Geography
At Sulivan, we want children to be fascinated with the world and begin a life long journey of wanting to know more about it, how they can protect and sustain it and understand their place in it.
Through a coherently planned and sequenced curriculum they will learn about the location of globally significant places, both on land and at sea, including their defining human and physical characteristics. By using fieldwork and observational skills they will learn about the environment of Hammersmith and Fulham, where they live, and its key human and physical features.
The curriculum will be broad and balanced and ensure all children learn a range of geographical skills, such as collecting and analysing data, interpreting geographical sources like maps and aerial photos and communicating their findings in a variety of ways.
The curriculum will be designed to meet the needs of all children in the school and offer opportunities through visits and fieldwork to experience first-hand, geography in action in the world.
How we teach geography
The school has adopted the United Learning Geography Curriculum because it has been carefully sequenced to ensure coverage and appropriate progression through substantive and disciplinary knowledge. Where options in content occur, these are chosen carefully to reflect the school’s and the children’s local area
Topics in Y1 to Y6 are taught discretely in half termly blocks in the order suggested by UL to ensure lessons build on prior learning.
Teachers plan at least 4 one-hour lessons in each unit to cover the core non-negotiable knowledge and use any spare time to cover misconceptions or gaps in learning.
Lesson resources and activities provided are adapted to meet the needs of all pupils. Content of lessons is broken down into small steps and the I We You approach is used to allow for modelling, guided practice and independent study
Knowledge organisers, with key concepts and vocabulary are given as homework prior to each topic starting.
Low stakes quizzes are used to help children retrieve and recall prior and new learning.
Lessons are complemented with trips and visiting speakers.