What am I going to learn in Geography?
Year 1 - The Seven Continents
Building on children’s understanding of spatial sense (their immediate and local area) and the UK, this unit zooms out to encompass the seven continents and five oceans of the world. Children will use globes and will begin to understand that a globe is a 3D model of our Earth showing continents and oceans. They will learn to recognise the north and south poles and the equator and will begin to understand what geographic location can tell us about climate. Throughout this unit, children will be forming an understanding that the world is a diverse place, and continents can host many different landscapes and living things. They will encounter new and ambitious vocabulary that features throughout the unit, offering children many opportunities to rehearse and apply it. Children will be introduced to the disciplinary concept of interconnection through examples such as human impact on our oceans and the creation of the rice terraces in the Philippines. Children will frequently be asked to consider what a geographer would say about a place. This helps to develop disciplinary knowledge as children begin to understand the questions asked in geography and the methods used to answer them.
Year 2 - Northern Europe
Building on children’s understanding of the seven continents from Year 1, children will look in more detail at Northern Europe. In this unit, children will begin to develop an understanding of migration and why animals move around the world. Children will also explore the concept of adaptation and consider how people and animals have adapted to survive in cold climates. Children will use maps of Northern Europe to identify key countries and key physical features. They will use maps to explore the location of countries such as Denmark, Norway and Sweden. They will recognise human features of the region, such as the Oresund Bridge that links Denmark and Sweden. Children will learn how to read a simple climate graph and compare the climate of a region in Northern Europe to that of the UK. To conclude this unit, children will learn about the explorer Roald Amundsen, who was born in Norway. They will learn about Amundsen’s travels through the Northwest Passage and about his expedition to the South Pole. They will learn how he took advice from the Innuit, who lived in the cold, icy climate of the Arctic Circle. This builds on children’s learning about people who embarked on adventures from EYFS including Ernest Shackleton who travelled to Antarctica.
Year 3 - Western Europe
Building on children’s understanding of the seven continents from Year 1, and Northern Europe from Year 2 children will look in more detail at Western Europe. As children progress through these units of European Geography, they will build on their locational understanding and will understand how location and climate are linked. In this unit, children will be taught about trade. Children will use maps of Western Europe to identify key countries and key physical features. They will use maps to explore the location of countries such as France, Germany and the Netherlands, recognising physical features such as peninsulas, mountains, and rivers. To conclude this unit, children will learn about France. They will locate Paris, the capital city and will look at maps of the city itself. They will identify the path of the River Seine and the River Rhone, reinforcing understanding of physical features (rivers) and human features (settlements). They will look closely at images of diverse French landscapes including the sandy beaches of Southern France, the wine regions and the Alps. They will learn that the Alps are mountains that have high altitude causing the climate of these regions to be cooler.
Year 4 - UK Geography
This unit builds on previous knowledge of regions of the UK from Year 2 (British Isles) and Year 3 (The South West) and introduces London and the South East of England. Children will build knowledge of the counties and cities of the UK, their geographical regions, human and physical characteristics and topographical features. Over time, as they progress through the curriculum, children are learning more and remembering more about regions of England. During this unit, children will use an atlas to identify key places within the region, including London, Dover, Canterbury and Brighton. In addition, they will look at regional proximities, including the location of France across the English Channel from the south-eastern coast of England.
Year 5 - East Anglia, Yorkshire and the Midlands
This unit builds on children’s understanding of UK geography and looks closely at the following regions of England: East Anglia, The Midlands, Yorkshire and Humberside. Children will use maps and atlases to locate countries and features of the regions they are studying. They will use relief maps and topographical maps, population data and will look at climate data too. Throughout this unit, children will look at how human activity can change and shape landscapes. They will look at this in different contexts, such as how people drained the Fens to create waterways and land for farming. They will learn how mining in the Midlands provided resources for industrial development. The Ribblehead Viaduct and the Humber Bridge will be studied as examples of how people have changed landscapes. This concept of interconnection is a strand running through the geography curriculum and children will understand more about how humans and the environment are connected as they move through the curriculum. If your school is located in one of the regions studied in this unit, you may like to adapt this unit to include more local geography.
Year 6- South American Geography
Building on children’s understanding of the seven continents from Year 1 and subsequent world geography, including studies of Europe, Australia, Asia and North America, in this unit children will study the human and physical geography of South America. Within this unit, children will use maps of South America to identify key countries and key physical features, including the Andes Mountains. They will use different maps to identify landscapes, biomes, industry and population distribution. Children will secure locational knowledge as they identify countries within South America. They will build on their knowledge of geology from previous units (such as mountains in Year 5 Geography and rocks in Year 3 Science) and will explore why geologists and scientists think South America and Africa were joined many millions of years ago. In this unit, children will learn about the Inca Empire, building on their knowledge of empires from history. This content has been included in this geography unit because it will help children to understand the significance of Machu Picchu (an Inca citadel located high in the Andes mountains) and also to understand how the Inca overcame the challenge of the terrain to build an empire across the Andes Mountain range. Children will explore the interconnection between humans and the environment when they study the Amazon Rainforest and the forest fires that have occurred there in recent years. They will consider the impact human activity has on the environment and the threat it can cause to biodiversity.
