The Geography Curriculum
Geography - The Montessori Way
Montessori Geography uses a variety of hands on activities to help your child learn about their place in the world and indeed where earth is in the solar system! These activities include looking at physical and cultural world maps, puzzles of the different continents, looking at different cultures around the world and learning the ways different countries contribute to the world. Montessori play based activities allow the child to explore ideas such as the parts of a river and where they are located in our local area.
Our Approach to Geography
Geography, the study of our home, Papatuanuku, the earth is the start of the primary Montessori Curriculum. The first geography lessons are given to the youngest students as exciting stories. We also use experiments and pictorial charts to help children see key ideas.
We begin with the story of “The Creation of the Universe” this is one of the five great Montessori stories that help the child understand their place in the universe, time and world. We then move to more comprehensive studies of Earth and its place in the universe. We also look at the physical and cultural features of the earth.
Throughout their time at our school, tamariki will have opportunities to explore the following topics. This is not a list of the order of lessons or a list of everything a child will learn. Not all lessons will interest all students, some students may end up exploring one area for longer than other students due to their interest in a particular topic.
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Physical Science
- Creation of the Universe (story, charts, experiments)
- Parts of the universe: our solar system and the Milky Way
- Laws of the Universe e.g. matter expands
- Solids, liquids, and gases
- Solutions and mixtures
Earth Science
- Relationship of the earth and the sun
- Rotationand revolution of the earth
- Effects of rays of the sun
- Solstices, equinoxes, and seasons including looking at Te Marmataka
- Composition of the earth
- Types of rocks (igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary)
- Plate tectonics
- Mountain formation, volcanoes, and earthquakes
- Types of fossils and the fossil record
- The atmosphere and its work
- Composition of the air and properties of gases
- Winds and ocean currents
- Wind erosion
- The hydrosphere and its work (water cycle)
- The water cycle: evaporation, condensation, precipitation
- Ice and glaciers
- Functions and parts of rivers
- Water erosion
Physical Geography
- Continents and oceans, this also links to our study of animals and plants from different places.
- Land and water forms
- Climate and vegetation zones
- Latitude and longitude, time zones
- Definitions and identification of land and water forms
- Māori knowledge about how landforms came to be
Cultural Geography
- Politicalgeography (with an emphasis on cultural studies)
- Countries of the world
- Celebrations and holidays of NZ and other countries
- Current events
- World organisations such as the United Nations
Detailed study of New Zealand
- Māori Myths and legends including looking at stories of our local region
- Landmarks and cultural features
- Physical features
- Economic geography
- Natural resources
- Production and consumption patterns
- Inter dependencies
With thanks to Montessori Compass for their help in explaining the curriculum