Greenvale Levels Geography

Rationale

New Greenvale Levels have been created to assess Geography. This is following the recommendations from the Rochford Review (2016) whereby the P Levels were removed as statutory requirement for the assessment of students working below the standard of national curriculum tests. The Greenvale Levels have been designed to allow students to make progress in geography while learning is centred around the topics of the KS3 National Curriculum rather than focussing on local studies or personal experiences.

Through geography, the students should learn the world has many different places, some are similar to our own, while others are different and understanding and tolerating this difference is the key. Some students will also be aware of different challenges that places in the world face such as natural disasters.

Students will learn about the varied world through studying a broad curriculum. In Key Stage 3, learning is focussed on places as topics, for example Russia and China. In Key stage 4 there are both place based topics, but also comparison units that could be taught as an overview. This form of teaching requires a concept based assessment system, rather than one based on incidental learning or personal experiences that the P levels previously offered.

The new GV levels aim to put the curriculum, geographical learning and skills at the heart of assessment. In order to put these skills in, they have been written largely based on the areas that are assessed at GCSE. The four areas assessed in geography GCSE are :-

-      Locational knowledge (where things are and the skills to find them)

-      Geographical Understanding (Place knowledge – what happens in different places?)

-      Human and Physical Geography (knowledge of issues, empathy, using evidence to answer questions)

-      Geographical skills and fieldwork (graphicacy, asking questions, collecting data)

Through using these areas and scaling the skills back, in line with other assessment criteria (as detailed below) and working with other staff, the GV levels should allow us to assess geographical progress. By having four categories of assessment, we can have multiple statements which should stop students jumping too many levels progress and then halting this progress. The multiple statements will also allow us to show a spiky profile if a student is particularly strong for example in fieldwork and observation rather than locational knowledge.

Data sources used include:

  • Performance - p scale - attainment targets for pupils with special educational needs (2009).
  • GV levels (maths, reading, writing)
  • Early Years Goals
  • GCSE (OCR / AQA)
  • Primary Geography Journal, Life after levels, Emma White, Curwen School.
  • Curwen School Progression against expected standards
  • Progress in Geography (Key Stage 3) David Gardner, Jo Coles, Eleanor Hopkins, John Lyon and Catherine Owen

GV4

  •           With support, students to engage with simplified maps, for example, matching one-word place names, attempting to trace country shapes
  •           With support and using photographs or symbols students match geographical topics, images or symbols E.g. matching (photo to photo) the people seen on a video to some screen shots or print outs   
  •           Use one symbol to complete sentences e.g. ‘I can see’ with a limited choice and staff support where necessary.
  •           To experience new places through role play games, handling artefacts and participation in sensory stories. 
  •           Making observations in geographical situations with support – using one symbol or photograph to identify what they can see / hear / smell or touch.

GV5    

  •           Students to engage with simplified maps, for example matching two-word place names or tracing country shapes with some accuracy
  •           Students to use symbols, signing or words to show basic geographical knowledge from looking at photographs, videos or other stimuli. This could include what happens in specific places (put things together e.g. farmer and sheep), what places are like (hot, dry, cold) or geographical features (river, mountain, road, house)
  •           Begin to group objects and places together, for example coat, hat, gloves and scarf for cold places or Towel and swimwear for a beach
  •           Make a simple representation of a place (e.g. map, model or drawing) using symbols or photographs if helpful.
  •           Making observations in geographical situations with support – using more than one symbol or photograph to identify what they can see / hear / smell or touch.

GV6    

  •           Use simplified maps and atlases to find places and copy or stick these onto your own base maps with support.
  •           Use aerial photographs to comment on land use. Label these using symbols or photographs. (e.g. sand, river, sea, plants)
  •           Can identify a problem or issue that affects an area eg fires, flooding, dry and make comment if they are the same or different problems in London
  •           Can group objects and places unsupported, for example a cooking pan with food, clothing with people or an area
  •           Collects simple geographical data up to 3 in practical situations (eg how many cars drive past in 1 minute, take a photograph and then annotate)
  •           Collates data in simple ways with support eg pictogram, sketches, maps, annotated photographs (using words or symbols)

GV7    

  •           Can find locations on a simplified map or using the internet with staff support and put these onto a base map with some reasoning or visual prompt (e.g. using geographical words north, east, south west, top, bottom, left, right, near to, far away from) or accuracy
  •           Annotate or discuss what happens in an area or who lives in an area when using geographical imagery (e.g. aerial photographs, maps, online resources/ videos and photographs)
  •           Can name an issue they have learnt about in lessons and when prompted they may give a solution or their opinion for example is it different or similar to their own lives? (eg Antarctica – very cold so don’t live there for a long period of time, big coat)
  •           Can identify the odd one out e.g. what would we not need or see in a place?
  •           Create geographical data using numbers 1-5 from investigation of a geographical issue (pictograms, sketches, maps and annotate images) with limited support
  •           Collect geographical data  using a specific technique eg sensory analysis, tally chart, field sketch, questionnaire  Sensory analysis means what can I see /hear /touch / taste / smell

GV8    

  •           Have experience of and with support can find specified locations using a range of techniques (e.g. atlas, maps of different scales, internet).
  •           When using maps, the students use geographical language to contextualise a location (near to… west of etc.)
  •           Can name issues that other countries face and show some understanding of how they impact people’s lives in these places or name a solution e.g. Rainforest (South America)- no roads, so no food transport, people source their food from the forest. Or animals and plants are adapted to life in the warm wet air.
  •           Can offer their opinion or reason why people, plants or animals live in different locations
  •           Making a model or representation of a place to show what or who lives there and use this to talk about the place (weather, crowded, hilly, flat, jobs)
  •           Will collect data using numbers 1-10 and make recordings of their findings to answer a simple geographical question (questionnaires, pictograms, internet research, bar chart etc.)

 

GV9    

  •           Have experience of and with some degree of independence can find specified locations using a range of techniques (e.g. atlas, maps of different scales, internet).
  •           Will be able to use geographical language to describe a place accurately, physically (what it looks like) and in relation to other places.
  •           Can identify or classify positive and negative effects of a geographical issue for example manufacturing in China / oil production in the Middle East can pollute the environment but brings money into the country
  •           Can offer an opinion and give a reason or demonstrate empathy when prompted towards people, plants and animals in different locations.
  •           Using a model, image or stimuli to demonstrate their geographical thinking with support (8 way thinking, De Bono’s Hats, Positive and negative effects)
  •           Will collect data to answer a simple geographical question, record their findings and be able to state their conclusions with limited support
  •           Use ICT to support geographical learning. These could be collated into a simple investigation.  (research questions and problems, create graphs to demonstrate points with support and use online maps (eg google).

GV10  

  •           Can find specified locations using a range of techniques with confidence (e.g. atlas, maps of different scales, internet)
  •           Students will use geographical language to compare a place to another accurately physically and in terms of location.  
  •           Can understand issues that other countries face and demonstrate some understanding of how they impact people’s lives in these places. They may link this to previous studies of other areas e.g. Middle east and Polar areas both have little rainfall.
  •           Can research and classify geographical issues using analytical thinking with less support (for example positive and negative effects, 8 way thinking, De Bono’s Hats, for example manufacturing in China/ oil production in the Middle East can pollute the environment but brings money into the country
  •           Can offer a reasoned opinion or demonstrate empathy towards people, plants and animals in different locations.
  •           Will suggest a way to collect data in order to answer a simple geographical question, record their findings and be able to state their conclusions with limited support
  •           Use ICT to support geographical learning and collate this into a simple investigation with an introduction, geographical question, research, data and conclusion.