Nodehill Study Skills

Plans for the Autumn term 2008!

It’s that time of the year again; Holidays nearly over and time to go back to school!

I’ve spent some time revising last year’s plans and simplifying the Real Game, breaking it down into lessons, which fit in with our school timetable.

Year 5 will again start the year looking at the brain and learning styles/ multiple intelligences.  Last year the children feedback that they wanted to learn about the brain in more detail so I’ve added an extra lesson and included how to improve brain function looking at things like diet, brain training, brain gym etc. Children will then move on to exploring the different intelligences and work out which ones apply to them best.  They will learn how their learning is affected by their learning style and how they can overcome difficulties they may encounter in class and other learning situations.

In the second half of the term they will do the “What’s in my head?” unit, which worked very well last year and the children, enjoyed. The idea for this unit came from the book "Display a Creative Curriculum, Ages 5-11" (Noel McHugh and Stephen Springnett).  This unit will encourage children to self-analyse and explore their strengths and weaknesses.  It will look at ways in which our strengths, weaknesses and perceptions of ourselves can affect our learning.  Children will be creating a “What’s In My Head?” collage and will present these to their peers.  These will then be used for display purposes.  By learning about themselves children will have an accurate perception of their different abilities.  They will also be expected to consider ways in which to overcome difficulties in coping with situations in which they may not feel comfortable working in.

 

 

Download medium_term_1.1 and 1.2 2008 year 5.doc

Download plans_term_1.1 2008 Year 5.doc

Download plans_term_1.2 2008 Year 5.doc

Year 6 will continue where they left off with the Real Game last year (see post on Real Game).

I’ve broken down the first four units of the Real Game into lessons, as this will be easier to manage planning wise.  However if there is still time at the end of these lessons there is plenty more of the Real Game to be getting on with! 

Download plans_term_1.1 and 1.2 2008 Year 6.doc

Any feedback or ideas very much appreciated!

 

 

 

 

 

The Make it Real Game

This half term pupils in Years 5 and 6 will be working on the “Make it Real Game” projects.  The current Year 5 will continue with their projects in September whilst the new Year 5s work on the learning styles topics.

 

In the “Make it Real Game” pupils learn by experience, mostly in small groups, in a simulated community. They assume life/work roles and work together in their roles functioning as working people in their community. The learning is designed to be fun! Pupils start by creating and naming their town and local neighbourhoods. They locate key public buildings, choose and plan housing and identify transport options. Pupils then form and name a small company, hire staff, secure offices and finally they carry out an assignment as a business team.

 

During the process pupils learn personal and interpersonal skills and:

• begin to understand the services and occupations that make up a town;
• start to understand terms such as community, business, career and occupation;
• learn the importance of education and qualifications in getting jobs; and gain an understanding that there are different learning pathways.

 

For more information or to order the game visit http://www.realgame.co.uk/content/1144583073.221/

Plans April - May

Here are the plans for next half term.

Download plans_term_3.1 2008 Year 5.doc

Download plans_term_3.1 2008 Year 6.doc

Year 5 will be working on mind mapping and year 6 will be continuing with their revision/exam preparation unit.

Thanks, Natalia

Plans for Spring Term

It's planning time again!  After Christmas Years 5 and 6 will no longer be following the same units of work.

Year 5 will focus on team building skills and creative thinking.  The unit on team building will allow children to work in groups and look closely at group and team dynamics.  They will have to complete activities and challenges in their groups and assess their group's progress as they go along.  This will give children a greater awareness of how to work successfully in groups and they will be able to use these skills in their other lessons.  When they move on to the unit on creative thinking children will have to work independently to solve problems which have no right or wrong answer.  Children will be encouraged to analyse these problems and be as creative as possible in their responses.  This analytical and creative approach should then be applied across the curriculum to enhance learning.

Year 6 will focus on two revision units in preparation for their SATs tests.  In the first unit children will be taught a range of ways in which to revise for exams successfully.  They will also look at appropriate revision environments and ways in which they can organise themselves and their learning.  Following on from this, in the second unit, children will be able to take revision topics of their choice to Study Skills lessons and revise using the methods taught in unit one.  These should be topics which the children feel they need to improve at.  For example, if revising Maths, they could pick some of the topics from their Maths self-evaluation sheets.  Study Skills teachers should liaise with Maths, English and Science teachers throughout the unit.

Attached are the plans for all of the units mentioned above. I would appreciate any comments, suggestions, advice or feedback so please leave a comment. 

Download medium_term_2.1 and 2.2 2008 Year 5.doc

Download plans_term_2.1 2008 Year 5.doc

Download plans_term_2.2 2008 Year 5.doc

Download medium_term_2.1 and 2.2 2008 Year 6.doc

Download plans_term_2.1 2008 Year 6.doc

Download plans_term_2.2 2008 Year 6.doc 

Plans for Autumn Terms

I decided that the first half of the Autumn term should focus on learning styles and the second half on self-evaluation and analysis.  As this is the first year that Study skills has been taught at Nodehill, both Year 5 and 6 pupils will be following the same scheme to ensure that Year 6 children do not miss out on these vital units.

Unit 1 - "Learning Styles" will allow children to discover the ways and settings in which they learn best.  They will also have the opportunity to create a lesson/presentation in a particular learning style.  Children will be encouraged to think about how teachers use different learning styles across the curriculum and will be looking at ways in which this affects learning.  Once the learning styles data is collected, it is my intention to distribute it to all subject teachers so that this information can be used to tailor planning to best suit the needs of the children in their classes.

Unit 2 - "What's In My Head?"  The idea for this unit came from the book "Display a Creative Curriculum, Ages 5-11" (Noel McHugh and Stephen Springnett).  This unit will encourage children to self-analyse and explore their strengths and weaknesses.  It will look at ways in which our strengths, weaknesses and perceptions of ourselves can affect our learning.  Children will be creating a “What’s In My Head?” collage and will present these to their peers.  These will then be used for display purposes.  By learning about themselves children will have an accurate perception of their different abilities.  They will also be expected to consider ways in which to overcome difficulties in coping with situations in which they may not feel comfortable working in.

Throughout the year I intend to post Study Skills work on this blog along with any examples of how it can, and has been incorporated across the curriculum at Nodehill.  At the end of each unit children will be required to leave feedback based on their learning experiences in this subject.

I have attached both medium term plans and weekly lesson plans so they are available to download.  I would appreciate any comments, suggestions, advice or feedback so please leave a comment.

Download medium_term_1.1 and 1.2 2007.doc

Download plans_term_1.1 2007.doc

Download plans_term_1.2 2007.doc

Natalia Garcia

Planning Stages

At the moment I am working on the new medium term plans for Sept 2007.  Things which I predict being included in the Study Skills curriculum are learning styles, problem solving, types of reading, revision skills and project work.  I have attached a Power Point presentation which I delivered to the staff at Nodehill giving an overview of what will be covered and what our expected outcomes are.  Personally I think "learning to learn" is crucial as it will provide children with essential skills for all types of learning, both in school and out.   At the end of the year children will be expected to work in groups, on a given topic, to produce a project which can be delivered to their peers in a format of their choice.  Children will be expected to evaluate their learning via this blog at the end of every unit and they will also provide feedback for posted work, as will teachers.  I would greatly appreciate any feedback, ideas and comments on the plans so far.  Thank you - N.Garcia.

Download study_skills.ppt