Implementing the Primary Curriculum Implementing the Primary Curriculum: A Teacher’s Guide Edited by Kate Ashcroft and David Palacio The Falmer Press (A member of the Taylor & Francis Group) London • Washington, D.C. UK Falmer Press, 1 Gunpowder Square, London EC4A 3DE USA Falmer Press, Taylor & Francis Inc., 1900 Frost Road, Suite 101, Bristol, PA 19007 This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2003. © K.Ashcroft and D.Palacio, 1997 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing from the Publisher. First published in 1997 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data are available on request ISBN 0-203-45431-6 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-76255-X (Adobe eReader Format) ISBN 0 7507 0592 2 Cased ISBN 0 7507 0593 0 Paper Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders for their permission to reprint material in this book. The publishers would be grateful to hear from any copyright holder who is not here acknowledged and will undertake to rectify any errors or omissions in future editions of this book. Contents List of Figures vii Section 1 Introduction 1 Chapter 1 Introduction to the Primary School Curriculum 2 Kate Ashcroft and David Palacio Chapter 2 Planning Across the Curriculum 18 Mike Threlfall Section 2 The Subjects in the National Curriculum 31 Chapter 3 English 32 Helena Mitchell and Jenny Monk Chapter 4 Mathematics 49 Margaret Jones Chapter 5 Science 66 Cliff Marshall and David Palacio Chapter 6 History 85 Ann Jordan and Paul Taylor Chapter 7 Geography 99 John Halocha and Maureen Roberts Chapter 8 Art 112 Jackie Chapman Chapter 9 Music 132 Patricia Thompson Chapter 10 Physical Education 145 Jennifer Gray Chapter 11 Design and Technology 161 David Coates and Jean Harding Chapter 12 Information Technology 174 Chris Higgins v Contents Section 3 The Whole Curriculum 187 Chapter 13 Religious Education 188 Gwyneth Little Chapter 14 Drama 204 Suzi Clipson-Boyles Chapter 15 Dance 221 Carol Beth Chapter 16 Special Educational Needs 232 Gary Thomas Notes on Contributors 244 Index 248 vi List of Figures 1.1 Model of a primary school curriculum for England and Wales— as envisaged by the Department of Education and Science (DES, 1989) and subsequently modified as part of the Bearing Review of the National Curriculum (Dearing, 1994) 7 1.2 Model of reflective action 12 2.1 Three levels of curriculum planning (source: SCAA, 1995) 24 2.2 Establishing connections and planning processes 26 3.1 Medium-term plan stage 2: Scheme of work planning sheet 33 3.2 Planning the reading curriculum 38 3.3 Laura’s writing 43 4.1 Sharing 29 biscuits between 6 people 51 4.2 Sharing 29 biscuits between 6 people—the results 52 5.1 A ‘model’ of science teaching and learning 76 6.1 Introductory planning strand to unit 89 6.2 Observation schedule for Key Stage 1/2 History 96 8.1 The learning sequence 115 8.2 The learning cycle 125 14.1 Framework of working variables for drama 210 14.2 Modes most commonly used in primary school drama 211 14.3 Language activities served by drama 214 vii Section 1 Introduction 1 Introduction to the Primary School Curriculum Kate Ashcroft and David Palacio Introduction and Overview To many people outside education, and perhaps yourself if you are just about to begin your course of initial teacher training, the terms the primary school curriculum and the National Curriculum for primary schools mean the same thing. However, to people more closely involved with schools the two terms are, for a number of reasons, quite distinct. In focusing on the primary school curriculum (sometimes called the whole curriculum), rather than the National Curriculum, one purpose for this chapter is to make explicit the differences that exist between the two. In doing so, this book should serve not only as a guide to the major features and key ideas underpinning the (whole) primary curriculum but also as a guide to how each subject comprising the National Curriculum may be implemented in a typical primary school classroom. The nature of the primary school curriculum and the climate in which schools function changed quite dramatically following the passing of the Education Reform Act in 1988. Not only was the National Curriculum introduced by this Act but schools became much more publicly accountable for their actions and for the ways in which they have deployed the resources made available to them; for example, the governing body of a school and the parents of the pupils attending that school were given increased rights and responsibilities regarding the curriculum. You might like to compile a more comprehensive list of the changes that have occurred since the passing of the 1988 Act and the ways in which schools have changed to accommodate these new circumstances (the implications of these changes are considered more fully in a later enquiry task in this chapter, see p. 8). Because of all the changes that have occurred to the educational system and the impact these have had on schools, this book should prove to be essential reading not only for anyone who is new to teaching but also for anyone who is returning to teaching after a break away from a primary school classroom. We suspect that most people are aware that schools are required by law to teach the National Curriculum. However, the National Curriculum is not the only component of the curriculum which all publicly funded (often referred to as maintained) primary schools have to include as part of the education they offer. Providing some form of religious education has been a legal requirement of all maintained schools —secondary as well as primary—since the 1944 2 Introduction to the Primary School Curriculum Education Act. Therefore, in this book you will find, in addition to a full consideration of the National Curriculum, a discussion of the recently introduced curriculum guidelines for religious education together with consideration of some of the major issues which emerge when schools attempt to implement these guidelines. At this point, pause for a moment and consider: if both the National Curriculum and religious education are required by law, why is not religious education part of the National Curriculum? The total primary school curriculum is much wider than what is termed the Basic Curriculum—the teaching of the National Curriculum and religious education. In fact, one key objective which underpinned the recent review of the National Curriculum (Dearing, 1994) was to slim down the statutory curriculum so as to enable schools to devote more time to providing a curriculum which is broader than that which has to be taught by law and one which is more responsive to the needs and interests of individual schools and children. (As a consequence of the Dearing Review, the estimated time that primary schools can devote to non-National Curriculum work amounts to the equivalent of one day per week.) You will wish to consider what you might include in this ‘optional’ part of the curriculum. One obvious suggestion might be to introduce new material or new experiences which enable you to teach aspects of the National Curriculum in greater depth and/or breadth than is required by law (practical suggestions of what this might be are provided in the chapters of this book). Another possibility, perhaps more imaginative than the previous one, is to introduce subjects/areas of experience which do not come within the present National Curriculum for primary schools; for example, a modern foreign language and aspects of dance and drama. Including additional subjects, or aspects of them, should not only enable you to broaden the subject base of the curriculum, but it should also enable you to offer new and more innovative ways to teach the existing curriculum: for example, you might consider teaching some science work through drama. Adopting approaches such as those outlined in this paragraph, and others mentioned throughout this book, should enable you to enhance and enrich the (National Curriculum) experience of the children in your class. National Curriculum documents are, quite often, written in a style that can make them difficult to understand, particularly if you are new to teaching the National Curriculum (such as a student beginning a course of initial teacher education), or if you are an interested lay person, such as a parent or a school governor. Furthermore, the use of familiar words but with meanings which differ from their everyday usage, or unfamiliar technical words which have no meaning outside of the subject, makes these documents more difficult to understand. Because of these problems, the authors of this book, and especially the authors of chapters which deal with individual subjects of the National Curriculum, have tried to clarify meaning and suggest practical ways in which you can turn National Curriculum words into classroom action. In this sense, the book can be read in its entirety, thus giving you an immediate overview of the primary curriculum, perhaps re-reading chapters as and when necessary. Alternatively, you might like to use the book for reference purposes and perhaps gain a fairly detailed insight 3 Kate Ashcroft and David Palacio into just one chapter at a time. Used in this latter way, the relatively short chapters should enable you to gain a detailed understanding of a subject in a single session. Enquiry Task If you are new to the primary curriculum and how it may be implemented, especially the National Curriculum, one of the first tasks you will have to undertake is to make yourself familiar with the terminology which surrounds it.