Tag: primary IDL

Deanburn Primary School Global Storyline Celebration

On Friday 30th May, Liz Stephen and Laura Beattie of Deanburn PS celebrated the conclusion of their Giant of Thistle Mountain global citizenship storyline. They have both been part of the first cohort of  Falkirk teachers being trained by the West of Scotland Development in  Education Centre (WOSDEC) to deliver their global citizenship storylines.

All of the teachers who have taken part in this interdisciplinary learning have reported very valuable impact on their pupils. This includes development of pupil understanding of social justice and equality (Why is the giant so unhappy? What can we do to help?), their respect for diversity (Don’t assume the giant is bad because he is loud and scary-looking), and their critical thinking and ability to understand the importance of communities.

The pupils in Liz Stephen’s primary 1 class greeted fellow pupils, parents and other guests by miming their character role in their imaginary village of Thistle Mountain. They then took their guests on a guided tour of their work throughout the storyline and the frieze and model village they had created. Both classes had created their own giant too.

This storyline bundles a small number of experiences and outcomes from Religious and Moral Education, Health and Well Being and Social Subjects. It skillfully combines active learning experiences with drama interludes where the children are in role and have to deal with very difficult questions and issues. They are taken on a journey which effectively supports them in forming their social attitudes and emotional development. There was lots of evidence of deep understanding of the dangers of stereotyping and the value of co-operation and collaboration to build a succesful community. It was clear from the children’s readiness to take on their character role, that they thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. (Click here to view a video compilation of the work displayed)

 Laura effectively built opportunities for pupils to apply their literacy knowledge and understanding through a before and after “role on the wall” activity. Each class created their own giant and village using their chosen media.

Liz and her class used a flip chart to capture their developing ideas throughout the project, and this was available for parents to view during their visit. It can be very difficult to capture evidence of developing learning during discussion with groups of children, and Liz found this flip chart method worked really well.

Falkirk Global Citizenship Showcase

Teachers and pupils from a range of Falkirk establishments showcased their Global Citizenship work at an event in Larbert Village Primary School on 15th May 2014.

Bo’ness Academy shared International Education and Commenius projects worked on by their S2 & 3 pupils. This work targeted a range of skills and there was great evidence of pupil research and information handling capabilities. Larbert High School pupils confidently shared a range of Global Citizenship and Sustainability work. It was obvious that they have worked in a really effective way with partner organisations like Communities on the Carron to change their local environment. The school captains have also driven the Captain’s challenge initiative which is motivating  pupils to really push their own personal achievements out with their academic studies. Click here to see a flyer or use this link  http://youtu.be/SMmsECVH3zE  to get more information about this inspirational project.

 Inchlair Nursery children spoke confidently to visitors about all of the Commonwealth Games learning they have gained over the last few months. Click http://glo.li/1idQWh7 to read more about this work. They have been really engaged by the story of Captain Bristle’s Thistles and wore their special Inchlair Commonwealth T-shirts.  Larbert Day Nursery staff shared the learning their children have  gained about the Commonwealth and the games using their floor book and examples of children’s work.

There was also lots of good primary school practice on show, linked to the Commonwealth Games theme. Teachers in Falkirk schools have been creative in their planning and delivery of lessons within the cross-cutting theme of global citizenship. They have used the Commonwealth context to make their teaching relevant and coherent for their pupils. The examples displayed showed that pupil skills, knowledge and understanding were being broadened and deepened through this work – sometimes to develop new skills, sometimes to offer a new way to apply existing skills.

Pupils have also been developing their attitudes and ability to challenge their thinking about global citizenship issues. Teachers taking part in Global Storyline training shared their development of The Giant of Thistle Mountain. These teachers have adapted this storyline for their pupils and were able to evidence extremely valuable teaching and learning around issues like stereotyping, racism, needs and wants. Pupils from Limerigg PS and Carron PS shared their learning experiences with guests. Each class involved in these storylines has created their own visualisation of the “giant” character – see some of these in the photo above. 

Isabel Ross from Scotdec attended the event and shared valuable resources and training opportunities with people who attended. The showcase was organised by Megan Farr of Falkirk Service Support and Improvement Team in conjunction with Laura Willox and her Global Citizenship strategy group colleagues. Jane Jackson and Yvonne McBlain of Falkirk Service Support and Improvement Team hope to work with this group and other colleagues to support our authority implementation of the recommendations in the Learning for Sustainability report. Click here to link to this report http://glo.li/1nIWaZW .

Moray Primary School Teachers Develop Storyline Practice

Gillian Brodie, principal teacher at Moray PS, and her Raci task colleagues have been working since last session to develop staff use of the storyline approach to enhance interdisciplinary learning. All staff agreed that they would use this approach with their pupils between January and March 2014 to link experiences and outcomes within social subjects: people, past events, and societies and other relevant areas of the curriculum. Staff identified historical contexts for learning which they felt addressed the principles of curriculum design, consulted with pupils, and then planned the learning in a collaborative and mutually supportive way.

Nursery pupils tracked Dora the Explorer’s travels across the world which will lead to development of their knowledge of the Commonwealth Games later this term. Through various activities, they have been able to develop and apply their literacy and fine motor skills.

 Primary 1 have also focused on literacy skills using the Fairyland Learning Unlimited resource as a starting point. These pictures hopefully give a flavour of the way the pupils and teachers have developed this storyline. Staff reported that pupil motivation for writing and the amount of writing produced was greatly increased by the Fairyland context. It was a very successful context within which pupils could develop their independent writing skills.

 

Most teachers have offered pupils the opportunity to choose from a range of rich homework tasks which can be done with parents and grandparents.

Primary 2 pupils led their storyline to help them learn everything they need to know about Pirates. Their teachers are ensuring that they develop skills across the technologies which extending their knowledge and understanding of piracy in the past. Click here to read the pirate code created by the pupils, and here to see and example of a power point presentation created by a pupil.

The children are revelling in their pirate alter ego characters, as can be seen from the biography here.

The primary 3 teachers are using the character of Howard Carter to guide their pupils through a range of challenges which extend their knowledge and understanding of Ancient Egypt. These challenges allow pupils to develop their problem solving capabilities, and apply skills within a small selection of relevant curricular areas.

 The pupils have also written some “little questions” which they want to have answered during their studies.

 Staff in primary 3/4 & 4 have adapted Falkirk’s own Roman storyline to meet the needs of their pupils. They are comparing the lives of rich and poor Romans and considering the conflict between the Romans stationed on the Antonine Wall and the native Celts already living here at that time.

Connor said “I learned that there’s a lot of differences – the rich ones have bigger houses and they can afford slaves… and the poor have to help their mums at home.”

Primary 5 staff and pupils are adapting Falkirk’s own Scottish Wars of Independence storyline. to broaden understanding of Scottish history and extend and consolidate a range of skills. Pupils are now creating a museum space for the exhibits they have made.

Primary 6 staff  worked with Sallie Harkness to pilot a Storyline Scotland Drovers plan. Pupils have followed Rob their young drover main character from his home in Lochaber to the Falkirk Tryst. This plan develops pupil understanding of people, place and society as well as people, past events & society within the Scottish context.

 

Staff have used the context to apply knowledge of Scot’s Language with traditional tales. Pupils were particularly worried when the prize bull of the herd went missing and they suspected he might have been kidnapped for slaughter! Click here to see their appeal for help during this incident in their storyline. 

Yvonne McBlain worked with Gillian and the raci group last session and returned on 23rd April 2014 to see how things had developed (unfortunately, she didn’t make it to primary 7 to hear about their drugs and alcohol work). Teachers, staff, SMT and pupils gave positive feedback about how the storylines have impacted on learning. It is clear that good progress is being made through collaborative planning and professional dialogue about interdisciplinary learning. Some storylines have really taken off and are ongoing. A few teachers have adapted and combined their storyline with other approaches such as rich task and big question, little question. Others can now see how they would like to adapt and improve their interdisciplinary learning through these contexts next session.

Primary Art and Design Exhibition

The Falkirk Primary Schools Art & Design exhibition took place in the second week of March and was a stunning show. It was expertly hung by the art & design specialist teachers to showcase the range of teaching and learning taking place within their subject. As can be seen from the exhibits shown, pupils have developed a plethora of skills using 2 and 3 dimensional media and techniques. Therefore, the discrete learning which has taken place is securely linked to the experiences and outcomes for art and design and provides a “presentation” opportunity for the wider expressive arts principles and practices.  In addition, the exhibition  demonstrates how  specialist teachers delivered type 1 interdisciplinary learning by linking effectively to another areas of the curriculum. This is often termed “learning through” and is a great strength of expressive arts subjects.

The exhibition showed examples of art work which had been creatively planned to be done co-operatively by groups of pupils. Click here to view.

     Art work exploring Katie Morag, Robert Burns, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and the local area showed very clearly how art & design teaching supported pupil learning about the culture and heritage of Scotland. The comments book at the exhibition was full of appreciative statements from visitors.

Bo’ness Public PS staff develop IDL linked to local area

In March 2010, Gill Genoe, head teacher at Bo’ness Public PS, invited Yvonne McBlain, curriculum support teacher to work with her staff towards the following outcomes:

  1. All pupils in school will gain insight, knowledge and understanding of their local environment and the community they live in.
  2. All pupils will have opportunities to take learning outdoors linked to their topic.
  3. Members of the local community will be invited into school to share their experiences and expertise.

Yvonne visited in late February 2014 to see how staff have continued to develop interdisciplinary learning linked to their local area context. As can be seen from the above photo of the nursery field trip, early years practitioners have taken the children around the town while developing mapping skills, and gathering prior knowledge of the local area. When the children recognised and were able to name a particular building or place, they took a photo of “their” place, and EY staff recorded what they said. Click here to look at one of the mind maps which informed this nursery planning.

Primary 1 and primary 2/1 are developing knowledge & understanding within social studies, & applying a range of literacy & art & design skills. Click here & here to see their Bo’ness Pottery displays, and here to see some of the animal “ornaments” which they have made. Callum in P1 enjoyed “making the animal…I made a hedgehog” best, and Asher in P 2/1 liked “going down the shore to find pottery.” Pupils from Bo’ness Academy have been working alongside these two classes to support learning in their senior courses too.

Primary 2 have only just started learning about the huge role that coal mining used to play in Bo’ness – click here to see the beginnings of their storyline frieze. Their teacher is linking their literacy & social studies knowledge & understanding, while developing pupil ability to interpret a variety of sources, and identify & use persuasive language.

Primary 3/2 are developing their mapping skills & learning about significant local landmarks and buildings. They have worked with a parent helper to make a model/map of the immediate surroundings of the school, click here & here to see some individual pupil development of research & construction skills.

Primary 3 are using the storyline approach to link learning in social studies, RME & Numeracy. Click here to view their developing storyline frieze & here to see the families of characters the pupils have created to help them understand how Bo’ness harbour & trade was central to the development of the local area.

Primary 4 are working on a rich task collaboration with Friends of Kinneil. Click here & here to see some of their planned layout pages for the new Kinneil House Museum information booklet they are designing. This work enables the pupils to develop their chronological awareness, their understanding of the lives of people in the past, and their mapping skills. All of this work is enriched through direct involvement with partner organisations like Friends of Kinneil.

Primary 5/4 and primary 5 have just started learning about the buildings of local architect Matthew Steele. They will take walking tours of Bo’ness to study the variety of buildings designed by this architect and will both focus on the Hippodrome which is an historic local cinema and one of Falkirk’s main tourist attractions. While developing their knowledge, both classes will consolidate their HWB risk management skills during learning outside the classroom. They will also apply & progress their grid reference, and reading for information capabilities. P5/4 will focus specifically on the Hippodrome connection and consolidate their higher order reading skills using films as texts. P5 will make a comparative study betweeen the architectural style of Matthew Steele & other buildings of the period.

Click http://www.boness.falkirk.sch.uk/ to view the primary 6 blog which documents how they are linking their local area study to their studies for the SEPA Sustainability Award. P6 pupils will therefore develop knowledge of the environmental impact of the way Bo’ness people live, but will also extend their ability to form and express reasoned points of view, & be able to apply a range of map reading skills.

Primary 7 are developing their understanding of the history, heritage & culture of Bo’ness by studying local graveyards. By treating the information gathered during their field trips, including what they find on the gravestones, as primary sources, pupils are encouraged to interpret a range of texts very deeply. Their information handling and comprehension skills are further developed when using the national census and other official sources to build up their own interpretation of a typical Bo’ness family in the past. Click here to view an example of pupil work from the 1911 census. Through this and other work, they will develop their ability to analyse information and synthesise it through elements of storyline.

The local area context has proven to be a rich, valuable and sustainable context for learning which is open to a range of interdisciplinary connections across the curriculum. Teachers have developed the initial concept with confidence and creativity to enhance the knowledge, skills and understanding of their pupils and involve parents, grandparents and members of the local community very effectively. Pupils now show interest and pride in their local area and classes now sometimes meet and share their learning while out on their various field trips.

Bantaskin Primary 1 Toys Storyline

Susan Waddell and Joanne Brown of Bantaskin Primary School used the storyline approach to deliver their recent Toys interdisciplinary learning project. Earlier in the session, Susan had taken part in storyline training delivered by Yvonne McBlain, curriculum support teacher with Falkirk Council Education Services and got in touch to let Yvonne know how her first storyline had gone. Click here to view the storyline plan for this project, which links learning in science, technology and social subjects.

The project ran between October and December 2013 and used letters from a character called the Toymaker to direct the children’s learning towards specific experiences and outcomes. These E & Os are naturally connected to show pupils the overlap between science and technology and let them discover some of the properties of materials through a focus on toys past and present. Click here to see pupils investigating replica toys of the past through the handling boxes provided by Library Support for Schools, and Museum Services at Callendar House.

Click here to see how the pupils identified and sorted toys for different age groups, and here to see an example of one of the letters used by Susan and Joanne from the toymaker. The toymaker also gave the children a homework task – click here to see an example of a home-made puppet, and  here to see a picture of the storyline celebration which the children used as a showcase event to share their learning with their parents and bring their storyline to a close.

Susan and Joanne felt that the storyline approach really engaged and focused their pupils on the learning. Pupils enjoyed their learning and when asked what they had learned, or what they were better at said:

Tylor “I learned about that toys are for big people and people who are five as well…I’m better at learning about toys”

Paul “So we would know what stuff was made of.”

Logan “Test it in the bubble bath for the toymaker…what is soggy and plastic is not soggy….” “He (the toymaker) said to fix the toy cos it was broken and it had batteries.”

Jodi “Toys that have got batteries to make them work… (I got better at) drawing, when we were a baby we scribbled, now we’re better at drawing.”

The storyline helped Susan and Joanne deliver science content about simple forces, the qualities of materials used in making toys through the ages, and supported skill development in working together and fine motor skills. Susan is now considering how to make the storyline more responsive to pupil ideas and input – in other words – how to let pupils control the story while maintaining the line of curriculum content and skill development required.

British Council offers Chinese New Year Education Pack

The British Council have produced an education pack for primary schools which supports study of Chinese New Year and the start of the Chinese spring festival on 31st January. 2014 will be the Year of the Horse, and the pack has many useful ideas, lesson plans, links and support materials for discrete and interdisciplinary learning linked to this theme. It includes learning experiences across the curriculum and addresses elements of international education and global citizenship. Click here to download the pack.

Key Features of IDL Good Practice

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/CcdLzAvF5UQ" width="425" height="344" allowfullscreen="true" fvars="fs=1" /] Graeme Logan and Joanne McLauchlan of Education Scotland broadcast a Glow TV session in December 2012 which offers useful guidance on interdisciplinary learning. Although aimed at primary schools, much of the advice is valuable in helping us shape effective planning, teaching and assessment of IDL within our schools. Click on the image at the start of this post to watch a You Tube video presentation summary of this session produced by Yvonne McBlain. Alternatively, click here to link to the National Primary IDL Glow group where you can watch the full recording of this session.  Click this document to see some reflective questions which may help you self-evaluate your practice while you watch these presentations.