A 2 minute video which answers the following questions about using the Cloud 9 approach to curriculum planning:
What is it?
Why use it?
How migh you use it?
Where can you find out more?
See how Danestone Primary in Aberdeen used this approach by clicking below:
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/resources/d/genericresource_tcm4624534.asp?strReferringChannel=search&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-615801-64
A 2 minute video which answers the following questions about the strategic curriculum planner:
What is it?
Why use it?
How might it be used?
Where can you find out more?
See how Wallacestone Primary School in Falkirk has used this approach by clicking below:
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/resources/w/genericresource_tcm4619215.asp?strReferringChannel=search&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-615801-64
In this video Moira will share with us how she used NAR in her primary school setting. If you go to NAR in the Assessment home page link you can see where Moira’s work sits within the Flow Chart in the NAR Summary Handbook. For more information contact Moira.hendry@wled.org.uk
In this video Margo will share with us how she uses Glow Meet as an Early Years Storyroom. This involves older pupils reading their own story or published stories to nursery and primary school early years learners. It not only supports the development of children’s learning in literacy and English, but also provides transition opportunities and contributes to building the four capacities. It can be replicated within a school, cluster or authority.
To find out more about this project click here to read the Glow Cookbook.
For more information contact Margo at margo.kerr@wled.org.uk
Early Years Web links
Movie Makers –
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/sharingpractice/m/moviemakerscathkincommunitynursery/aims.asp?strReferringChannel=earlyyears&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-621275-64
Organising a Summer Fair –
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/sharingpractice/s/sighthill/introduction.asp?strReferringChannel=earlyyears&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-619335-64
Percy the Puffin Returns Home –
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/sharingpractice/p/percythepuffin/introduction.asp?strReferringChannel=earlyyears&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-619326-64
CfE comes to life at Riverside PS
When Riverside Primary School invited parents to workshops on Curriculum for Excellence, it was an eye-opening experience for all involved. Teachers forged stronger relationships with parents and saw the curriculum in a new light. Parents discovered how education has progressed since their school days. Pupils gained a deeper understanding of how their learning is planned. ‘My dad said he would have liked school more if he could have learned like we do,’ said one child.
Literacy and English Resources index
Find resources in this section which are aimed at helping practitioners with the implementation of the experiences and outcomes under Curriculum for Excellence
Literacy ideas
Knowledge of Language
Curriculum for Excellence has made explicit the expectation that all staff have a responsibility to contribute to the literacy development of learners. However, not all education professionals are fully confident in their own understanding of how language works. The Knowledge of Language modules provide staff with a way of accessing further information about some of the common features of our language
Robert Burns – works
BBC Radio Scotland is recording all of Robert Burns’s poetic works. Some of Scotland’s best-known actors will perform his verse over the next couple of years. The first works are available now, with more to follow. The texts are available alongside the recordings. Some include additional music video
Comic Books resources for literacy activities
Scottish Storytelling Centre
The Centre is the ideal place to discover live oral storytelling, develop your own storytelling skills, or find out more about storytelling in your area. Download the latest edition of Blethers for news on recent projects across Scotland. The Centre also presents a seasonal public programme of storytelling, theatre and literature, supported by exciting visual arts, craft and multimedia exhibitions…
Literacy Genre Posters – free!
This series of eye-catching posters has been designed to help raise awareness of the main features of different genres.
Numeracy ideas
Have Sum Fun
The Have Sum Fun leaflet contains lots of games you can play with your children to help them develop an interest and love of numbers. As a parent or carer you can help your children develop their mathematics and number skills by playing these games with them.
Talk Money, Talk Solutions – Financial education through numeracy and practical tasks
Talk Money, Talk Solutions is a collection of practical problem solving activities for use in primary school. The aim of the project is to help develop the financial capability of primary school pupils as part of their general education. Activities such as those described in this resource give pupils opportunities to carry out tasks, to develop problem solving skills, and to do this in a very creative and enjoyable way
Secret Codes
For thousands of years codes and ciphers have been used to keep important information secret. Codes can also be a fun and engaging way to let learners play with numbers. The attached PowerPoint presentation gives a brief introduction to the history of codes and codebreaking, and illustrates a number of simple codes. There are also practical activities suitable for primary and secondary learners.
Count On website gives access to a great range of activities for developing numeracy skills
Multiplication
This site contains the techniques, tips, and secrets used by master teachers!
Starship Maths – a BBC schools website full of a huge variety of ideas and activities
Connect Four game website anyone can play!
Health and Wellbeing ideas
Food for Thought
This activity helps children and young people to see things from other people’s points of view.
This is a fun assembly, involving volunteers trying to eat a marshmallow or piece of fruit from the end of a four foot long ruler or any other long item.
On your marks!
‘On Your Marks!’ is an online education toolkit focusing on the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games which has been launched by the London 2012 Organising Committee. The website provides schools and young people across the UK with a range of up-to-date information about the Games – including factsheets, news articles and a bank of images for use at home or in school.
321 Go!
321 GO! is an interactive dance resource specially designed for use with 4-7-year-olds. The CD-ROM is hosted by Gorf the dancing frog, who will show you how to do safe warm-ups and make cool music with his Groove Machine. 321 GO! also includes seven original music tracks which teachers can freely use for classroom activities and performances. Music tracks can be played on a standard audio CD player.
Health and Wellbeing Activities
These ideas and activities can be used within a curriculum framework of equal opportunities. They can be developed along with those on culture and difference and using a diversity poster.
Fruit salad
This activity will show children how to take turns, play co-operatively, respect the needs and feelings of others and respect different preferences. By selecting different fruit, children will realise we do not all like the same things, but the things we like are similar.
Modern Languages
P7 Harry Potter (Modern Languages)
Examples of how a Harry Potter theme has been used to teach modern languages.
Passport to Europe
This three-part resources provides reading, writing, speaking and listening tasks on weather, clothes, numbers, times on the clock, places in the town, rooms in the house, personal language and animals. They contain materials for a fun day event for Primary 7 pupils but many of the games and materials provided are suitable for use in the MLPS classroom
French
German
Spanish
ICT games French – mais oui!
Teaching ideas – Foreign Languages
A huge range of General Foreign Languages resources listed ready to use
Gaidhlig
Gaidhlig resources index
Find resources in this section which are aimed at helping practitioners with the implementation of the experiences and outcomes under Curriculum for Excellence
RME ideas
Create your own Game
Primary 6 pupils in Crosshouse Primary School, East Kilbride, created their own partnership games to challenge sectarianism. The teacher and learners explored human rights and considered how these rights are a reason for challenging sectarianism
Drama ideas for RME
These 10 activities encourage learners to be aware of the origins of prejudice through the lenses of both the victim and the perpetrator. Learners begin to empathise with those on the receiving end of prejudice and, by understanding the motivation of the perpetrator, to react effectively to it
RCRE
Using sense over sectarianism
St Mirrin’s Primary and Croftfoot Primary are situated on the south side of Glasgow and serves the areas of Croftfoot and Simshill
Social Studies ideas
Playing for Keeps
This downloadable publication from Scottish Natural Heritage contains ideas for introducing the wonders of nature to pre-school children. Activities and games cover the following: cookery; art and craft; dance, drama and music; adventure play; parachute games; imaginative play; dressing up, and a whole variety of role play suggestions. It contains suggestions for themes as well as large-scale projects, and has ideas for using different materials, for example sand, water, dough and clay, junk (for collage).
Map Zone
MapZone® is a totally free, bright and lively web site produced by Ordnance Survey that aims to teach children, between 7 and 16 years, mapping skills in a fun way. This free resource offers interactive play with stimulating questions and answers together with animations and games to make the structured learning process a joy to come back to
Water Aid learning zone
WaterAid uses practical solutions to provide clean water, safe sanitation and hygiene education to the world’s poorest people. Water Aid now works in 26 countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific region. Find out more about where Water Aid works and what they do.
Culture and difference – The Iceberg
These ideas for teaching could be used with the Drama activities or they could be adapted for use in Social Education or other curricular areas. The ideas consider culture as a system of behaviours and beliefs passed from one generation to the next. The rules, language, religion, family systems, recreation and education shared by a group of people create feelings of safety and routine in their daily lives. They understand each other and the world around them has meaning for them.
WWF Scotland site full of resources for classroom use
The MoneyTree Game
Try your skills at making money. Play the Money Tree Game to see if you can make a profit over a five year period. Remember though, that rarely things go to plan and you may encounter unforeseen difficulties along the way.
Technologies
Animation in Action
The technologies experiences and outcomes provide pupils at all stages of learning with the opportunity to become involved in the production of animations. This creative use of ICT provides scope for developing technological skills, knowledge and understanding through practical activities. At the same time this media production offers a rich basis for interdisciplinary learning or opportunity to reinforce learning from other curricular areas.
Moovl
Moovl is a unique online tool that creatively embeds ICT across the curriculum. Both teachers and learners can use it to draw, animate and apply physical properties to objects, bringing pictures and words to life. Delivered online and accompanied by lesson plans and pre-drawn screens, Moovl can be used flexibly across the curriculum. Use Moovl to investigate concepts in science; children can explore gravity by creating a simulation of a man walking on the moon. Moovl also supports visual literacy; children can create their own animated storyboards and make words come to life.
Show me – Science and Technology website resource – a tremendous resource for overworked teachers!
ARKive web resource
Wildlife films and photos are vital weapons in the battle to save the world’s endangered biodiversity from the brink of extinction. So, with the help of the world’s best filmmakers, photographers, conservationists and scientists, ARKive is creating the ultimate multimedia guide to the world’s endangered species.
Early ICT
This site aims to support both teachers and pupils in the use of ICT across the curriculum by providing pages of resources, lesson ideas and links to ‘safe’ websites on the internet.
Street Sense
‘Streetsense’ is a road safety education teaching pack for primary schools which takes a comprehensive and innovative approach to teaching road safety in the classroom. The pack comprises five sections covering levels A to E and contains teachers’ notes, suggested lesson plans and pupil activities for each level. All the pupil activities are linked to attainment targets in the Health Education: 5–14 National Guidelines. ‘Streetsense’ materials also highlight other curricular links including citizenship and ICT as well as fitting road safety education into the context of the health promoting school. The teaching pack includes posters, photographs, an audio CD, gym cards and leaflets to supplement the classroom materials. It has been distributed to all primary schools in Scotland, including special and independent schools, and is also available to download from the website
CfE comes to life at Riverside PS
When Riverside Primary School invited parents to workshops on Curriculum for Excellence, it was an eye-opening experience for all involved. Teachers forged stronger relationships with parents and saw the curriculum in a new light. Parents discovered how education has progressed since their school days. Pupils gained a deeper understanding of how their learning is planned. ‘My dad said he would have liked school more if he could have learned like we do,’ said one child.
Literacy ideas
Knowledge of Language
Curriculum for Excellence has made explicit the expectation that all staff have a responsibility to contribute to the literacy development of learners. However, not all education professionals are fully confident in their own understanding of how language works. The Knowledge of Language modules provide staff with a way of accessing further information about some of the common features of our language
Numeracy ideas
Have Sum Fun
The Have Sum Fun leaflet contains lots of games you can play with your children to help them develop an interest and love of numbers. As a parent or carer you can help your children develop their mathematics and number skills by playing these games with them.
Talk Money, Talk Solutions – Financial education through numeracy and practical tasks
Talk Money, Talk Solutions is a collection of practical problem solving activities for use in primary school. The aim of the project is to help develop the financial capability of primary school pupils as part of their general education. Activities such as those described in this resource give pupils opportunities to carry out tasks, to develop problem solving skills, and to do this in a very creative and enjoyable way
Health and Wellbeing ideas
Food for Thought
This activity helps children and young people to see things from other people’s points of view.
On your marks!
‘On Your Marks!’ is an online education toolkit focusing on the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games which has been launched by the London 2012 Organising Committee. The website provides schools and young people across the UK with a range of up-to-date information about the Games – including factsheets, news articles and a bank of images for use at home or in school.
321 Go!
321 GO! is an interactive dance resource specially designed for use with 4-7-year-olds. The CD-ROM is hosted by Gorf the dancing frog, who will show you how to do safe warm-ups and make cool music with his Groove Machine. 321 GO! also includes seven original music tracks which teachers can freely use for classroom activities and performances. Music tracks can be played on a standard audio CD player.
Modern Languages
P7 Harry Potter (Modern Languages)
Examples of how a Harry Potter theme has been used to teach modern languages.
Gaidhlig
Gaidhlig resources index
Find resources in this section which are aimed at helping practitioners with the implementation of the experiences and outcomes under Curriculum for Excellence
RME ideas
Create your own Game
Primary 6 pupils in Crosshouse Primary School, East Kilbride, created their own partnership games to challenge sectarianism. The teacher and learners explored human rights and considered how these rights are a reason for challenging sectarianism
RCRE
Using sense over sectarianism
St Mirrin’s Primary and Croftfoot Primary are situated on the south side of Glasgow and serves the areas of Croftfoot and Simshill
Social Studies ideas
Playing for Keeps
This downloadable publication from Scottish Natural Heritage contains ideas for introducing the wonders of nature to pre-school children. Activities and games cover the following: cookery; art and craft; dance, drama and music; adventure play; parachute games; imaginative play; dressing up, and a whole variety of role play suggestions. It contains suggestions for themes as well as large-scale projects, and has ideas for using different materials, for example sand, water, dough and clay, junk (for collage).
Technologies
Animation in Action
The technologies experiences and outcomes provide pupils at all stages of learning with the opportunity to become involved in the production of animations. This creative use of ICT provides scope for developing technological skills, knowledge and understanding through practical activities. At the same time this media production offers a rich basis for interdisciplinary learning or opportunity to reinforce learning from other curricular areas.
Moovl
Moovl is a unique online tool that creatively embeds ICT across the curriculum. Both teachers and learners can use it to draw, animate and apply physical properties to objects, bringing pictures and words to life. Delivered online and accompanied by lesson plans and pre-drawn screens, Moovl can be used flexibly across the curriculum. Use Moovl to investigate concepts in science; children can explore gravity by creating a simulation of a man walking on the moon. Moovl also supports visual literacy; children can create their own animated storyboards and make words come to life.
Show me – Science and Technology website resource – a tremendous resource for overworked teachers!
The curriculum planning section of the LTS website has lots of resources and examples to support schools and establishments in reviewing and designing their curriculum structures. Click here to have a look at the process:
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/buildingyourcurriculum/curriculumplanning/index.asp
The new learning : the learning journey
21st century education is about how children learn, not what they learn, says Professor Brian Boyd. Here, he welcomes a more flexible approach to learning and teaching
Free Flow Play in P1-P3 –
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/sharingpractice/f/freeflowplay/aims.asp?strReferringChannel=earlyyears&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-619325-64
CfE Supporting the Early Level –
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/earlyyears/curriculum/supportingearlylevel/index.asp
Advice on Reporting on Progress and Achievement
This advice on reporting is part of a suite of documents on recognising achievement, reporting and profiling. The Curriculum for Excellence Management Board decided to publish the reporting section separately in advance of the whole document.
Early Years Web links
Developing a Documentation Approach – http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/sharingpractice/d/documentation/aims.asp?strReferringChannel=earlyyears&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-619333-64
Click here for the LTS assessment home page and to log on to the National Assessment Resource
What are the broad features of assessment in the curriculum areas?
Expressive Arts
Health and Wellbeing
Literacy across learning
Literacy and English
Literacy and Gaidhlig
Mathematics
Modern Languages
Numeracy across learning
RME
RCRE
Sciences
Social Studies
Technologies
Peer assessment in Art and Design
For this case study our pupils and staff practiced peer and self assessment. The curriculum areas covered in this study were: Expressive arts, primary and secondary
Clarifying the learning – sharing standards in Modern Languages
These PowerPoint presentations aim to raise awareness of other languages frameworks (in this case the Languages Ladder and CEFR) which seek to describe learning experiences and outcomes at beginner level and then to track progression in each of the language skills.
Early Years Web links
Developing a Documentation Approach – http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/sharingpractice/d/documentation/aims.asp?strReferringChannel=earlyyears&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-619333-64
A Child-Led Summer Programme –
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/sharingpractice/c/childledsummerprogramme/aims.asp?strReferringChannel=earlyyears&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-619333-64
Early Years Web links
Developing a Documentation Approach – http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/sharingpractice/d/documentation/aims.asp?strReferringChannel=earlyyears&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-619333-64
Recognising achievement: Learning Community Groups of Enquiry – Stirling
Key features of Recognising Achievement
•Achievements should be as valuable as qualifications.
•The focus must be on learning and reflection, not activities.
•Learners must have ownership of their achievements and what they choose to include.
•Recognition of achievement must involve talking with and supporting young people.
•Any approach must support young people at risk of disengagement and in need of more choices, more
chances, and must not widen the gap between the advantaged and the disadvantaged.
•The implications and practicalities of recognising achievement for schools and learning communities need to
be explored more fully.
Early Years Web links
Pre-School into Primary Transitions –
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/earlyyears/curriculum/transitions.asp
Family Time at Lochgelly West Primary –
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/sharingpractice/f/familytime/aims.asp?strReferringChannel=earlyyears&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-619331-64
Claremont Nursery Children make a book about their Nursery –
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/sharingpractice/c/claremont/aims.asp?strReferringChannel=earlyyears&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-619332-64
Joining Our Nursery Class –
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/sharingpractice/j/joiningournursery/introduction.asp?strReferringChannel=earlyyears&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-619324-64
Pre- Birth To Three National Guidance –
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/earlyyears/prebirthtothree/index.asp
Supporting primary-secondary transition for all – a cognitive behavioural approach
This case study describes the project which the school has implemented to support the wellbeing of all Primary 7 pupils through the transition into the secondary sector. Whilst initially considered as a potential support for a child with significant support needs, this cognitive behavioural therapy approach was then recognised by the school as being of value for all pupils within the transition programme.
Growing up with Loch Leven: exploring literacy across learning
Kinross High School and six associated primary schools worked on a range of projects related to an existing ‘Growing Up with Loch Leven’ initiative. This initiative involved developing interdisciplinary topics with a focus on learning about the local Kinross area and the natural habitat of Loch Leven. Using this context, schools aimed to develop literacy skills, in particular writing across learning, and to increase learners’ engagement and motivation in writing through the use of active learning and teaching approaches. The aims of this project were closely linked and complementary to the Perth and Kinross guidance contained within its ‘Improving Learning – Improving Literacy’ strategy.
Striding through transition – financial education ideas
Across Scotland, nursery, primary and secondary schools are working together to make sure the transition from one familiar environment to somewhere new is not only seamless, but fun and filled with opportunity. ‘The word transition is interesting,’ says Liz Mercer who heads up Cathkin Community Nursery in South Lanarkshire. ‘How we define it is important because it sums up our approach to allowing children to fulfil their potential. A transition shouldn’t be a sudden change – it should be a flow from one situation to another. That word ‘transition’ suggests a connection is already in place. And that’s definitely the case with the way our children at the nursery prepare for starting primary school.
Sharing practice – transitions EY to P1
The ‘Sharing practice’ area provides examples of some of the exciting practice taking place in planning, building and delivering the new curriculum. One such example comes from Glenlee Primary School in South Lanarkshire. The case study explains developments that have been taking place in the school since 2007 and is supported by a number of videos about Glenlee. The focus of the case study is:
•Active learning into P1
•Continuity of approach and learning from nursery into primary.
•The ‘Sharing practice’ area provides
Using collaborative learning and peer mentoring to improve transitions
The Curriculum for Excellence modern languages framework encourages teachers to acknowledge the need for well-planned and effectively delivered transition arrangements to support the implementation of the purposes and principles of Curriculum for Excellence. Teachers from both the primary and secondary sectors agree that partnership and collaboration are essential to ensure effective cross-sector transition. This project illustrates one approach that St Thomas of Aquin’s High School in Edinburgh and its associated primary schools collaborate to ensure a smooth and coherent transition from P7 to S1. In doing so, the project emphasises the importance of building relationships between staff and pupils in primary and secondary sectors.
Developing a common approach to numeracy in the Beeslack cluster
The project’s main aim was to create and use a common language in mathematics across all departments in Beeslack Community High School and within its four associated feeder primaries.
This was done by means of staff training, collegiate working and collaboration along with the use of agreed and identified methodology in numeracy.
Promoting Wider Achievement
This school has begun the process of devising a strategic plan to illustrate its thinking in terms of its curriculum framework. The staff realise that their current 5-14 subject time allocations restrict opportunities to make connections in learning across curriculum areas, resulting in a fragmented approach to teaching and learning. They want to plan for and develop wider achievement within the totality of the curriculum and are moving from seven short periods of 45 minutes to a more coherent structure of three learning blocks per day. The intention is to create scope for greater depth of study and to facilitate interdisciplinary learning.
