At Priestsic Primary School we are all geographers!

During a child's journey through Priestsic Primary School, they will develop knowledge and skills through a concept driven curriculum deepening their understanding of the world.

 In EYFS, the children are encouraged to observe, explore and investigate the world around them. In KS1 and 2, geographical concepts are explored further, building a love of and respect for both the built and natural world. To encourage this respect for nature and the environment, we provide our children with a range of field trips and over night residentials.  

We encourage our children to learn through practical situations where ever possible, encouraging them to develop their field work and mapping skills.  During the year, we map out and recording all the amazing places we meet in our curriculum studies.  To help us know more and understand more, there is a sharp focus on  learning the subject -specific vocabulary relating to the human and physical aspects of geography.

 Another vital concept that has been developed in our curriculum is that of climate change and the role our children can play in tackling this. The children are encouraged to take an active role in this, seeing themselves as the driving force for change. We encourage all our pupils to  express their opinions, get involved and take responsibility for their world.

Earth Day 2022

22nd April is Earth Day. This year the theme was 'Invest in Our Planet'. Children across all year groups spent time learning why Earth Day is important and why we celebrate it. They completed activities around the theme 'Invest in Our Planet'.

F2

In F2, the children have been developing their knowledge of the world. They have explored their environment and learned to care for it. We have also learnt about the effects of plastic on the world.

Year 1 have been learning about the UK. The children have been learning the capital cities of each of the 4 countries in the UK, as well as learning the names of the seas that surround us. They have been learning about the weather and seasons. The children have really enjoyed measuring the temperature in our different seasons and creating graphs to show how much rain has fallen!

Our Year 1 children have also learnt about the changes to the local landscape when they carried out some field work to find out where the train lines used to run. They mapped their findings when they got back.

The children really enjoyed finding out about two contrasting localities when they studied hot places and cold places. They explored what the extremes of the weather were like and how that impacted on the environment and the people and animals that live there. They found out about the brave people who have conquered these extremes of weather like Ann Bancroft, the Polar explorer.

In Year 2, the children have learnt the names of the continents and oceans of the world. We explored what could be seen from space and the shape of the globe.

We have explored and researched the human features of London and re-capped that it is the capital city of England.

We then learnt about our local area and explored where we are using aerial photographs and maps. We carried out field work by walking around the local area and then designing a map with a key to help a visitor find their way around. We have then used our experiences to write a report about our local area.

In Year 3, the children have learnt about our local area, the county of Nottinghamshire. They have looked at a range of maps and explored how the land use has changed over time. The children have learnt why the land use has changed and have predicted what further changes might be.

They have also learnt about the tectonic plates that make up the Earth's crust and how these are constantly moving. We looked at how they lead to earthquakes and volcanoes and the different parts of these. We even made our own erupting volcanoes!

In Year 5, the children have learnt about mountains. They have explored both mountains in the UK and around the world. They have developed an understanding of the different mountain types and how they are formed. They have located these on maps and used geographical skills to record the highest peaks and investigate contours. They also undertook an in depth study of Junko Tabei, who was the first woman to climb to the summit of Mount Everest. They were inspired by her bravely and determination.

Year 5 have also learnt about South Africa and what it is like to live there after reading  Journey to Jo'burg by Beverley Naidoo.  They had even met virtually with a South African school!

Year 6

In Year 6, the children have been learning about Brazil and the similarities and differences between Brazil and the UK. They have also learnt about rainforests including the causes and effects of deforestation.