Geography

Curriculum Intent

Geography matters because we live in an increasingly complex, diverse and changing world where places, people, politics and the environment are interconnected.  We want students at King’s to understand what it means to be global citizens and to take responsibility for their part in the sustainability of our planet.  We are striving for all King’s students to be informed, wise and caring in their contributions to their local, national and international communities.

The range of topics covered in our curriculum will enable students to discover and investigate local to global issues, question and be critical when considering the issues affecting the world and people’s lives and develop skills using maps, data and literacy including using extended writing to give balanced arguments and justifying opinions.

Our specific philosophy and approach to teaching our subject is inclusion and access for all; every student at King’s will have opportunities for Geography fieldwork and will be able to access the curriculum.  We want students to be interested about some of the geographical issues and be able to express an opinion.  We hope that through the topics covered students will develop core skills of questioning, problem-solving and enquiry.  Students will have an understanding of different viewpoints and be able to give a balanced argument.

Each year a range of scale, variety of places and depth of SEEP issues will be explored.  Some of the more complex political and historical issues are in Year 9 with the Middle East and China but every year group has an opportunity to be exposed to different scales of place and depth of SEEP otherwise our philosophy of inclusion would not extend to HAPs and all students.

Each year a range of numeracy, literacy and map skills will be explicitly taught and revisited though all years.  A particular focus for literacy is developing extended writing with our longer exam questions in mind.  The main focus for map skills is to revisit and revise, so that in the long term KS4 students will be competent using maps at different scales.  The main focus for data and numeracy is handling of data, analysis and conclusions and continued exposure to different graphical techniques and data presentation methods.

 

Across RET schools the geography curriculum is both academic and ambitious. At key stage 3 it:

1. inspires in students a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that facilitates their journey in becoming independent and inquisitive learners of geography.
2. equips students with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes.
3. enables students to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments.
4. knowledge, understanding and skills provides the frameworks and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.
5. develops contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places.
6. helps students to understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world.
7. develops skills so students can
   • collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes and enable them to connect their experiences outside of the classroom.
   • interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS).
   • communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.
8. enables students to be challenged and inspired by contemporary and personal geographies so they can engage with, make synoptic links between and evaluate global themes and issues.
9. explores core values of community from local to global scales, encouraging students to take on the role of active citizens.

 

Implementation

At key stage 3 students will be taught to:

1. extend their locational knowledge and deepen their spatial awareness of the world’s countries.
2. understand geographical similarities, differences and links between places.
3. understand the key processes in physical and human geography and the links between them.
4. understand how human and physical processes interact to influence, and change landscapes, environments and the climate.
5. learn how human activity relies on effective functioning of natural systems.
6. develop their geographical skills and fieldwork including building their knowledge of globes, maps, atlases and information systems.

At key stages 4 and 5 schools follow the AQA specifications.

Key Themes/Concepts

• Hazards
• Climate change
• Ecosystems
• Landscapes
• Development
• Sustainability
• Resources
• Demography

Links to KS2

The key stage 3 curriculum builds coherently on students’ KS2 experience, including in terms of

• locational and place knowledge.
• human and physical geography.
• geographical skills and experience.

Relationship to the wider (KS3) curriculum

• History: industrial revolution and medieval realms.
• Mathematics: coordinate, graphs, 3D shapes and ratio.
• Science: rock formations and ecosystems.
• English language: Spelling, grammar, punctuation, written analysis, written investigation

Links to KS4:

The key stage 3 curriculum is coherent with the GCSE specification which focuses on

• Living with the physical environment
• Challenges in the human environment
• Geographical applications
• Geographical skills