Geography

"We need to think how we can lead children to make
enquiries about the world to help them understand it better."

(John Halocha 2001)

 

Geography is taught across the key stages at Dubai English Speaking School.

We aim to ensure that the children learn the key skills to understand the world around them. Here are some of those skills our children learn:

  • Geographical Enquiry (being aware, asking a key question, collecting data and evidence, analyzing and interpreting, presenting findings, making decisions or conclusions and evaluating)
  • Developing Geographical Language (positional, landscape and data collecting vocabulary)
  • Asking Geographical Questions (What is a place like? Why is it like that? How is it connected to other places? How is the place changing? What would it feel like to be in that place? Etc)
  • Observing, Collecting and Recording (use of atlases, maps, people, artifacts, measuring and recording equipment, secondary sources)
  • Presenting Information (newspaper articles, charts and tables, graphs, arguments, tourism leaflets, posters)
  • Fieldwork Investigation (Dubai's skyline, visits and comparisons to other emirates such as Ras al Khaimah and Fujeirah, supermarkets, traffic survey etc)

By using a variety of different learning activities, here are some of the topics our children are currently studying:

Reception: Around Our School.

Year 1: Around the World with Barnaby Bear, Mapping skills.

Year 2: An Island Home, Going to the Seaside, Barnaby Bear.

Year 3: A Village in India, Our Local Area.

Year 4: Weather, Improving the Environment.

Year 5: Water, Traffic, Ras al Khaimah

Year 6: mountain Environments, Rivers

Years 3-6 also study aspects of Geography that are currently 'In the News' as small mini-topics throughout the year.

Here are some the Geographical skills being used by the children of DESS:

Learning about different climate zones in Year 4.

Using the interactive whiteboard to promote discussions.

Using an atlas to identify where certain rivers are sourced.

Working with a talk-partner helps us learn together.

Year 2 use their interactive display to find out more about an island home.

Year 5 in Ras al Khaimah identifying differences to Dubai.

Carrying out field sketches on RAK cornice.

Have clipboard, will travel!

Looking for signs of economic development in Ras al Khaimah.

Updated 06/02/2007