The Geography Curriculum at Oakley Infant School.

Intent

We aim for Geography at Oakley Infant School to inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination  about the world around them which will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Geography has a clear journey across the school, learning about their local environment, their community as well as the wider world. Geography is taught through exciting and engaging topics where the children will gain locational knowledge, an understanding of similarities and differences of human and physical geography, a good understanding of geographical vocabulary and Geographical skills and fieldwork experience. The children will have the opportunity to work collaboratively, ask questions and make links to help them make sense of the world around them. We aim to produce independent and evaluative thinkers who have empathy for how others live to develop an awareness, respect and curiosity for different cultures and societies and the physical world around them.

Geography at Oakley Infant School is accessible to all learners, regardless of individual starting points. We want all of our children to see themselves as Geographers and in doing so, they will

• gain an excellent knowledge of the location the world’s seven continents and five oceans
• name, locate and identify characteristics of the 4 countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom and its surrounding seas
• have a great understanding of geographical similarities and differences of human and physical geography of their local area, a small area of the United Kingdom, and of a small area in a contrasting non-European country
• identify seasonal and daily weather patterns (in the UK and around the world)
• use basic geographical vocabulary e.g. beach, cliff, coast, forest, hill, mountain, sea, ocean, river
• become confident using geographical resources, observational skills and fieldwork to study their local area and the world beyond.

Implementation

Our geography curriculum is carefully mapped to ensure that each topic builds on prior knowledge and understanding alongside developing key skills. As pupils progress through the school, their growing knowledge about the United Kingdom and the world helps to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes. Our aim is to provide an engaging curriculum that enables our learners to leave Oakley Infant School with a deep geographical knowledge alongside a strong sense of their role as a global citizen. Beyond the classroom, we use school grounds and trips to allow for rich, meaningful experiences that cement knowledge and engagement.

Impact

Our Geography Curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression.  We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• Assessment of standards achieved against the planned outcomes
• Marking and feedback
• Children talking about their learning in Geography confidently (Verbal feedback; Pupil conferencing).
• Children are ready for the next stage of their education

How to help your child become a brilliant geographer:

• Know your local area – explore it with your children.
• Walk to school  if possible – rather than go by car – touch the outdoor world – keep a record of what you see on the way.
• Play I Spy on the way to school. What a way to investigate the features of places! A for Archway B for Bus stop...
• Point out the range of maps that we can use to help us unravel the mystery of places. Be map collectors – in places that you visit that give out free maps, shopping centres, country parks, town centres, theme parks, museums etc. Read and explore them with your children – that’s where we went. 
• Let children plan the route they want to follow to school.
• Play with your child with their small world lay outs - farm sets, train sets, dolls houses etc – talk about the layouts and rooms etc – what belongs where – where the tractors go etc.
• Join the public library with your child and go regularly, choosing exciting books about people and places.
• Collect postcards and calendar pictures of places – make a place picture scrapbook.
• Take pictures of the view from your back window once each month at the end of the year can we order them together? How has the view changed through the months/seasons?
• When on holidays, help your child to make holiday diaries - artefacts, drawings, postcards and tickets etc.
• Talk about places in films that you watch together – Jungle Book, Lion King, Over the Hedge, Happy Feet and Ice Age.
• Hunt for different signs, signals and logos while on shopping trips. What do they mean? – Which shops are they outside of?
• Look at the food items that you are purchasing – note where they come from – look for the countries together in an atlas at home, or on Internet maps.
• On route talk about the landscapes you travel through. Be car plate and lorry spotters, where do they come from, in the UK or abroad.
• When at relatives such as the grandparents go for a short walk– talk about how the area is similar and different to the area that your home is in. Getting your child to begin to observe similarities and differences between places.
• Go for a walk in a local wood or forest – at different times of the year – spring time or autumn (leaf kicking time). Seasonality is a very important pattern in their lives.
• Watch the weather forecast. Did they get it right? 

The list is endless – You will have many ideas of your own! In a nutshell you can help your children learn by offering them exciting activities and by encouraging them to ask and to try to answer questions about the world in which we live.

The History Curriculum at Oakley Infant School

Intent

The History curriculum looks at changes within living memory, events beyond living memory, the lives of significant individuals and significant historical events, people and places in their own locality through high quality teaching and a range of engaging lessons, hands on experiences and inspirational visitors and visits. Children have the opportunity to work collaboratively, following their curiosity, to use resources and artefacts from the past and understand changes over time as well as help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. 

We encourage the children to think like historians, using the correct historical vocabulary and terminology, asking and answering appropriate questions, working towards completing a quality outcome at the end of the learning journey to demonstrate their learning. History is accessible to all learners, regardless of individual starting points.

Implementation

History is taught in units throughout the year and follows the Hampshire ‘Six Step Enquiry Approach’ in order that children achieve depth in their learning. They will use an enquiry based approach to draw comparisons and make connections between different time periods and their own lives. Our curriculum is carefully sequenced to build on the skills and knowledge children need to be able to achieve this. 

The children will have lots of hands on experiences through artefacts, visitors and visits to museums helping to embed their learning and understanding of historical times, people and events and develop Historical Enquiry skills.

Impact

Our History Curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression.  We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• Assessment of standards achieved against the planned outcomes
• Marking and feedback
• Children talking about their learning in History confidently using historical language (Verbal feedback; Pupil conferencing).
• Children are ready for the next stage of their education

How to help your child to become a brilliant historian

• Tell them about their own history and talk about how it was different when you were a child.
• Look at and talk about photos from events in their life. Put them in chronological order to make a personal timeline.
• Make a family tree, talking about how life was the same or different to now for each generation - jobs, toys, school, cars or clothes.
• Interview grandparents about events in their lives.
• Go to the library to find books to inspire their curiosity about historical people or events.
• Take historical trips to museums, monuments and historical sites.
• Cook recipes from the past - grandma's favourite scones.
• Historic dressing up and role play.
• Playing traditional games.
• Singing and talking about traditional rhymes.

History is so fascinating especially if its relevant to your child, so make it personal and keep sharing your experiences and memories with them, inspiring an interest in people and events from the past.