Back

Geography - Mrs Gatter

"The study of geography is about more than just memorising places on a map. It's about understanding the complexity of the world, appreciating the diversity of cultures that exists across its continents. And in the end, it's about using all that knowledge to help bridge divides and bring people together."

-Barack Obama-

At Oldfield Park Junior School we shape our geography curriculum to ensure it is fully inclusive to every child. Our aims are to provide a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum; ensuring the progressive development of geographical concepts, knowledge and skills; and for the children to develop a love for geography, the environment around them and their role in the future of our planet.

 

Intent

At Oldfield Park Junior School, we aim for a high quality geography curriculum which inspires our pupils to develop a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people. Our teaching equips pupils with knowledge about a range of places – both in Britain and abroad – and people; resources in the environment; physical and human processes; formation and use of landscapes. We aim to provide children with opportunities to investigate and make enquiries about their local area of Bath and North East Somerset so that they can develop a real sense of who they are, their heritage and what makes our local area unique and special. We also want children to develop geographical skills: collecting and analysing data; using maps, globes, aerial photographs and digital mapping to name and identify countries, continents and oceans; and communicating information in a variety of ways. We want children to enjoy and love learning about geography by gaining this knowledge and skills, not just through experiences in the classroom, but also with the use of fieldwork and educational visits.

 

Implementation

In ensuring high standards of teaching and learning in geography, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. Geography is taught as part of a termly topic, focusing on knowledge and skills stated in the National Curriculum. At Oldfield Park Junior School, we ensure that the geography education provided enables all children to gain ‘real-life’ experiences wherever relevant; for example, comparing the similarities and differences in environments and communities in Lower Key Stage 2, through to discussing world issues on deforestation in Upper Key Stage 2.

 

Impact

The impact and measure of this is to ensure that children at Oldfield Park Junior School are equipped with geographical skills and knowledge that will enable them to be ready for the next stage of their education and for life as an adult in the wider world. We want the children to have thoroughly enjoyed learning about geography, therefore encouraging them to undertake new life experiences now and in the future. We also want them to be passionate about their world and how they can help to protect it for the future.


Geography Curriculum

Geography-at-OPJS.docx

Geography-Policy-1.pdf

Geography-Curriculum-Map-2021-22.pdf


Fieldwork at OPJS

In order to be a good Geographer we need to undertake fieldwork to ask questions, discover the data and answer the questions asked. At OPJS we are working hard to include more fieldwork in our curriculum post COVID restrictions. We aim this year to complete fieldwork both on our school site and further afield. 

COP26

In November 2021, the nations of the world met in Glasgow to discuss how we can protect our planet. Here at OPJS we discussed it alongside the leaders of the world. For an entire week every year group tirelessly challenged views of the world, we discussed global warming and eco concerns and we investigated methods for supporting change.

Some year groups took the opportunity to combine geography with maths, science and art to really dig deep into the matters uppermost in our minds.  

IMG 4519   IMG 4522  IMG 4521

IMG 4523  IMG 4531  IMG 4528

Remembrance Day for Lost Species

Every year on the 30th November is Remembrance Day for Lost Species. It gives time to look back at animals that have become extinct over the years but more importantly, it reminds us to look at the animals who are on the endangered list so that we can look at how to support them to ensure that they don't end up as a Lost Species.

To support this, each class at OPJS has adopted an endangered animal and receives regular updates as to how their species is getting on.

IMG 7624

Census Day 2021

Sunday 21st March 2021 was Census Day across the UK. We joined forces with the Office for National Statistics and had our own Census appreciation afternoon. Each year group studied the importance of the Census and discovered what details it set out to ask each adult in the UK. We then looked at how the Census data could direct town planning and had a go at planning our own towns based on some demographic data. The children had to consider what each demographic might need in their town and also what could impact on their well being and help to make a happy population.

IMG 7612 IMG 7613

Orienteering at OPJS

We have been looking at how to make the most of our fantastic school grounds during this period of uncertainty for school trips. 

We have begun by engaging with orienteering and we are very lucky to have the space in our grounds to make this a fun and engaging activity for all involved. Maths, English, PE and Geography all help to make orienteering a rewarding extra curricular activity.

IMG 7623

Earth Day 2021 

Thursday 22nd April was Earth Day where people around the world pledge support for environmental protection. We at OPJS thoroughly support this ethos and children across the school considered what they could do to support their planet.

IMG 7610

Website Links:

Earth Day digital campaign:

https://www.earthday.org/campaign/digital-earth-day/Nature Walk Ideas:https://www.plt.org/educator-tips/nature-walk-activitiesReduce, Reuse,  Recycle Ideas:

https://www.plt.org/educator-tips/reduce-reuse-recycle-lesson-ideasInspiring examples of young environmentalists: 

https://www.plt.org/story/young-environmentalists-examples/7 eco-friendly actions for kids during the pandemic:

https://www.earthday.org/7-eco-friendly-actions-for-kids-during-the-pandemic/Earth Day news and stories:

https://www.earthday.org/news-and-stories/Upload your litter picking information:

https://www.kidsagainstplastic.co.uk/https://www.litterati.org/Interesting Talks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=XWxtlqHjxvo&feature=emb_logohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4ptaIDAIlYhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSUmo-40pqAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAmmUIEsN9A


Are you Eco-friendly?Interactive Geography gamesMet Office - what is the weather like where you live?Recycle Zone

Use this search engine to help plant trees:

https://www.ecosia.org/?c=en

Page Gallery

Your browser is out-of-date!

Update your browser to view this website correctly. Update my browser now

×