Click here to view the 2014 Jersey Curriculum for Geography. For an overview and explanation please view the Parents' Guide to the 2014 Jersey Curriculum on our main curriculum page.
Geography builds on children’s natural curiosity about the world around them and provides a means of exploring, appreciating and understanding the world that we live in and how it has changed over time.
Developing geographical skills and enquiry is essential, as children live in a world that is wide open to them. We aim to equip them with the knowledge and skills to understand the physical and human features of countries and continents within their world. The teaching and learning of Geography would be difficult without acknowledging the future of our planet. Tying in with our Rights Respecting Schools work, we encourage the children to reflect on their own place in the world and their impact on the environment through Global Citizenship.
Jersey Geography Curriculum
Aims:
develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both terrestrial and marine – including their defining physical and human characteristics and how these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes
understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time
are competent in the geographical skills needed to:
-collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes -interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems -communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.
Wherever possible, use should be made of local examples to illustrate the human and physical geography of the Island.
Geography Curriculum Strands
The Geography Curriculum is separated into 4 strands: locational knowledge, place knowledge, human & physical geography and geography skills & fieldwork.
Locational Knowledge This strand of the curriculum focuses on naming and locating continents, countries, capital cities and oceans around the world. The children will also learn to name, locate and identify characteristics of Jersey and its parishes and look at locating the other Channel Islands and the surrounding waters. In Key Stage 2, children will also learn how to identify the position and significance of latitude, longitude, Equator, Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle, the Prime/Greenwich Meridian and time zones.
Place Knowledge This strand of the curriculum focuses on understanding geographical similarities and differences through studying human and physical geography. Children will compare places around the world including Jersey, the United Kingdom, European Countries and regions in other continents.
Human and Physical Geography This strand of the curriculum focuses on the physical (man-made) and human (natural) aspects of our world. The children will learn to use geographical vocabulary to refer to and describe key physical features of our world such as coast, river, soil, climate zone, biomes and vegetation belts. They will also describe and understand key aspects of human geography such as cities, farms, harbours, settlements, trade links and the distribution of natural resources. Geography Skills and Fieldwork This strand of the curriculum focuses on using a range of resources to learn about our world. The children will use aerial photographs, world maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to identify Jersey and the Channel Islands together with their position in relation to the United Kingdom and other countries, continents and oceans. The children will learn to use locational and directional language and compass directions to describe the location of features and routes on a map. Fieldwork and observational skills help children to study the geography of their school, its ground and its surrounding environment. They learn to observe, measure, record and present human and physical features using a range of methods, including sketch maps, plans and graphs and digital technologies.
Learning Outside the Classroom So much of our Geography learning takes place in the outdoors. To encourage children to explore their local environment, visits and fieldwork are carefully planned for to help children to develop their geographical enquiry skills. We are so lucky at Grouville School that we have access to a range of contrasting locations within our parish that we can visit to enhance our Geography learning, such as: local beaches, local fields and our meadow, Gorey village and the harbour area. Through these exciting experiences and trips, we want children to study and appreciate the geography of their local area and learn about the physical and human features within it.
Useful Learning Links
Click on a link to access these useful websites to support Geography learning at home: