Manners Matter

This term at Assemblies we are focusing on manners through a new series called “Manners Matter”. With the assistance of some Year 6 boys we will be using some fictitious characters to assist the boys in developing their manners. The main characters are  Sir Thank You, Dr Excuse Me, Professor Please and Captain Courtesy. Last week we focused on the use of ‘Please’ and this week we addressed ‘Thank you’. We hope that you might begin to see evidence of this at home. We appreciate your support with this initiative.

Literacy Workshops

As part of our commitment to developing the boys’ literacy skills and to assist in meeting their different learning needs, each fortnight we will running Literacy Workshop groups for Stages 2 and 3. These workshops will occur on the alternate week to the Maths Problem Solving groups. During this time the boys will have the opportunity to choose their level of challenge whilst focusing on specific literacy skills in smaller groups. Initially the focus of these workshops will be writing, however this may broaden throughout the year.

English and the Primary Years Programme (PYP)

This week we held a morning and evening Parent Information Session on English and the PYP. The purpose of these sessions was to provide an overview of how we approach English at our school within the PYP learning framework.

It is important to understand that the PYP is simply a framework. In essence, it provides our school with a unified approach to learning and teaching. English (Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar, Talking and Listening) remains an essential area of learning that requires significant time, effort and planning. The PYP acknowledges the importance of all key learning areas (or subjects), however it provides us with a context to explore the connections that exist between these areas of learning. Whilst we focus considerable amounts of time during the week on English (and for that matter Mathematics), our Units of Inquiry provide an opportunity for integrated learning. For example, we make every effort to ensure that the text type that the boys are learning about in Writing has relevance for the current Unit of Inquiry. This allows the boys to use their developing writing skills to communicate their understanding.

At the information sessions we explained our general approach to English teaching which follows a process from Modelled learning to Shared learning to Guided learning and finally to Independent learning.

Modelled learning provides students with a model of how to use English skills. For example, teachers read aloud to students to demonstrate appropriate fluency and expression.

Shared learning experiences generally involve the whole class deconstructing text for the purpose of analysing structure, grammatical features, purpose and themes, and for discussing relevant skills such as comprehension.

Guided learning experiences occur in smaller similar-ability groups and allow students and teachers to discuss the above ideas in further detail within the context of ability-appropriate material..

Independent learning experiences occur as  the students take increased responsibility for their own work.

Mr Chris Wyatt
Head of Lindfield