Each year, National Geography Awareness Week encourages pupils and teachers alike to dive into the wonders of geography. It’s a week dedicated to exploring our world, encouraging curiosity about different places, people, and environments, and understanding how geography shapes our everyday lives. Running from 18th – 22nd November, Geography Awareness Week 2024 offers a fantastic opportunity for primary schools to highlight this essential subject in classrooms.
What is National Geography Awareness Week?
National Geography Awareness Week began as a way to inspire a greater understanding of the world and spark interest in geography from a young age. Geography is more than just maps and capitals—it’s the study of our planet’s landscapes, resources, climate, and how human activities interact with the environment. For pupils, this awareness goes beyond facts; it builds skills in critical thinking, observation, and enquiry that are useful across subjects and in life.
This week, schools can showcase geography’s relevance to pupils’ lives and encourage an appreciation for global diversity, interconnectedness, and responsibility.
How Mrs Mactivity Supports Geography Education
At Mrs Mactivity, we know how important it is to make geography exciting and accessible for primary pupils. Our geography schemes of work, knowledge organisers, and other resources are designed to bring the subject to life with engaging, hands-on learning experiences aligned to the national curriculum. Here’s how our resources can help you celebrate Geography Awareness Week 2024:
Curriculum-Aligned Schemes of Work 📚: We’ve carefully crafted a geography scheme of work for different year groups, covering everything from local studies to world geography topics like volcanoes and earthquakes. Our resources are easy to follow and flexible, giving teachers a solid foundation to make geography lessons meaningful and memorable.
Knowledge Organisers 🗺️: Our knowledge organisers provide clear summaries of key facts, terms, and concepts, making them perfect for helping pupils remember what they’ve learned. These organisers are ideal for quick reference and reinforcement, helping pupils consolidate learning throughout the year.
Interactive and Differentiated Activities 🌍: Geography can be challenging to teach, so we’ve created resources that make complex topics easy and engaging. Our activities include maps, hands-on activities, continuous provision enhancements for all year groups, and differentiated worksheets that cater to various learning levels, helping every pupil get involved. Including mixed-age classes!
Engaging Visuals and Real-World Contexts 🌏: We believe learning should be relatable, which is why our resources include real-world examples and child-friendly animations and visuals that connect classroom learning to pupils’ lives. Whether it’s understanding how weather affects our daily choices or how landscapes are shaped by natural forces, we make geography relatable.
Progress Tracking: Our resources include geography assessments that make it easy for teachers to track pupil progress and ensure they’re meeting curriculum goals. From SATs-style assessments to fun quizzes, we make geography assessment accessible and effective.
Ideas to Celebrate Geography Awareness Week in Your Classroom
World Map Projects: Encourage pupils to learn about different countries by selecting a place they’d love to explore. Pupils can research the culture, language, and environment, then present their findings to the class.
Interactive Map Challenges: Set up geography challenges using our maps and resources. Quiz pupils on continents, countries, and landmarks, or explore concepts like climate zones and ecosystems.
Local Area Exploration: Help pupils understand the geography of their own surroundings by conducting a ‘house and street detective‘ activity with our EYFS geography scheme. Pupils can identify local landmarks and discuss what makes their area unique.
Natural Phenomena Studies: For KS2 classes, dive into topics like volcanoes and earthquakes with our dedicated scheme of work. Hands-on activities and diagrams help pupils visualise these awe-inspiring natural forces and understand their impact.
Why Geography Matters 🧭
In a world that’s more interconnected than ever, understanding geography builds not only knowledge but empathy and global awareness. Pupils who learn about diverse environments and communities gain a broader perspective, fostering appreciation for the planet and its people.
With Mrs Mactivity’s geography resources, celebrating Geography Awareness Week has never been easier! Together, we can inspire the next generation to be curious, informed, and mindful stewards of our world.
Ready to start exploring? Head over to Mrs Mactivity and discover the full range of primary geography resources to make your Geography Awareness Week unforgettable.
Try our schemes of work for free with a no-obligation trial. Explore our high-quality resources and see how they can enhance pupil learning outcomes, all with no commitment required. Sign up today and experience the benefits firsthand!
