Geography

The National Curriculum (2014) states, “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.” This statement provides the overarching aims for our geography curriculum at Dore Primary School. The National Curriculum also sets out the subject’s scope and content that will be studied in Key Stages 1 and 2. For the Foundation Stage, the Early Learning Goals similarly provide guidance to ensure children are developing their Understanding of the World.  

We ensure that throughout the school each year group gives our children opportunities to learn about geography in a way that allows them to progress and become fluent in their geographical knowledge and skills. At Dore Primary School geography is taught though our topics which are chosen by each year group to give a focus to the learning each half term. We aim to make our curriculum relevant, current, creative, exciting and engaging. Lessons are planned to respond to current and important issues and are closely related to the real world making children’s learning purposeful and meaningful. Our geography curriculum is also explicitly linked to our whole school values and our social, moral, spiritual and cultural responsibilities.A link to a document setting out these connections is below.

At Dore Primary School our geography curriculum is also closely linked to our Global Dimension and Charity commitments  as a Unicef Rights Respecting School and Fairtrade School, as well as our whole school focus on Outdoor Learning.

GEOGRAPHY – INTENT, IMPLEMENTATION AND IMPACT STATEMENT:

Geography News:

  • Year 5 – Narrative Writing – The Ridge
    Linking with our geographical Learning Journey, Out and About, Year 5 have been writing narratives based on The Ridge. We first focused upon building an atmosphere of apprehension by describing the daunting setting and the characters body-language to represent his emotions. We then switched to use similar techniques to show Danny’s exhilaration as he tackled the… Read more: Year 5 – Narrative Writing – The Ridge
  • Y3 Clay Models – Polar Animals
    Inspired by Inuit sculpture we made models of polar animals out of clay. To make them strong, we needed to form them out of one piece not stick bits together. We also painted a background showing the environment they live in. We used our models and backgrounds to consider how animals are adapted to survive… Read more: Y3 Clay Models – Polar Animals
  • Y2- Geography- Compass reading
    The Y2’s have been enjoying their learning journey topic of “Home and Away”. Last week they learnt how to effectively use a compass around our school grounds.
  • FS2 – Imaginary maps
    Today we talked about Geography being the study of places and had a look at some different types of maps. The children then created theirown maps. Some at the table with an adult, some wanted to have a go themseves in the provision. Lots of the children had taken on board the common features of… Read more: FS2 – Imaginary maps
  • Y3 Outdoor Learning – Shelter Building
    Linked to our Pole to Pole learning journey our theme this term was shelter building. Our day was suitably chilly -2 degrees but no one complained! Just look how we got on. There were four activities running through out the day: Activity 1: To make a ridge line shelter tarp lean to. Activity 2 –… Read more: Y3 Outdoor Learning – Shelter Building
  • Y1 Autumn Walk
    Year 1 went on an Autumn walk to look for seasonal changes.
  • Y3 Geography
    In our new Learning Journey ‘Pole to Pole’ the children had an immersive lesson all about the Earth using Tier 3 vocabulary. We set up the hall to look like a huge globe using cones and labelled different parts. The children then had to find their way to the correct place when asked. We looked… Read more: Y3 Geography
  • Y4 River Fieldwork
    To tie in with our ‘Amazonian Adventure’, Y4 learned about the features of rivers, and how water flows through them. To embed the new vocabulary and test out some ideas (hypotheses) we had come up with, we visited Old Hay Brook on a Geography Field Trip. We sketched and annotated what we could see, using… Read more: Y4 River Fieldwork
  • Y4 Layers of the Rainforest
    As part of our ‘Amazonian Adventure’ learning journey, we studied how the flora of the rainforest can be split into different layers: emergent, canopy, understorey and undergrowth/forest floor. To conslidate this learning, children spent an outdoor learning session trying to recreate scale models of the rainforest using scavenged items.
  • Year 3 Summer Walk
    To celebrate the end of Year 3, we enjoyed a lovely walk together up to Blacka Moor (and back!). The children (and parent helpers) were brilliant enjoying the countryside and being together. We spotted some features of plants we had been leaning about (Mainly sticky seed dispersal techniques!) We also collected rocks for analysis the… Read more: Year 3 Summer Walk
  • FS2 Nature Treasure Chests
    What a magical time we have had this week in outdoor learning. Children had to hunt high and low for natures treasures on our school grounds and found some really interesting things. Off we went with our treasure chests (egg boxes) which we filled with: snail shells, baby conkers, apple babies, cherry babies, catkins, beech… Read more: FS2 Nature Treasure Chests
  • FS2 Orienteering (outdoor learning)
    This week children in FS2 had the opportunity to try orienteering. We had to put our map reading skills to the test and communicate effectively for this task. Children hunted for coloured flags around the school grounds, using numbers on a map to help them. We were really impressed with their determination to complete the… Read more: FS2 Orienteering (outdoor learning)
  • Y4 Visit to Burbage Valley
    To support our learning in Geography of maps and settlements, and History about Roman roads and bridge-making, Y4 hiked from Ringinglow along the Houndkirk Road, then down through Burbage Valley across the packhorse bridge and up to Carl Wark and then Higger Tor. Whilst walking, we investigated why some people think that the Houndkirk Road… Read more: Y4 Visit to Burbage Valley
  • Y5 Castleton Visit
    Y5 had a great trip out to Castleton last week. The children visited Peveril Castle and learnt about the history of the castle and how it was built in the wake of the Norman Conquest (when William the Conqueror came to the throne). The children were able to link this with their learning in relation… Read more: Y5 Castleton Visit
  • Ancient Egypt Scale model
    To kick off our Leaning Journey, Year 3 worked together to make a scale model of Ancient Egypt. It included: The River Nile Delta Fertile land Red Sea Mediterranean Sea Eastern and Western Deserts So many monuments! It was super lesson using history, geography, art and design skills as well as working together using the… Read more: Ancient Egypt Scale model
  • Schools Climate Emergency South Yorkshire Conference
    Children from Dore Primary School took part in the 3rd South Yorkshire schools’ climate action conference in March. This important conference was very popular so only six places were available to us. Children were asked to send in their pitch, (either written or by video message) for why they should get a place. Mrs Simpson… Read more: Schools Climate Emergency South Yorkshire Conference
  • Pre-School Fairtrade
    As it’s Fairtrade Fortnight, on Monday we learned about where our food comes from and what it means if it is Fairtrade. We looked at the logo and explored the journey of a banana. We went in the hall and made the journey of a banana. The children were banana trees, chopped down, transported, put… Read more: Pre-School Fairtrade
  • Y2 – Local History and Geography
    Today in Y2, the children have been studying the geographical changes in Dore since 1890. We identified that human features have changed the most, mainly the amount of houses built in the locality. We are creatively representing the changes we have discovered over time, as an aerial map.
  • Y3 – Science – Climate Change
    Some of the last learning Year 3 completed for their Pole to Pole topic was to understand climate change: What it is, How humans are causing it, The effects on the world’s biomes (espeically the polar region), What we can do about it. To do this, we: Used maps to understand what a geographical change… Read more: Y3 – Science – Climate Change
  • Y5 Geography – Map Symbols
      Y5 have continued their Out and About Learning Journey by learning about map symbols, how they are used to mark features on maps and how they can be useful for interpreting maps and for planning or following a route. The children began by looking at different maps and getting to grips with the Ordnance… Read more: Y5 Geography – Map Symbols