AWA Geography Curriculum Principles

Intent Statement:

Our aim is to create the best geographers who can think, act and speak like those working in the geographical field. We want to build the Cultural Capital of our students by helping them to understand the contemporary world around them. We have a diverse, knowledge-based curriculum that develops our students to be independent learners.

Implementation Key Principles:

  • Lessons are linked to the contemporary world to help engage students
  • We have a spiral curriculum that has been designed starting at key stage 5 and working backwards to key stage 3 (in some cases it has been following university feedback -e.g. unit in 9 on oceans as that has been identified as a weaker area in knowledge for geography students)
  • Every unit is designed with knowledge and skills laid out in the SOL and each lesson is planned backwards
  • Tier 3 vocabulary is identified in the scheme of work a and highest leverage words explicitly taught
  • Opportunities to teach students how to gather data and design fieldwork are drawn upon where possible
  • Lessons are designed to ensure all students are able to access the curriculum and meet individual needs
  • Assessment for learning is planned into all lessons in order to inform teaching
  • Content is rich, relevant and reflective of the diverse world in which we live
  • Learning is sequenced to enable young people to develop knowledge and skills
  • Literacy is explicitly delivered across the curriculum
  • Learning is adapted to support the specific needs of individuals
  • A sustainable approach is supported through the curriculum
  •  Resilience is promoted for students by frequent (low stakes) assessment to inform teaching

In classrooms, this may look like:

  • Tier 3 vocabulary explicitly taught using school literacy techniques including literacy model and ‘inside, outside and beyond’
  • Lessons follow a clear ‘I, we, you’ structure.
  • Students are challenged to use geographical terminology when talking in pairs or sharing answers with the class.
  • Lessons are differentiated for all students using scaffolding and challenge tasks
  • Carefully planned shared schema, developed by experts and tailored by teachers to meet the needs of teaching groups
  • DO NOW tasks drawing on prior learning
  • Signature strategies used for Checking Understanding, such as Show Call, Show Me, Intentional Monitoring
  • Shared literacy and reading strategies in place, such as Inside Outside Beyond and whole class reading work
  • Precise pedagogical decisions made for students with additional needs (EHCP, SEND K, PSP, Behavioural, PA) including additional adults, alternative resources or outcomes, seating arrangements, precise deployment of signature strategies
  • Teaching which alters according to student understanding demonstrated both from assessment points and within lessons

In work produced, this may look like:

  • Regular feedback: model answers on the board and self-assessed in green pen; marked by teacher in books with prompts to improve in green pen
  • Re-teach episodes following tri-weekly or termly assessments
  • Work should have a sub-title of ‘independent task’ for writing tasks
  • Regular feedback, which addresses knowledge or skills gaps
  • Opportunities for conscious practise by students (reteach episodes, ‘fix-it’ sessions, revision)
  • Opportunities for self and peer assessment, engaging with success criteria
  • As relevant to Key Stage, opportunities to engage with exam-style content
  • Home learning will promote digital literacy in line with school strategy

For students, this experience may include:

  • Understand the journey of the curriculum and the synoptic links between the lessons and units.
  • Asked to speak like a geographer using full sentences and geographical terminology
  • Understand how their geographical knowledge and skills can be applied in their future careers and their role in society
  • Consistent staffing in lessons with teachers who know them and similar learning journeys across year groups
  • Regular opportunities to engage with feedback on progress (parents’ evenings, progress grades, reports, assessment feedback, in-class feedback, marking)
  • A clear sense of the curriculum journey leading to CEIAG – how can you pursue this field of study? What might it lead you to?
  • Where students are taught by professionals at the start of their career, they can expect additional adults in classes supporting through a range of strategies (live coaching, learning walks, observations, team teaching)

Impact Key Principles

In evaluating the impact of our curriculum, we will consider:

  • Outcomes data, such as A level and BTEC Results, GCSE results, Additional qualifications (sports leaders, community languages, Entry level qualifications) and the performance of vulnerable groups within that data
  • Destinations data at common points of transition from the school (Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5)
  • Internal and external Quality Assurance processes (Ark review processes, governor accountability processes, internal audit processes, Ofsted)
  • The development of professionals into experts in their field through their work in supporting colleagues, supporting other schools, developing curriculum resource, becoming examiners etc.

Curriculum Overview:

Autumn 1

Autumn 2

Spring 1

Spring 2

Summer 1

Summer 2

7

Geography and me

Our planet

Resources and trade

Crazy Cities

Investigating weather

Controversial coasts

8

River Rivals

Food and Famine

Endless Energy?

Climate Change

Polar Environments

The Middle East – A Regional Study

9

Climate Change

The Middle East – A Regional Study

Global Oceans (tectonics and global processes)

The Global Economy

Development Disparity

Glacial Landforms and Processes

10

Ecosystems and Rainforests

Hot deserts

Rivers

Rivers

Coasts

Coasts

Fieldwork

11

Rivers

Changing economic World

Changing economic World

Revision

Decision making and fieldwork

Revision

12

Coastal systems and landscapes

Changing Places

Coastal systems and landscapes

Changing Places

Hazards

Resource security

Hazards

Resource security

Non -examined assessment

13

Carbon and Water cycles

Global systems and governance

Non -examined assessment

Carbon and Water cycles

Global systems and governance

Revision