Geography at Trinity

Curriculum intent

Our Curriculum Intent is for pupils to know more, do more and learn more.

A guiding principle of CUSP Geography is that each study draws upon prior learning.  High volume and deliberate practice is essential for pupils to remember and retrieve substantive knowledge and use their disciplinary knowledge to explain and articulate what they know. This means pupils make conscious connections and think hard, using what they know.

CUSP Geography is built around the principles of cumulative knowledge focusing on spaces, places, scale, human and physical processes with an emphasis on how content is connected and relational knowledge acquired. An example of this is the identification of continents, such as Europe, and its relationship to the location of the UK.

What do we teach?

• EYFS
• Marvellous me: Describing the environment using knowledge from observations.
• Amazing Autumn: Exploring the world around them
• Superheroes: Talking about the lives around them and their roles in society
• In a Land Far Away: Similarities and differences between life in the UK and other countries.
• All Creatures Great and Small: Explore the natural world around them
• Our Wonderful World: Contrasting environments. 
• Year 1
• continents
• Oceans
• Countries of the UK
• Capital cities of the UK
• Seas around the UK
• The Equator
• North and South Poles
• Hot and cold places
• School study (maps)
• Year 2
• Human and physical features
• Compare a small part of the UK to a non-European location (Nairobi)
• Fieldwork and map skills
• Compare a small part of the UK to a non-European location (Amazon Rainforest)
• Year 3
  Fieldwork and map skills
• Fieldwork: Human and Physical features
• UK Study
• OS map and scale
  Year 4
• Fieldwork and map skills
• Fieldwork: Human and Physical features
• UK Study
• OS map and scale
  Year 5
• World countries – Biomes and environmental regions
• 4 and 6 figure map references
• OS maps and fieldwork
  Year 6
• Comparison study – UK, Europe and North or South America
• Physical processes: Earthquakes, mountains and volcanoes
• Settlements
• New Maps an orienteering

How do pupils learn?

Each unit includes an overview for teacher which details the big idea that pupils will be studying, prior knowledge, skills to be taught and common misconceptions. 

Dual coded knowledge organisers contain core information for children to easily access and use as a point of reference and as a means of retrieval practise.  The sequence of learning makes clear essential and desirable knowledge, key questions and task suggestions for each lesson and suggested cumulative quizzing questions.

Retrieval practise is planned into the curriculum through spaced learning and interleaving and as part of considered task design by the class teacher.  Teaching and learning resources and provided for class teachers so they can focus their time on subject knowledge and task design.  Knowledge notes are an elaboration in the core knowledge found in knowledge organisers. 

Knowledge notes focus pupils’ working memory to the key question that will be asked at the end of the lesson.  It reduces cognitive load and avoids the split-attention effect.

The units are supported by vocabulary modules which provide both resources for teaching and learning vital vocabulary and provide teachers with Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary with the etymology and morphology needed for explicit instruction details relevant idioms and colloquialisms to make this learning explicit. 

We aim to provide a high challenge with low threat culture and put no ceiling on any child’s learning, instead providing the right scaffolding for each child for them to achieve.