Learning matters

Key stage 1

At key stage 1 you are building on young children's natural curiosity about the world around them. The teaching task is one of stimulating children's questions, answering the hows, wheres and whys, involving children in observing, describing and explaining, and ensuring that they experience a range of different places and environments through as many different media as possible.

As well as considering the general points about teaching and learning, ask yourself:

• do I ensure that children are introduced to some places that are different from their local area? Do I find out where else in the world they know about and places they have visited?
• do I introduce children to an exciting and colourful range of resources about the world around them (eg pictures, maps, television programmes, posters, visitors, stories, artwork, music)?
• do I focus on questions (theirs and mine) to structure work?
• do I find ways to challenge and extend their thinking (eg what is going on in this film... Why are these people acting in this way... What would you do if... How did this happen)?

For some practical examples of teaching and learning approaches, choose from the menu.

The QCA website provides guidance on teaching geography to gifted and talented pupils and on planning, teaching and assessing the geography curriculum for pupils with learning difficulties.

Further examples of teaching and learning approaches in key stage 1 are currently being collected. If you have any good examples, submit them for possible inclusion.

Other information

The Teacher Resource Exchange in the Virtual Teachers' Centre provides a moderated database of key stage 1 geography resources and activities.