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Language | Oral Language | Reading | Writing | Handwriting | Spelling | Mathematics | Aspects of Mathematics Environmental Studies | Expressive Arts | Art and Design | Physical Education | Music | Drama Religious and Moral Education | The School Chaplain | Personal and Social Development Records of Achievement | Assessment The Curriculum The curriculum delivered in the school is based on guidelines issued by the Scottish Office. The 5-14 programme identifies the main curricular areas as: Language Mathematics Environmental Studies - encompassing Social subjects, science and technology Expressive Arts - encompassing art, music, drama, P.E. Religious and Moral Education Information and Communication Technology Health Education Learning from all the curricular areas contributes to Personal and Social Development. Time Allocations The recommended minimum time allocation for each curricular area is as follows - Language 5 hrs Mathematics 4 hrs Environmental Studies 4 hrs Expressive Arts 4 hrs Religious and Moral Education with PSD and Health Education 4 hrs There is an additional 20% flexibility element which allows schools to
increase times in any curricular area as required. The 4 main areas of language are - listening, talking, reading and writing. Listening and talking are essential parts of language development. The work
in P.1 builds on the language the child brings to the school. Emphasis at this
stage is therefore placed on listening and talking. The time spent on this area
gradually reduces until in P.7 equal weight is placed on reading, writing,
listening and talking. The use of the Orkney dialect is encouraged. The phonic and 'look and say' methods are used. Storyworlds is the main
reading scheme for P1&2, The Longman Book Project is the main scheme from
P3-7, supplemented by other relevant material. Pupils work individually and in
groups. Emphasis is placed on reading for pleasure. Each class has a fiction
library while reference books are displayed in the central library in the
gallery. A book club is run once per term. In school, writing falls into 3 main areas: functional e.g. reports, directions, letters personal imaginative Children acquire writing skills in the earliest stages of the school.
Initially, the teacher will scribe for the children but as their handwriting
skills develop they begin to write for themselves. The children
are encouraged to redraft their work, taking a critical look at the content and
improving the punctuation and grammar. Handwriting is taught throughout the school - initially linked with
the
phonics teaching and then taught throughout P1-5. Towards the end of their
primary career, pupils develop individual styles and this is not discouraged as
long as the style is neat and legible. Spelling is taught at all stages of the school using a variety of resources
and approaches. Often, aspects of spelling are given as homework. As the emphasis is placed on understanding a great deal of time is devoted to discussion and practical activities. The written work that follows is, therefore, more meaningful. The main materials currently in use are worksheet based resources from The
Education Network, a group from Northern College, Aberdeen. This is designed to
match 5 - 14 national guidelines in maths. This is supplemented by a variety of
other material and resources. Information Handling This involves children collecting, organising, displaying and interpreting information. Collecting - surveys and questionnaires. What is the favourite toy? What is the most common hair colour? How many vehicles pass through Stenness each day? Organising - tally sheets, databases, spreadsheets and diagrams. Displaying - graphs (pictorial, block, straight line) and pie charts. Interpreting - using displays, comparing, finding similarities and differences, evaluating. Number, Money and Measurement Number By the end of his/her primary a child will have experience of - addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, working mentally, in writing and with calculators. Checking by making a mental estimation of the answer, working with fractions and percentages. Working with patterns and sequences eg. 2,4,8,16...... using symbols e.g. <, > Recognising and explaining relationships between two sets of objects . Money Use all UK currency coins up to £1 and notes up to £20. Measurement Length, Weight, Volume - estimate, measure using standard units, select
appropriate equipment and units. Shape, Position and Movement Shape - collect, discuss, make and use 3D and 2D shapes, use appropriate vocabulary e.g. prism, tetrahedron, radius, diagonal Angles - draw, copy and measure angles accurately Position and Movement - describe accurately familiar routes, use co-ordinate system to locate point on grid, use an 8 point compass. Problem Solving
- children decide on strategy, implement the strategy,
come to conclusions, evaluate what has been done and report to others. Environmental Studies provides opportunities for children to find out more about themselves, their homes and the world around them. They acquire knowledge and understanding, develop skills of preparing for tasks, carrying out tasks and reporting on tasks. In addition, pupils develop informed attitudes to enable them to care about, respect and enjoy the environment. The 3 components of Environmental Studies are - science - Living Things, Energy and Forces, Earth and Space social subjects - People and Place, People in the Past, People in Society technology - including designing and the uses of technology The following are examples of topics which may be covered at the different stages. P.1/2 Myself and Others: Where we live : Materials P.3/4 Journeys : Skara Brae : Mini-beasts P.5/6/7 Tourism : Whale : Egypt We have visiting specialists, once a week, for art and design, music and PE.
Class teachers work in collaboration with the specialists, planning and
delivering the curriculum. Children are encouraged to use a variety of materials and to develop skills. Through art children express their feelings, ideas and thoughts and communicate with others. They also solve design problems. Evaluating their own work and that of others is encouraged. Where possible the work covered by the art teacher is linked to the class environmental studies topics. Activities include: drawing : fingers, crayons, pencils, twigs etc. painting : fingers, sponges, brushes, rags, rollers, spreaders. modelling : wet sand, dough, plasticine, clay. collage : fabric, string, wool, feathers, grasses etc. printing : hands, fingers, sponges, blocks, sticks. creative weaving : yarn, string, fabric, grass, twigs, feathers etc. 3D construction : boxes, cartons, wood off-cuts, shells etc. simple puppetry : sticks, cardboard tubes, socks, paper bags etc. It would be appreciated if the pupils could have an old shirt/overall
for
art. To enable the children to participate in safety, they require shorts, T shirt and trainers. Pupils benefit from a complete change of PE kit, particularly in the upper stages. Through the P.E. programme children experience games, team sports, dance, gymnastics, athletics, swimming and outdoor education. P.E. provides each child with opportunities to experience pleasure and success through a wide range of skills, to develop an awareness of skilful, creative and expressive movement, and to develop desirable social skills. Through PE children also experience and develop an understanding of the role of exercise in good health; and develop a positive attitude to an active lifestyle and a concern for physical well-being. We have an ‘emergency’ PE kit in school in case of forgotten kit. Pupils
are expected to take the ‘borrowed’ kit home to be laundered and returned to
school before the next PE day. Pupils gain musical experience and enjoyment by actively taking part. Singing in tune, control of rhythm and use of expression are encouraged and developed throughout the school. Children are given opportunities to play a variety of instruments and explore their use when inventing their own music. Listening is also an important aspect of music education. Children listen to a variety of music and begin to form their personal opinions and preferences. By listening carefully a critical awareness of their own music is developed. Pupils from P5 upwards may have tuition in a stringed instrument, once a
week, if they have interest and aptitude and space allows. Class teachers are responsible for delivering the drama curriculum. The Authority has a drama co-ordinator who is available for consultation. Through drama pupils are encouraged to improvise and experiment with movement and mime, speech and props. Developing self esteem is an important aspect of drama enabling children to work confidently on their own and with others. Using role-play pupils explore issues, attitudes, ideas and behaviour, from personal observation or from the imagination. Improvisation enables pupils to explore specific problems concerned with interpersonal relationships. Children may wish to share their work with others - the teacher, another
group, or with the rest of the class or a wider audience. Children are whenever
possible given opportunities to watch and enjoy professional drama productions.
Every 2 years the whole school puts on a
performance/play at Christmas. The three main components of religious and moral education are - • Christianity • Other World Religions • Personal Search. Christianity has shaped the history and traditions of Scotland and continues to exert an influence on national life. Other major religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism, are also represented. It is important that while recognising the role of Christianity as the major religious tradition of this country, pupils should also be encouraged to develop an understanding of other faiths and respect the right of others to worship as they wish. This respect also extends to people who wish to adopt a non-religious stance for living. Personal experience is an important aspect of Religious and Moral Education. Children are encouraged to reflect upon their own attitudes and beliefs. Tolerance and respect for others and a responsibility for oneself are encouraged. Moral Education is closely linked to personal and social development. An appreciation of moral values such as honesty, liberty, justice, fairness and concern for others is promoted. Specific areas for learning of Christianity and Other World Religions are :- Celebrations, festivals, ceremonies and customs Sacred writings, stories and key figures Beliefs Sacred places, worship and symbols Moral values and attitudes. Personal Search encompasses the following - The Natural World Relationships and moral values Ultimate questions. The Rev. Tom Clark, the Church of Scotland minister for the parishes of Orphir and Stenness, is the school chaplain and visits the school regularly. In addition to assisting pupils develop an understanding of religions, with a particular emphasis on the Christian religion, a short period of worship is brought to each class during his visit. The Chaplain brings to the school a vital element of Community Life which allows an exchange of ideas to the benefit of both the local Parish Church and the school. Parents have a statutory right to remove pupils from religious education or
observance. Personal and Social Development The children’s experience at home, in school and outwith the school contribute to this important aspect of education. Children are encouraged to develop positive attitudes and increase their knowledge and understanding about themselves, their immediate environment and the world in which they live. They learn to - • look after their personal needs • work independently • participate effectively in groups • make their own decisions • assess their own abilities and capabilities Self assessment is a skill which needs to be learned and practised from the
earliest years as a natural part of everyday life. Records of Achievements not
only helps children to assess their own abilities and capabilities, but promotes
self-awareness. Formal records are kept from P2. Each child has a Records of
Achievement Folder. This folder is intended to hold samples of work, which the
child has chosen to represent his/her best work. It will eventually show the
child's progression from P.2 to P.7, and will belong to the child at the end of
his/her primary schooling. These records recognise achievements inside and
outside the school, and are built up through joint involvement of the child,
teacher and parent. There may be occasions when
the pupils are asked to undertake activities at home linked to Records
of Achievement. Education is concerned with a wide range of aspects of learning. It involves knowledge, skills and attitudes, and also values, interests and talents which are to be encouraged and fostered in young people. Assessment relates to all these aspects of education. Assessments are based on what the children say, write and do, and take place in several ways - • on a daily basis - the teacher marking and discussing the children’s work • special tasks - oral and written tests, observation of children working • national tests Results from special tasks and national tests are kept in the pupil’s
assessment folder. |
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