Geography Subject leaders Training Exploring the content of the new National Curriculum.

Geography Curriculum Development Group Aims. To explore and make sense of the new National Curriculum. To establish the existing good practice which meets the programmes of study and establish any new content/areas of the curriculum which need to be developed. To draw together a guide to the changes which signpost good practice, recommended resources and opportunities for local schools. To share findings at a Primary Curriculum Conference in the summer term 2014.

The Headline News What has changed? This is a new approach to a national curriculum document. It is concise and sets out only the core knowledge that students should acquire. It does not specify approaches to teaching, nor explain how to put the content into a teaching and learning sequence. There is renewed emphasis on locational and place knowledge, human and physical processes and some technical procedures, such as using grid references. There is a renewed commitment to fieldwork and the use of maps, as well as written communication. The Level Descriptors which made up the Attainment Target have been removed. Schools are free to devise their own curriculum and assessment system. (Source: The Geographical Association 2013)

What is high quality geography education? Look at the two descriptions about geography and 1.Decide which description is in the old and new National Curriculum. 2.What are the main differences between the two?

Geography provides answers to questions about the natural and human worlds, using different scales of enquiry to view them from different perspectives. It develops knowledge of places and environments throughout the world, an understanding of maps, and a range of investigative and problem-solving skills both inside and outside the classroom. As such it prepares pupils for adult life and employment. Geography is a focus within the curriculum for understanding and resolving issues about the environment and sustainable development. It is also an important link between natural and social sciences. As pupils study geography, they encounter different societies and cultures. This helps them realise how nations rely on each other. It can inspire them to think about their own place in the world, their values, and their rights and responsibilities to other people and the environment.

A high quality geography education should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Teaching should equip pupils 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. As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world should help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the frameworks and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.

The Aims of the New Geography National Curriculum To ensure that all pupils: 1. Develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both terrestrial and marine. 2. Understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features. 3. Are competent in geographical skills needed to: Collect, analyse and communicate a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork. Interpret a range of sources of geographical information. Communicate geographical information in a variety of ways.

What’s similar and different? Old National CurriculumNew National Curriculum Locational Knowledge Place Knowledge Human Geography Physical Geography Geographical Skill In key stage groups look at copy of the new curriculum and complete the table above.

What’s similar and different? Old National CurriculumNew National Curriculum Locational Knowledge Place Knowledge Human Geography Physical Geography Geographical Skill KS1

What’s similar and different? Old National CurriculumNew National Curriculum Locational Knowledge Place Knowledge Human Geography Physical Geography Geographical Skill KS2

First Impressions!

“Loving it!!”

“Five weeks to the end of term!!”

Let’s have a closer look at the content! Each Key Stage has an overarching statement of what they should know, understand and can do. They should be taught: Locational knowledge. Place knowledge. Human & Physical Geography. Geographical skills and fieldwork.

Skills Geographical Themes: Human and Physical Places Fitting the new curriculum together!

Developing a simple Place Model KS1 The school grounds and its surrounding area. (Year 1) A small area in the UK. (Year 2) A contrasting non- European Area. (Year 3) KS2 A region in the UK. (Year 4) A region in a European Country. (Year 5) A region within North or South America (Year 6) The years specified above are only suggestions based on the age and scale.

Where are we at the moment?

Table talk How are you preparing for the change in the Geography curriculum? How does the new curriculum compare to your current geography curriculum? Where will the biggest changes need to be made? What are you excited about? What do you personally need to do next? What does the school need to do next? How does the planning and preparation for the new curriculum sit within the context of how you deliver the curriculum (topic based work, separate subjects, integrated curriculum, enquiry based curriculum etc.)?

What are our next steps?

Having a plan!

An example of a process for developing a curriculum initiative and evaluating its impact Rationale for curriculum initiative: Curriculum priority to be developed and evaluated. What are we trying to achieve? Hint: For whom do we want to make a difference? By when do we want to make the difference? Expected pupil out comes What do we want our learners to be like? Hint: When setting an expected pupil outcome, ask questions like what difference do we want to make, how will we know and/or how will we tell when we have met the outcome? Baseline evidence What are our learners like now? Hint: What baseline evidence will we be able to draw on to show where the pupils are regarding the curriculum priority? Organisation of curriculum initiative How will we organise our curriculum initiative and the learning of pupils? Hint: What scale will this curriculum initiative be carried out on? Who? What? When? Monitor & evaluate. How will we monitor and evaluate the impact of the curriculum initiative? Hint: What tools/activities can we use to assist our evaluation? What have we achieved? How do we know we have been successful? What evidence will demonstrate that we have made a difference? Who? What? When? Next steps How will we maintain progress and/or extend the curriculum initiative? Hint: What further support is required? Will this initiative be extended to another Key Stage or subject area? Who? What? When?. Activity: Now action plan your strategy using the matrix above.

Conducting a knowledge, skills, place and resources audit. Task. Before the next session identify where there are significant differences between current practice and new suggested practice in terms knowledge, skills and places and consider the extra resources that your school might need.

What Next?

Next sessions Thursday 16 th January Wednesday 26 th February Monday 24 th March Stephen Ellis ch.uk