Seasons
Secondary foci: Inclusive, Numeracy Skills, DTaAfL, Reflective practice,
How was it used?
This resource was used as it fitted into the school's maths scheme rather than science where it is on the site. The focus for the lesson was measuring - ordering events in time (the seasons) and comparing data - sorting objects according to a given criteria. The teacher, Heather Dutfield, continued the series of lessons by focussing on Autumn as it was season in which the lesson took place and the children could see the changes in their day-to-day lives.
The starter activity provided opportunity to develop pupils’ thinking and communication skills. Many would be unable to communicate or to extend their learning without the visual representation provided by this resource. For this age of children the hands-on kinaesthetic aspect of being able to move the pictures around and see them enlarge at the click of the pen on the iwb was motivating. The opportunity for discussion amongst the pupils was enormous. The pictures were detailed, but some were a little ambiguous which allowed the pupils opportunity to talk about what they thought was being depicted and how it related to one or more of the other pictures. Questioning skills were developed as the children attempted to clarify their ideas. There were no right or wrong answers and the children could sort in a variety of ways.
The main session (part 1) really engaged the children and allowed them to initially observe and discuss what was on the screen in front of them. They were initially unaware that they could come up to the iwb and click on various areas within the picture but when the teacher suggested that they try this the engagement of all children with the activity was noticeably improved, particularly with one child who is generally very easily distracted. The teacher had to read out the information that was revealed for the children, which may not have been necessary with an older age group, and the children were pleased when their initial ideas were confirmed.
The main session (part 2) was used following the initial investigation of how the weather conditions and environment changed during the different seasons of the year. The clothing activity was thought most suitable for the reception aged children as it could be directly related to their own lives. The teacher initially allowed the children to reflect on the differences between summer and winter which consolidated what they had already been investigating. The children then took it in turns to click and drag various items of clothing into the correct summer or winter wardrobe. This developed their sorting skills along with their communication skills as the children were encouraged to justify their reasoning for choices before positioning an item of clothing in the wardrobes. Feedback is immediate with cheering or ‘oh-oh’ if the sound is enabled when using this resource. This activity was then opened on the pc’s in the area as enhanced provision.
The plenary session for this activity was not used as the teacher had her own activities planned, however the plenary session would be excellent to use with slightly older children with better reading and writing skills.
Impact and Outcomes
This activity helped children to develop their concentration and observation skills. They were actively engaged in the lesson. There were plenty of opportunities to develop communication. The children were encouraged to think, question and talk and were able to link what they could see on the screen with their own prior knowledge and understanding of the seasons. Clicking on the pictures allowed the learners to explore further and collaborate in their learning, sharing ideas and personal experiences of the seasons. The pupils were able to describe what had been learned and demonstrate their understanding through Activity 2. This allowed them to reflect and evaluate their own thinking.
Learner Feedback
The learners were all keen to use the iwb pen to move clothes into the correct wardrobes. They were excited by the immediate feedback and like to hear the cheering.
Other Resources
Autumn leaves, conkers, acorns, paint chart showing seasonal colours, pictures of different hibernating animals
Lessons Learnt
The children gained a deeper understanding of how the environment changes with the seasons.