New! Geography knowledge-rich projects (KRPs)

What they are and how to use them

Our geography knowledge-rich projects (KRPs) are FREE to schools who continue to use their Curriculum Maestro licence. They offer schools wanting a more subject-driven, ambitious, knowledge-rich curriculum the opportunity to begin to integrate and explore this approach. The geography KRPs work well when integrated into your existing curriculum plans, with models of how to do this here. Let’s take a look at the what, why and how of our new geography KRPs.

Geography focused

There are currently six geography KRPs available to use on Curriculum Maestro. They are:

Year 1 Bright Lights, Big City 

Year 2 Coastline 

Year 3 Rocks, Relics and Rumbles 

Year 4 Misty Mountain, Winding River 

Year 5 Sow, Grow and Farm 

Year 6 Frozen Kingdoms 

Although these KRPs focus on geography they make meaningful links with history and other subjects where appropriate to maximise children’s geographical or contextual understanding. For example, through our geography KRPs, children learn about the lives of people in the past, famous explorers, significant discoveries and key historical events including the destruction of Pompeii and the RMS Titanic disaster.

Subject aspects and progression

All of our knowledge-rich projects are planned around our overarching skills and knowledge framework. This ensures aspects of each subject make firm horizontal and progressive curriculum links between significant elements of the geography curriculum. The aspects of geography that run throughout the geography projects are set out in the diagram below.

Links are also made through the project themes and topics with contextual knowledge built on overtime. For example, physical features are explored through each project. Children are introduced to the names of physical features in the Year 1 project, Bright Lights, Big City and they then explore the physical features of the coast in the Year 2 project, Coastline. In Year 3 and Year 4, children begin to understand how physical features are formed in Rocks, Relics and Rumbles and Misty Mountain, Winding River, before learning how physical features impact human activity in the Year 5 and Year 6 projects, Sow, Grow and Farm and Frozen Kingdoms.

Sequencing lessons and knowledge retrieval

Lessons in the KRPs provide a high level of challenge. Lessons are planned in sequence giving children the maximum opportunity to develop, use, retrieve and build on prior knowledge. Additionally, each project provides planned opportunities for applying learned skills and knowledge, through resources such as low-stakes quizzing, end of project tests and a challenging innovate task.

Knowledge-rich resources

Each KRP is supported by bespoke, well-researched lesson resources that include a wealth of reading texts, child-friendly knowledge organisers, videos, information cards and much more. All resources present instructions and information clearly, preventing too many sources of information being given at the same time. Further support in our knowledge-rich projects include:

• NEW Innovate journals for the Innovate stage that provide a scaffold for children to record their thinking and present their learning
• NEW low-stakes quizzes and tests to help teachers assess children’s understanding and enable children to practice knowledge retrieval
• Integrated resources within each lesson plan, saving time and giving teachers a direct link to teaching materials

Ambitious vocabulary

KRP lessons and resources introduce children to a wide range of ambitious, subject-specific vocabulary. Vocabulary is introduced, revisited and reinforced over time so that children become confident and articulate as they progress throughout the curriculum. A set of display words and a knowledge organiser glossary are included with each knowledge-rich project to make it easy for children to use new vocabulary independently.

Rich reading opportunities

Each KRP comes with a book (KS1) or novel (KS2) study. Each study focuses on a carefully selected book or novel that is closely linked to the knowledge-rich project. The study includes a book or novel organiser, which gives an overview of the author, context, characters and settings of the book. A comprehension question booklet leads the children through the text and allows them to answer a wide variety of questions. A mark scheme is also provided.

Reading and writing packs

Each KRP has a series of thematic reading and writing packs, one for each of Cornerstones’ four stages of learning within a project, except for the Innovate stage which requires children to write independently. The packs give children the opportunity to read and explore rich texts and genres while writing for different purposes. The thematic approach enables children to expand their subject and contextual knowledge further and gives an opportunity for using their subject knowledge and vocabulary in their writing. Each pack includes a model text, checklist, planning template and writing frame.

Other additions

While we believe and value first-hand experiences to engage children in new learning, our KRPs offer an alternative school-based ‘memorable experience’ for those schools wishing to keep costs to a minimum. In addition, new introductory knowledge lessons set the scene and equip children with crucial knowledge they need before beginning to study a new topic in depth.

Companion projects

Each KRP has an authentically linked mini art and design or design and technology project to help children widen the context of their learning. These mini projects contain a series of five to seven lessons, which can be taught either at the end of, or alongside, a knowledge-rich project. They enable schools to make choices about how they design and deliver their curriculum, either through a more subject-specific or integrated approach.

The companion projects for the geography knowledge-rich projects include:

• Taxi! – a design and technology project accompanying Bright Lights, Big City
• Beach Hut – a design and technology project accompanying Coastline
• Ammonite – an art and design project accompanying Rocks, Relics and Rumbles
• Vista – an art and design project accompanying Misty Mountain, Winding River
• Eat the Seasons – a design and technology project accompanying Sow, Grow and Farm
• Inuit – an art and design project accompanying Frozen Kingdoms

Accessing the geography knowledge-rich projects

Already using Curriculum Maestro? You can start integrating the new KRPs into your existing curriculum. Access your new projects here.

Still on The Hub? Contact us for a Curriculum Maestro demo so you can access the new projects.