Geography at Ravenswood
At Ravenswood, we study amazing places that create a sense of wonder and excitement, inspiring in our children a curiosity and fascination about the world, its key physical processes and the people within it.
We have developed a curriculum using key questions that meet all National Curriculum objectives. It helps to provoke and provide answers to questions about the physical and human aspects of the world.
In EYFS, the curriculum is designed around the expectations of the EYFS framework and Geography fits into the Understanding the World strand of the latter. The children have access to a variety of opportunities to support their developing knowledge about their immediate environment, similarities and differences between life in this country and life in other countries, and between the natural world around them and contrasting environments through observation, discussion, stories, non-fiction texts and maps.
Human and physical geography is linked in KS1, whereas in KS2 these two elements are studied separately to deepen the children’s understanding of why a place is like it is. Key geographical vocabulary is taught, allowing pupils to compare places and explain why they are like they are. By the end of Key Stage 2, children will be able to express opinions about current and contemporary issues in society and the environment.
Our curriculum uses ‘Location and Place’ as its starting point with lesson 1 of every Geography topic the same for every child; sharing pictures to create a sense of awe and wonder before locating the place through maps, globes and other sources such as Google Earth and adding it to our world map. This map ‘grows’ as the children move through school, securing their understanding of where places are in relation to each other and why they are like they are. Main rivers and mountains are identified as a common thread through their learning and children are encouraged to make connections between the physical and human geography of places studied to deepen their understanding.
Our school with its grounds and garden and the local area is utilised to achieve desired outcomes, with opportunities for learning outside the classroom embedded in practice. These enrichment opportunities include:
- School trips and fieldwork are provided to give first hand experiences, which enhance children’s understanding of the world beyond their locality: Chillingham Road, Iris Brickfield, Jesmond Dene, Newcastle city centre and quayside, Whitley Bay, The Ouseburn.
- In Years 4, 5 and 6, all children are given the opportunity to attend a residential trip.
- Y4 - Hawkhirst (Kielder Forest)
- Y5 - Robinwood
- Y6 - Borrowdale (Lake District)
- Planting new trees
- Caring for our garden habitat (link with science)
- Cross curricular links with science, history and maths are used to embed learning and reduce curriculum overload.