dig within the school grounds as part of the around our school topic.

“Geography supports other areas of the curriculum, and vice versa, having a positive impact on learning.”

I found a dirty old coin and a piece of china pot. I also found a key - Bert.

“Finding things and using the maps is really good fun”- Joe age 5

Reception children using map skills to complete a treasure hunt.

For example Our recent Year two visit to Caerlaverock stimulated some interesting non-chronological reports on wetland birds.

Extracts from application evidence Kingmoor Nursery and Infant School Gold 2011

Pupils study work by David Hockney based upon ‘birds eye’ views and create their own works of art

The best applications used annotated evidence and explained why particular pieces of evidence were chosen. The best applications also showed impacts and used pupil ‘voice’

e.g. “This piece of work was chosen as it shows beautifully how Geography can provide a context for teaching or applying skills learned in other subject areas, in this case Literacy.

It shows careful observation of the physical features seen on the Geography fieldtrips and an understanding of how to apply the skills he has been learning in Literacy (description - similes, adjectives and adverbs) to describe these.”

Extract from application evidence Halterworth Primary Gold 2011

Geography is fun and exciting and you learn about other countries

It’s fun to learn new things and some countries are very different

It’s fun to learn about the Earth and the atmosphere because you never know what you’re going to find out next.

It’s about the Earth and how it’s changing

It’s learning about the world, the different countries and climates

I find it interesting because I could learn how to make the world a better place

It’s interesting because it might be us that’s making global warming and we want to know what’s going on around the world so we can help.

You get to learn about the earth, different countries and cultures, also what the world might be like in the future and how it will affect us

Geography is learning about the world, how it works and looking after itY2 Y4 Y6

Extracts from application evidence Halterworth Primary Gold 2011

Evidence of pupil ‘voice’ and of excellence and enjoyment

Does your evidence also clearly show where the geography is?Year: 6 Unit of Work: The Rainforest

Context: Pupils begin their topic by researching the rainforest . They extract information then later use this to compare this locality with their own.

Why was it chosen? It demonstrates creative thinking and cross curricular links with Science and Art.

What does it show children know understand and can do? This pupil can recognise and describe geographical patterns in relation to the weather experienced in the rainforest. They have draw on their own knowledge and understanding to select and present information.

Year: 6 Unit of Work: The Rainforest

Context: Pupils begin their topic by researching the rainforest . They extract information then later use this to compare this locality with their own.

Why was it chosen? It demonstrates creative thinking and cross curricular links with Science and Art.

What does it show children know understand and can do? This pupil can recognise and describe geographical patterns in relation to the weather experienced in the rainforest. They have draw on their own knowledge and understanding to select and present information.

Extract from application evidence South Farnham Gold 2011

E.g. Could your pupils locate a particular Rainforest?

Does your evidence also clearly show where the geography is?Is there evidence to show that pupils can answer fundamental geographical questions such as:

‘where is this place?’‘What is it like?’‘How does it connect to other places?’‘Who lives here?’‘How and why is it changing?’‘What’s it got to do with me?’ etc

The recent Ofsted report (2011) provides an example ... where a group of pupils had done a unit of work on Kenya and developed some in-depth knowledge about certain aspects of Kenyan life, but could not locate Kenya on a map or name other countries that shared its borders.