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Geography in our Curriculum

Mrs Doherty is our Geography Lead

If you have any questions or would like any more information about Geography in our curriculum, please contact Mrs Doherty on Class Dojo or on: ldoherty@alvastoni.derby.sch.uk

Our Geography critical friend is Governor is Mark Harrison.

Statement of Intent:

At Alvaston Infant and Nursery School, it is our intent for the Geography curriculum to inspire our pupils with a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. The teaching of this subject will equip our pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, whilst enabling our pupils to acquire and develop the skills and vocabulary they need to be successful geographers. Pupils will develop an understanding of geographical similarities and differences through studying the human and physical geography of their own locality and also places further afield, such as a small area in a contrasting non-European country (Kenya). Through this analysis of different places, we endeavor for our pupils to develop their understanding of their own ‘sense of place’ to where they live and how this fits within our global community. Furthermore, we strive to encourage our children to show their respect for their local, national and international environment and hope to instill a sense of responsibility in our pupils for their community and the wider world so they grow to become responsible citizens of the future.

What Will I be Learning About?

When you start school, you will:

  • Learn about places that are familiar to you. You will begin to understand that some things are made by humans and that other things are part of our natural world.

  • Start to think about ways that you can look after your world.

  • Be given many opportunities to explore your school and Alvaston, where you live. You will begin to ask questions, make observations and draw comparisons between different places and people.

  • Make simple observations about your changing environment. For example, the weather and plants in your school grounds.

  • Use objects to create simple 3-D maps of familiar places like your classroom and playground.

  • Begin to use positional vocabulary to talk about the location of things in relation to each other. (E.g. near, far, close to, away from)

As you progress through our school, you will learn to:

  • Name and find the world’s seven continents and five oceans as well as the four countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom.

  • Understand similarities and differences between Derby and a small area in a contrasting non-European country (E.g. Nakuru, in Kenya), including examining seasonal and daily weather patterns.

  • Recognise the difference between human and physical features.

  • Use geographical vocabulary to describe physical and human features in your world.

  • Use maps, atlases and globes (including digital maps) to learn more about places, continents and oceans of the world.

  • Develop a sense of ‘place’ of where you are in the planet in relation to the world, the seas and the land.

  • Use simple compass points and directional language.

  • Devise and use simple maps and keys and use aerial views and plan perspectives to recognise landmarks and human and physical features.