The Staffordshire Expanding Geography Scheme
Key stage 2
The Overview
KS2A
During KS2A pupils undertake studies that develop an understanding of their
personal territory, themselves within school and a contrasting locality e.g.
wood. Pupils will be working at the personal awareness level supported by
appropriate experiences and opportunities
KS2B
During KS2B pupils undertake studies that develop an understanding of
themselves in a small-scale locations locally e.g. nearby park, Themselves in
a contrasting locality e.g. wood. An exploration of a distant place at a small
scale e.g. resources related to a small area of a town or village with which
they are familiar. Pupils will be working at developing personal knowledge of
geographical places and themes through practical activities and experiences
Key Stage 2
During key stage 2 pupils investigate a variety of people, places and
environments at different scales in the United Kingdom and abroad, and start
to make links between different places in the world. They find out how people
affect the environment and how they are affected by it. They carry out
geographical enquiry inside and outside the classroom. In doing this they ask
geographical questions, and use geographical skills and resources such as
maps, atlases, aerial photographs and ICT.
This document has originated from www.sln.org.uk/geography
Quality Learning Services, Staffordshire County Council
Geographical enquiry
KS2A –Pupils should:
a) be supported to show clear preferences for particular areas and
communicates these in some way.
b) show awareness and communicate in some way about environmental
objects and features that they come into contact with in their personal
space.
c) communicate their awareness that places are different and express a
preference.
d) use differentiated responses symbols or words to express their own
feelings about themselves in familiar locations
e) react respond and communicate in some way to a specific small scale
location: develop a more detailed understanding of the place, by reacting
and responding to features within that place and express their reactions
and responses through a personalized communication system shared with
an adult.
KS2B – Pupils should:
a) undertake studies that enable the child to formulate and respond to simple
geographical questions about familiar places
b) provide fieldwork opportunities that enable the child to develop strategies
that record in some way their active influence on their immediate
environment
c) consider a particular geographical feature e.g. rain, have opportunities to
develop an understanding of the particular feature and to use this
understanding to explore similarities and differences in a variety of places
e.g. rainfall in different localities.
d) develops a core vocabulary to communicate about the specific physical
and human features of a small scale locality and generalize these to a
variety of locations.
e) communicate their understanding of geographical terms in such a way that
it is a shared understanding of a concept or term; be able to transfer their
understanding to other places and themes.
This document has originated from www.sln.org.uk/geography
Quality Learning Services, Staffordshire County Council
Key stage 2
1.
In undertaking geographical enquiry, pupils should be taught to:
a) ask geographical questions [for example, 'What is this landscape like?',
'What do I think about it?']
b) collect and record evidence [for example, by carrying out a survey of shop
functions and showing them on a graph]
c) analyse evidence and draw conclusions [for example, by comparing
population data for two localities]
d) identify and explain different views that people, including themselves, hold
about topical geographical issues [for example, views about plans to build
an hotel in an overseas locality]
e) communicate in ways appropriate to the task and audience [for example,
by writing to a newspaper about a local issue, using e-mail to exchange
information about the locality with another school].
This document has originated from www.sln.org.uk/geography
Quality Learning Services, Staffordshire County Council
Geographical skills
KS2A – Pupils should:
a) respond to early geographical experiences in an interactive environment
e.g. walking, being pushed up a hill, going over rough ground.
b) demonstrate a consistent differentiated reaction to environmental objects
in a fieldwork location which can be interpreted and acted upon by adults
e.g. wet grass
c) in routine activities relate the object to self in relation to their own personal
space e.g. table layout at lunchtime.
d) develop a personal understanding of the location of features and the
relative location of features supported by a sensory map. ( pupils would
use elements of the sensory map that were relevant to their skill
development)
e) demonstrate that specific objects, symbols, signs or pictures related to
personal space carrying meaning for them.
f) use where appropriate ICT to develop and extend their experiences to
reinforce their personal awareness of self
g) not appropriate
KS2B – Pupils should:
a) hear listen and use a core vocabulary about themselves in a widening
range of different small scale localities.
b) develop and be able to represent their mental map of their immediate
environment in familiar locations in some form e.g. classroom.
c) use objects to represent a place e.g. small world activities. Develop an
ability to recreate experienced real places e.g. the layout of a shop visited.
d) further develop a personal understanding of the location of features and
the relative location of features supported by extending questioning.
e) make plans and maps that are either 3D or 2D representations of objects
and places; the plans and maps should involve the use of symbols and
simple keys
f) act upon environment to bring about change
g) strategies to solve simple problems within their personal territory e.g. how
do I get this book.
This document has originated from www.sln.org.uk/geography
Quality Learning Services, Staffordshire County Council
Key stage 2
2.
In developing geographical skills, pupils should be taught:
a) to use appropriate geographical vocabulary [for example, temperature,
transport, industry]
b) to use appropriate fieldwork techniques [for example, labelled field
sketches] and instruments [for example, a rain gauge, a camera]
c) to use atlases and globes, and maps and plans at a range of scales [for
example, using contents, keys, grids]
d) to use secondary sources of information, including aerial photographs [for
example, stories, information texts, the internet, satellite images,
photographs, videos]
e) to draw plans and maps at a range of scales [for example, a sketch map of
a locality]
f) to use ICT to help in geographical investigations [for example, creating a
data file to analyse fieldwork data]
g) decision-making skills [for example, deciding what measures are needed
to improve safety in a local street].
This document has originated from www.sln.org.uk/geography
Quality Learning Services, Staffordshire County Council
Knowledge and understanding of places
KS2A – Pupils should:
a) explore their immediate personal territory developing an opportunity to
react and respond to aspects of a place through smell, temperature, visual
stimulus, sound and touch
b) explore and develop their awareness of their personal territory and
awareness of features within a widening range of specific localities based
on direct experiences, practical activities and fieldwork.
c) develop an awareness of the impact of the environment on themselves.
d) become aware that in a specific location they affect and can be affected by
environmental characteristics
e) demonstrate an awareness that change has occurred in their immediate
environment, respond and react to that change e.g. if a play area is
moved in a classroom. Be aware that they can act on their immediate
environment to bring about change e.g. to meet a physical need and
developing goal directed behaviour.
f) experience contrasting locations, recognise and identify through their
actions an awareness that one place is different to another .
g) not appropriate
KS2B – Pupils should:
a) find out about the main physical and human features of each place in such
a way that pupils develop a shared understanding of these and can apply
them to new locations not yet studied.
b) use a simple grid to support them in finding places on maps and plans;
use a non standard scale to develop an understanding of relative
distances on a map or plan.
c) be able to place the area being studied in a widening range of scales e.g.
school in town, town in country, county in country etc.
d) become aware that in a specific location they affect and can be affected by
environmental characteristics unique to that place e.g. experiencing the
same place in different weathers
e) understand how people can change their environment, the child is
supported to identify features that are man made or natural features that
This document has originated from www.sln.org.uk/geography
Quality Learning Services, Staffordshire County Council
have been altered by people. This may be done through first hand
observations or through identification on photos of places that cannot be
visited.
f) find out about how localities may be similar and how they may be different
e.g. two localities may both be in valleys, but one valley is narrow and
steep sided, while the other is wide and gently sloping
g) recognise that places do not exist in isolation e.g. areas within a
classroom.
Key Stage 2
3.
Pupils should be taught:
a) to identify and describe what places are like [for example, in terms of
weather, jobs]
b) the location of places and environments they study and other significant
places and environments [for example, those listed on page 21 and places
and environments in the news]
c) to describe where places are [for example, in which region/country the
places are, whether they are near rivers or hills, what the nearest towns or
cities are]
d) to explain why places are like they are [for example, in terms of weather
conditions, local resources, historical development]
e) to identify how and why places change [for example, through the closure
of shops or building of new houses, through conservation projects] and
how they may change in the future [for example, through an increase in
traffic or an influx of tourists]
f) to describe and explain how and why places are similar to and different
from other places in the same country and elsewhere in the world [for
example, comparing a village with a part of a city in the same country]
g) to recognise how places fit within a wider geographical context [for
example, as part of a bigger region or country] and are interdependent [for
example, through the supply of goods, movements of people].
This document has originated from www.sln.org.uk/geography
Quality Learning Services, Staffordshire County Council
Knowledge and understanding of patterns and processes
KS2A – Pupil should:
a) and b) have immediate active experiences of different locations and their
associated purposes e.g. book corner etc.
KS2B – Pupils should
a) and b) be able to demonstrate a sequence of change e.g. through first
hand experience or photos consider sequence of road building or
construction of housing estate i.e. process of change
Key Stage 2
4.
Pupils should be taught to:
a) recognise and explain patterns made by individual physical and human
features in the environment [for example, where frost forms in the
playground, the distribution of hotels along a seafront]
b) recognise some physical and human processes [for example, river
erosion, a factory closure] and explain how these can cause changes in
places and environments
This document has originated from www.sln.org.uk/geography
Quality Learning Services, Staffordshire County Council
Knowledge and understanding of environmental change and sustainable
development
KS2A Pupils should:
a) and b) experience environmental change themselves in familiar
environments
KS2B Pupils should:
a) and b) find out about the effect of environmental change on themselves,
other people and their surroundings e.g. observe and identify weather
variations and anticipate what effects these may have on themselves.
Key stage 2
5.
Pupils should be taught to:
a) recognise how people can improve the environment [for example, by
reclaiming derelict land] or damage it [for example, by polluting a river],
and how decisions about places and environments affect the future quality
of people's lives
b) recognise how and why people may seek to manage environments
sustainably, and to identify opportunities for their own involvement [for
example, taking part in a local conservation project].
This document has originated from www.sln.org.uk/geography
Quality Learning Services, Staffordshire County Council
Breadth of study
KS2A
At the scale of self in a widening range of small scale locations; personal
space within the classroom; personal space in localities immediate to the
school e.g. across the road
KS2B
Small scale localities should be studied and placed in their wider
environmental context e.g. school localities, contrasting localities, distant
localities through secondary sources.
Key Stage 2
6.
During the key stage, pupils should be taught the Knowledge, skills and
understanding through the study of two localities and three themes:
Localities
a)
a locality in the United Kingdom
b)
a locality in a country that is less economically developed
This document has originated from www.sln.org.uk/geography
Quality Learning Services, Staffordshire County Council
Breadth of Study - Themes
KS2A
c) and d) and e) investigate water in the landscape through both first hand
and simulated experiences
KS2B
c) be able to generalize from first hand experiences, similarities and
differences between water features e.g. river, sea
d) and e) use the term village, town, city and develop their understanding of
these through emphasis on contrasts; develop a study of each of these to
build up an understanding of the main features in a village town and city.
Key stage 2
c) water and its effects on landscapes and people, including the physical
features of rivers [for example, flood plain] or coasts [for example, beach],
and the processes of erosion and deposition that affect them
d) how settlements differ and change, including why they differ in size and
character [for example, commuter village, seaside town], and an issue
arising from changes in land use [for example, the building of new housing
or a leisure complex]
e) an environmental issue, caused by change in an environment [for
example, increasing traffic congestion, hedgerow loss, drought], and
attempts to manage the environment sustainably [for example, by
improving public transport, creating a new nature reserve, reducing water
use].
This document has originated from www.sln.org.uk/geography
Quality Learning Services, Staffordshire County Council