Since the beginning of primary two we have been trying to find some new ways of working and learning.  We hope to make our class a fun and interesting place to be but still make sure we are learning as well.  A Curriculum for Excellence now allows us to set a context for learning that is relevant and interesting to the pupils and, therefore, helps them become more engaged with the learning experience.  In the classroom today we sat down at the end of the afternoon and shared our highlights of the year to date.  We also discussed why we chose these highlights and the characteristics of memorable and enjoyable learning.

One of the most popular memories from the year so far was the learning surrounding our trip to the DCA to see The Gruffalo and all the work that took place in the class following that trip.  During this project we took time to read the book, compare this to the animated film, learn about adjectives by trying to describe the characters in the story, plan a Gruffalo party, design and write party invitations, create our own stories in a Gruffalo puppet theatre, guiding our beebot through the dark wood and much more.  As a result we were able to do much of our learning using something that we were all interested in and found fun.  The focus of this project was not originally intended to be The Gruffalo, however, this is something the children wanted to do and had so much to offer.

This is one of the key changes we have seen this year under A Curriculum for Excellence.  We now have the ability to make changes to learning and provide opportunities for the class that allow them to learn in more active ways and in realistic, relevant contexts.  It also allows the children to have a greater voice in the leading their own learning by being part of the planning process and giving them flexibility to use available resources and opportunities in different ways.

We are now continuing to build upon what was a great experience in The Gruffalo project and have begun a new project about Old Buildings and Castles.  We decided this would be a good project as our own school reached 100 years old earlier this month, however, the children liked the idea of focusing mostly on castles and came up with lots of questions they would like answers to on castles.  We have already begun to create areas in our classroom and recently received some resources from the central library which includes books, costumes, hand puppets, games, posters and more.  Once again the children are excited by the resources that are available which can only lead to fun and productive learning.  They have also told Mrs McDonald  where they think we should go on our school trip this year – Edinburgh Castle!

Look out for more on our new project soon!