At Alvechurch C of E Middle School our curriculum exists to ensure all students regardless of background and ability can aspire to ‘unlock their academic and personal potential’. It empowers and equips students with the knowledge, character virtues and learning skills required to thrive in learning and in life.
We aim to provide all students the knowledge and skills to become effective Geographers and citizens in the 21st century
What is distinctive about GEOGRAPHY at Alvechurch C of E Middle School?
The department is run by subject specialists who have a great knowledge and experience in teaching the school’s geography curriculum. This enables the pupils to have a consistent geography experience across their learning journey.
As well as showing great character, we want our students to self regulate and be equipped with the meta cognitive skills to support them to engage fully with the curriculum, so that their knowledge of the Threshold Concepts are committed to long term memory.
All students should be able to maximise their learning by having the opportunity to revisit learning and correct their misunderstandings. The curriculum is therefore organised into three cycles of learning, each cycle lasting 12-13 weeks in total, within each cycle there are three distinct phases.
To have access to and master deep subject knowledge, students need to be exposed to the cultural capital of language. Tier 2 are general academic words which occur across different subjects, and are essential for reading comprehension. Tier 3 are subject specific words. The richness of vocabulary allows students to enter the academic discipline and address social mobility.
Threshold concepts define potentially powerful transformative points in the student’s learning experience. They are the ‘jewels in the curriculum’ because they identify key areas that need mastery. Until students ‘get them’, they can struggle to understand a subject.
The route to deep learning and the development of expertise and mastery is to do fewer things in greater depth. Threshold Concepts are mastered through repeated sequencing, that allows the student to apply Threshold Concepts into different contexts.
The provision of difficult work that causes students to think deeply and engage in healthy struggle – a high challenge, low risk culture is created.
Long term memory is the foundation for incorporating and making sense of new knowledge. Material sits in the long term memory when it has been ‘chunked’ into meaningful schemata, stories or concepts.
The Curriculum Journey for every pupil in Geography looks like this:
How can you support your child in Geography?
Encourage your child to take an interest in current affairs, watching the news and exploring events
Keep maps and globes around the house and let your children see you use them.
When out and about, look at types and ages of buildings, the local resources available, transport links and access to larger cities. Explore!
Talk about the weather and how it changes what you wear and what you do.
Experiment with other cultures, sing their songs, eat their food and travel!
Talk about where ideas, products and people come from.
Read with them, especially about other places, and other people.