LEARNING NETWORK

COMMUNICATION&PROBLEM SOLVING

BARMBY ON THE MARSH PRIMARY SCHOOL

THEME DAYS

Give children and teachers time to be more creative within the curriculum

They allow cross curricular links to be made by teaching subjects under one ‘umbrella’

They create superb opportunities for creative writing

The focus is on fun and engagement

The theme for this half term is ‘Ancient Egypt’

Children have been exploring the past using texts, internet and artefacts in pyramid role play area in KS2

Writing opportunities this term have included:

Diary of Howard Carter Postcard from Egypt Non-chronological report

about the afterlife Newspaper article

regarding the discovery of Tutamkhamum’s tomb

TEACHING STYLES

Build up skills for a challenge

More time More depth More

independence Variety of teaching

styles used

CLASSROOM ORGANISATION

Increased depth & time enables:

Whole class Group Independent Focus Accommodation

facilitates this, small areas

RESOURCES TIME ALLOCATION

Valuable time enables:

Trial & error Peer listening Independent

organisation and use of resources

With time comes upper KS2 learning through play

CURRICULUM AREAS

Focus day incorporated:

DT Science Geography English Other theme days

address other areas

TO CONCLUDE

Children learn when given time to explore, make mistakes and get something finished

Content or subject area enables communication and problem solving when relevant to their lives and experiences

In depth or more profound learning requires personal investment and communication and problem solving skills regardless of curriculum title.

ROUND 2!!!!ROUND 2!!!!

IMPACT ON ATTAINMENT AND IMPACT ON ATTAINMENT AND ACHIEVEMENT IN WRITINGACHIEVEMENT IN WRITING

WRITING ANALYSIS NON WRITING ANALYSIS NON THEMED AND THEMEDTHEMED AND THEMED

• PlanningPlanning

• Children’s use of planning timeChildren’s use of planning time

• Word choicesWord choices

• Reader empathyReader empathy

• StandardsStandards

USE OF PLANNING TIME / TEXT USE OF PLANNING TIME / TEXT STRUCTURE AND STRUCTURE AND ORGANISATIONORGANISATION• Results in Results in

thoughtful workthoughtful work

• Plans are more Plans are more evident in finished evident in finished piecepiece

• Writing is Writing is completed within completed within deadline more deadline more oftenoften

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

MINUTES

NON THEMED THEMED

AVERAGE PLANNING TIME TAKEN IN YEARS 4 and 6

Series1

WORD CHOICES / SENTENCE WORD CHOICES / SENTENCE STRUCTURESTRUCTURE

• Peer / purposeful Peer / purposeful talk provokes more talk provokes more adventurous choicesadventurous choices

• Selected from a Selected from a relevant vocabularyrelevant vocabulary

• Shows awareness of Shows awareness of topic and languagetopic and language

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

NUMBER OF WORDS PER PARAGRAPH

NON THEMED THEMED

WORD CHOICES

Series1

EMPATHY WITH READER / EMPATHY WITH READER / COMPOSITION AND EFFECTCOMPOSITION AND EFFECT

• Viewpoints Viewpoints established and established and maintainedmaintained

• Stylistic choices Stylistic choices maintain interestmaintain interest

• Writing is Writing is convincing and convincing and relevantrelevant 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

PERCENTAGE

NON THEMED THEMED

PERCENTAGE SUCCESS RATE

Series1

INDEPENDENT PROBLEM INDEPENDENT PROBLEM SOLVING AND SOLVING AND COMMUNICATIONCOMMUNICATION• Produced a good Produced a good

planplan

• Made some Made some excellent word excellent word choiceschoices

• Engaged the readerEngaged the reader

• Forgot sub-headings Forgot sub-headings – solved the problem– solved the problem

WHAT NEXT?WHAT NEXT?

• Excellence and enjoymentExcellence and enjoyment

• Attainment and achievementAttainment and achievement

• Real collaboration sharing expertise Real collaboration sharing expertise and resourcesand resources

• Measured progress against a definite Measured progress against a definite criteria on every SDPcriteria on every SDP