Our vision: Learning together we will all be exceptional geographers!

At Sunnyhill, our goal is for all children to have a secure geographical knowledge and understanding of place, location and the human and physical geography of the world. 

We want Sunnyhill pupils to:

• develop geographical skills, including how to use, draw and interpret maps;

• ask questions about their local area 

• know and understand environmental problems at a local, regional and global level; 

• understand what it means to be a global citizen

• explore the awe and wonder of the world through fieldwork experiences 

How Geography is taught at Sunnyhill:

In the Early Years,  geography is taught through the ‘Understanding the World’ strand of learning.  The children look at similarities between life in this country and life in other countries, drawing on knowledge from stories, non fiction texts and maps.  They look at similarities and differences between the natural world around them and contrasting environments.

From Year 1 to Year 6, geography is taught discretely although relevant links are made between knowledge from other subject disciplines in order for our pupils to make meaningful connections, helping them to know and remember more.

Autumn Term - River Project

At the start of the Autumn term, each class focuses on a class river.  In EYFS and Key Stage 1,  the children are introduced to a local river and, where possible, the children have the opportunity to visit their class river.

In Key Stage 2, the chosen river for each class is located beyond the UK.

Through this project the children will:

• Gain an understanding of the characteristics of the river and an understanding of its position in the world and in relation to England/London/Streatham (as appropriate)

• Develop an understanding of the importance of the river in the world/country/city (as appropriate) and its impact on the community now and in the past.

Spring Term - Sustainable Development Goals

In the Spring term, the children work towards a STEAM exhibition whereby the children in Years 1-6 are given a challenge related to one of the 17 sustainable development goals.  This gives the children the opportunity to understand environmental problems at a local, regional and global level.

 

Summer Term - Global citizenship (London and Beyond)

In the Summer term, our whole school theme is London and Beyond.  The children learn about what it means to be a global citizen - someone who is aware of and understands the wider world – and their place in it. 

 

Knowledge Organisers

Working memory and prior knowledge vary, so we want to give students strategies to increase automaticity of key information.  We use knowledge organisers for history and geography, as a tool for retrieval practice and to make reference to previous learning.  Here is an example of knowledge organiser from Year 2:

Fieldwork

We see fieldwork as an essential element of the geography curriculum.  Through educational visits, the children get to engage with real-world learning, connecting to their local environment and creating long lasting memories.  Educational visits include a visit to Birling Gap in Year 2 and a camping residential in Year 6.