Geography
At our school, Geography is an exciting, progressive subject designed to inspire a curiosity about the world and its people. Through the study of human and physical geography, alongside developing geographical skills, our children explore their local area, their country, and the wider world.
Our curriculum is designed to ensure children:
- Develop contextual knowledge of the world’s locations, places, and features.
- Understand key geographical processes and how they shape our world.
- Become proficient in geographical skills such as map reading, fieldwork, and data presentation.
- Make connections across subjects, including Spanish and History.
Nursery
In Nursery, pupils begin to explore geography by learning about their immediate surroundings and the people and places that are familiar to them. They talk about their homes, families, and what they see on their way to school. Through stories, photos, and simple maps, they begin to understand that different people live in different kinds of homes and places. Pupils enjoy seasonal walks where they observe changes in the weather and nature, helping them to notice how the world around them changes over time. They also begin to explore different environments through play and storytelling, such as forests, farms, and oceans, laying the foundation for understanding the wider world.
Reception
Human Geography
Our School
- Make simple observations about the geography of the classroom and school.
- Make comparisons between features of different places.
- Describe the location of familiar places.
- Link with: Who am I?
Physical Geographical
Geographical Similarities
- Geographical similarities and differences. Eg. Deserts are hot, sandy. Arctic is cold and snowy. What is it like in Broadclyst or Devon or England?
- Identify seasonal changes in the UK.
Geographical Skills
- Locational and directional features to describe landmarks or natural features. Eg. Above, below, under, over..
Map Reading
- Interpreting
- Orientation
- Drawing
- Symbols
- Perspective & Scale
- Digital Map Making
Year 1
Where I Live: Understanding routes to school, comparing places.
Farming: Locating continents and oceans, climate impact on agriculture.
Map Making & Fieldwork: Simple maps, symbols, local fieldwork with digital technologies.
Spanish Links: Spanish farming and local produce.
Human Geography
Where I live
- Explain the route that is taken to get to school.
- Make comparisons between features of different places
- Explain the order an address is written
- use aerial photographs and plan perspectives to recognise landmarks and basic human features
- devise a simple map; and use and construct basic symbols in a key
- Link with: Travel through time
Physical Geographical
Geographical Similarities
- Geographical similarities and differences. Eg. Deserts are hot, sandy. Arctic is cold and snowy. What is it like in Broadclyst or Devon or England?
- Identify seasonal changes in the UK.
Geographical Skills
Location Language
- Locational and directional features to describe landmarks or natural features. Eg. Above, below, under, over…
Map Reading
- Interpreting
- Orientation
- Drawing
- Symbols
- Perspective & Scale
- Digital Map Making
Spanish Links
Spanish Farming
- Look at the weather and which crops grow well in Spain e.g., strawberries.
- Local culture of Spain including food and local produce e.g., chorizo.
Year 2
Understanding Britain: Naming countries, capitals, comparing regions in UK, Europe, and non-European countries.
Natural Disasters: Studying earthquakes, tsunamis, linking to Spanish geography.
Map Making & Fieldwork: Enhanced map skills, aerial photo interpretation, fieldwork with digital mapping.
Spanish Links: Mapping Spanish cities, studying natural disasters.
Human Geography
Understanding Britain
- Name and locate the four countries of Britain, capital cities and their seas.
- Look at similarities and differences between a small area in England (Devon), European Country (Spain) and an area from a non-European country (Kenya) through the study of human geography.
- Link with: WW2
Physical Geographical
Understanding Britain
- Name and locate the four countries of Britain, capital cities and their seas.
- Look at similarities and differences between a small area in England (Devon), European Country (Spain) and an area from a non-European country (Kenya) through the study of human geography.
- Link with: WW2
- Describe and understand key aspects of physical
Natural Disasters
- geography, including: earthquakes, tsunami
(Contemporary examples) - Link with: Disasters history
Geographical Skills
Map Reading/ Making
- Interpreting
- Orientation
- Drawing
- Symbols
- Perspective & Scale
- Digital Map Making
Fieldwork
Use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in a local area using a range of methods including sketch maps, plans and graphs and digital technologies.
A detailed plan on this can be found here: Fieldwork Progression Plan
Spanish Links
Spanish Geography
- Name and locate the main cities of Spain including the capital, Madrid.
- Explore any natural disasters that have happened in the country. Lorca Earthquake, Hierro Eruption
- Look at aerial photos of Spanish landmarks and identify.
Year 3
Region Comparison: Comparing human and physical geography across UK, Europe, and Americas.
Physical Geography: Studying mountains, volcanoes, climate zones.
Map Making & Fieldwork: More advanced drawing and interpreting of maps, structured fieldwork.
Spanish Links: Comparing regions of Spain with Britain.
Human Geography
Region Comparison
- Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human geography of a region of:
- UK
- EU Country (Italy/Spain)
- American (Central America – Belize & Mexico)
- Link with: Roman history
Link with: Mayan history
Physical Geographical
Region Comparison
- Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of the physical geography of a region of:
- UK
- EU Country (Italy & Spain)
- American (Central America – Belize & Mexico)
- Link with: Roman history
- Link with: Mayan history
- Locate hot and cold areas of the world by looking at the Equator.
- Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography, including: mountains and volcanoes.
- Link with: Romans and Mayans
Geographical Skills
Map Reading/ Making
- Interpreting
- Orientation
- Drawing
- Symbols
- Perspective & Scale
- Digital Map Making
Fieldwork
Use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in a local area using a range of methods including sketch maps, plans and graphs and digital technologies.
A detailed plan on this can be found here: Fieldwork Progression Plan
Spanish Links
Spanish Region Comparison
- Region Comparison
- Geographical similarities and differences between Spain and Britain
Year 4
Climate: Studying world climates, biomes, vegetation belts, water cycle.
Physical & Human Geography: Exploring countries, cities, climate regions.
Map Making & Fieldwork: Scale and perspective in maps, independent fieldwork recording and presentation.
Spanish Links: Climate studies in Spanish-speaking countries.
Human Geography
Climate
- Locate world countries (Russia, China, India, Japan, Australia etc.) concentrating on their key human features and major cities.
- Link with: GCP: Photography
- Link with: Equiano the adventurer – tracking the climate across his adventures.
Physical Geographical
Climate
- Locate world countries concentrating on their environmental regions, the climate of these areas and key physical features.
- Link with: GCP: Photography
- Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts and the water cycle.
- Identify daily weather patterns in the UK
Link with: Victorian Slave Trade. Triangular trade – West indies sugar, South USA cotton and tobacco
Geographical Skills
Map Reading/ Making
- Interpreting
- Orientation
- Drawing
- Symbols
- Perspective & Scale
- Digital Map Making
Fieldwork
Use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in a local area using a range of methods including sketch maps, plans and graphs and digital technologies.
A detailed plan on this can be found here: Fieldwork Progression Plan
Spanish Links
Spanish Climate
- Explore other Spanish speaking countries e.g. Mexico, parts of South America and compare the climate in these countries.
- Identify weather patterns in these countries.
- Plot these countries on a map and talk about their location in relation to equator, northern/southern hemisphere etc
Year 5
Features of Britain: Settlements, land use, how regions have changed over time.
Rivers and Coasts: Studying river systems, coastal processes, field trip studies.
Map Making & Fieldwork: Annotated field maps, river and coastal surveys, advanced digital mapping.
Spanish Links: Rivers and coastlines of Spain.
Human Geography
Featurs of Britain
- Name and locate cities of UK, geographical regions and their human characteristics.
- Link with: GCP – Documentaries
- Types of settlement that exist in the UK and land-use.
- How they have changed over time. And why?
- Link with: Bronze and Iron Age History
Physical Geographical
Rivers and Coasts
- Trip: Heatree River Study
- Trip: Dawlish Warren
- Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography, including: Rivers and coasts.
- Explain what weathering and erosion mean.
- Describe how erosion changes rocks.
- Name some features of a coastline.
Features of Britain
- Name and locate counties of UK, geographical regions and their physical characteristics.
- Locate key cities in the uk and highlight their land-use patterns. Highlight the key topographical features (hills, mountains, valleys, coasts, rivers) How have they changed over time and why?
Geographical Skills
Map Reading/ Making
- Interpreting
- Orientation
- Drawing
- Symbols
- Perspective & Scale
- Digital Map Making
Fieldwork
Use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in a local area using a range of methods including sketch maps, plans and graphs and digital technologies.
A detailed plan on this can be found here: Fieldwork Progression Plan
Spanish Links
Spanish Coast/ River
- Explore the main rivers in Spain. How long are they, where do they begin and end?
- Look at the features of a Spanish coastline, do they have the same as England?
Year 6
Trade and Economy: Economic activity, trade links, resource distribution.
Changing Landscapes: Studying physical changes to the Earth since 1800 and future predictions.
Map Making & Fieldwork: Comprehensive fieldwork projects, detailed maps, using GIS tools.
Spanish Links: Spanish trade, distribution, and post-EU trade impacts.
Human Geography
Trade and Economy
- Describe and understand key aspects of human geography, including: economic activity including trade links, distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water.
- Link with: GEC
Physical Geographical
Changing Landscapes
- Describe how physical changes have affected Earth since 1800.
- List some physical changes to the Earth predicted to occur by 2050.
- Link with: Trade and boarders.
Geographical Skills
Map Reading/ Making
- Interpreting
- Orientation
- Drawing
- Symbols
- Perspective & Scale
- Digital Map Making
Fieldwork
Use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in a local area using a range of methods including sketch maps, plans and graphs and digital technologies.
A detailed plan on this can be found here: Fieldwork Progression Plan
Spanish Links
Spanish Coast/ River
- Trade: What are the main goods Spain produces and trades?
- Where are the main distribution centres e.g. ports?
- Who do they trade with?
- Will leaving the EU affect any transportation of their goods?
