Primary Geography: the adapted Mountain Environment Unit 15

Course Focus:
Looking at issues of continuity, progression and assessment of Geography KS1 and 2. The day focuses on The adapted Mountain Environment Unit 15: which uses geographical enquiry and skills to develop knowledge and understanding of places, patters and processes and environmental change and sustainable development
Reasons for Attending:
In considering how to improve and develop a more creative curriculum in Geography these courses always offer great ideas and resources.


Immediate Professional Learning:
DCS Geography and Sustainability Adviser: David Weatherly
Yet again another great course which provided us with knowledge of The Mountain Environment and a fully resourced scheme of work (on CD) which we can edit and adapt as we wish.

The objectives for the day were:-
Appropriate progression and expectation
Enquiry based learning and teaching activities to improve performance
A resourced curriculum on the Mountain environment

It is important to consider where we are taking the children and how we are going to get there? We are teaching children to be ‘good geographers’ not ‘good at geography’.

In developing our own curriculum we should refer to the intellectual expectations for geographical skills. This progression is true of any subject—just substitute geography for DT etc.
Enquiry based learning should provide opportunities for children to undertake a learning activity where they are not aware of the answer:-
Key question
Investigation / enquiry
Meaningful learning

With many schools reviewing their curriculum and with an impending national KS2 curriculum review we should be ‘creative’ in how we design the curriculum but also be ‘robust’ that is ensure that expectations are appropriate. They should reflect local communities / area and be intellectually demanding.

In geography there is only a requirement to cover 6 topics in 6 years i.e. two topics in Key Stage 2 and four on Key Stage 2. The PoS for Geography does not specify the topics which need to be covered.

As always the resourced unit places emphasis on ‘Thinking Skills’ and uses a variety of activities which encompass different learning styles. Many of the activities sit at level 4 / 5 in terms of progression expectations. It also uses cross curricular links to History / Maths / Literacy and Science placing the emphasis firmly on the fact that we are teaching children to be ‘good geographers’ not ‘good at geography’.

Links included:-
· Victorian Britain and Cholera epidemics and how reservoirs were built in Wales to supply water for Birmingham!
· Maths links in presenting and interpreting climate data.
· How is electricity made using water and turbines?
· Environmental issues such as Wind farms, creating new reservoirs as demand for power / water rises—sustainability issues. These activities can be transferred to nuclear power stations too!
· Instructional writing / poster of rules / regulations for a Welsh mountain trail.
· Debate for and against Wind Farms—use of transitional connectives to present the two sides of the argument.
· Discursive writing

It is interesting that map work is not a key focus of geography. It is suggested that rules for map work is that they are linked to relevant work in the unit and used to introduce / locate places. They do not need to come at the beginning of a unit and should not just focus on OS maps. Make comparison between maps such as satellite images, political and geographical features. Use maps which are relevant to subject covered / discussed. This might include tourist maps / guides / trail maps etc.

A useful day yet again with lots of ideas and resources!

Follow up actions:
· Consider the Units which we currently cover in geography across the Key Stage. We currently cover 6 units and only need to do 4!
· Which units work well? Which units could be adapted / removed?
· How can we ensure that geography is exciting and enhances opportunities to develop a more creative curriculum?
· Many of the activities resourced for the QCA units I have attended could easily be adapted to other units?
· Put together a bank of ideas for activities in Units we wish to keep.
· Attend Geography Conference in July (The Gambia)- cancelled
· Attend Focus days in October 2007, Jan 2008 and June 2008. These will focus on a KS1/foundationn unit (useful for amalgamation preparation )/ A contrasting locality in the UK and possibly the Gambia or renewed Coasts work.