New Geography resources coming to Classroom Secrets

Our Marketing Campaigns Manager, Claire, is keen to find out more so is having a chat with our Geography specialist, Josh, to see what we can expect.  

I enjoyed Geography lessons as a child – especially those where you went out and about. I still remember the fight for clipboards as we were walking around the local area counting the traffic! But as a teacher, I know there’s a lot more to it than that. 

Our Geography specialist, Josh, has been working behind the scenes, researching and planning what will be in our new Geography scheme. He’s been reviewing the curriculum, listening to feedback to pull this together. I’m excited to learn more.  

Tell us what we can expect to see in the future from Classroom Secrets Geography? 

Well, I'll start with the end goal! The ultimate aim is to have a whole school scheme, that provides coverage of 14 units in UKS2, 10 in LKS2 and 8 in KS1. The units will link across each key stage, building on key geographical enquiry questions and ensuring children develop the skills to approach all aspects of geography with confidence through analysis, debate and more.  

That seems like you have a busy year ahead….what can we expect to see first? 

Our offering will grow throughout the year but to begin with we're starting with a fieldwork topic across all three key stages - the Weather Diary - that really encourages children to get to grips with getting out there and learning in the field. This will be followed be the topics that the curriculum focuses on, ensuring full coverage and progression of skills and vocabulary across the key stages. With accompanying overviews that show the flow of lessons and the teacher subject knowledge resource to support, our aim is to provide materials for you to approach geography with confidence!  

Tell us why Classroom Secrets have decided to create new Geography resources?  

We're always looking to expand our offering here at Classroom Secrets to help you - the teachers, tutors and parents – and to help children everywhere. In fact, we've had a number of requests for geography resources, and so you've asked and we've listened. Seeing what's out and about, and what the research tells us, there's a lot of hesitancy towards conducting fieldwork in classrooms. So, we've made this a main focus - creating Fieldwork units, where resources can be made by the children themselves (hands-on and exciting) or that use instruments that should be readily available in school. 

I know a lot of work has gone into this, what are you most proud of? 

 I loved geography as a kid, and I find the world absolutely fascinating. The intention of these resources is to try and spark that feeling amongst children now. That's why the focus on a lot of the tasks is quite practical, and there are different points along the way that spark discussion and debate. So yes, these resources may come in the form of PPTs, but with the suggested tasks enclosed within them, I believe that children will genuinely find our geography interesting. 

I know some teachers may feel apprehensive about teaching Geography – will there be enough detail to help anyone who feels like this?  

Yes! You can use these resources safe in the knowledge that you've got full coverage of the curriculum objectives, but also that children will find these resources hands-on and enjoyable. The teacher subject knowledge resource provides is a little holy grail, covering all of the key facts that you need to know to deliver the lessons in a unit with confidence (I know geography isn't everyone's cup of tea), and the overviews are clear and easy to follow and can form the basis of any planning. 

So what’s next?  

Watch this space! A number of supplementing resources are on the way that help with the enquiry, discussion and real-world application of geography. I also fully welcome any feedback, or requests, regarding resources, so make sure to try the free sample resources and let us know what you think! 

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