Igniting a Life-Long Appreciation of the Amazing World We Live In

A full spectrum curriculum that allows all talents to shine and all interests to grow

Igniting a life-long appreciation of the amazing world we live in

Curriculum Overview

September 2016

Summary

This document is designed to support teachers in planning the Learning for Life curriculum. This document covers the following subject areas:

The arts

• an artist
• a designer
• a performer

Humanities

• a geographer
• a historian
• a religiously literate child

The sciences

• a coder/user of technology

Purpose of study

These descriptors are taken from the National Curriculum to set the context for learning in each subject.

Mastery characteristics

These are SHP’s own aims of the Learning for Life curriculum. By the end of Year 6, having participated in the Learning for Life curriculum since Year 1, children will have mastered each subject.

Subject content

These descriptors are taken from the National Curriculum to give teachers subject-specific support and to ensure that our curriculum is meeting national expectations. They are not intended to be a coverage tick list. These statements should be revisited again and again across a key-stage to enable children to master this area of the curriculum.

Language

The subject-specific language is taken from GCSE specifications to ensure that our children can:

• talk like a(n)…
• read like a(n)…
• write like a(n)
• think like a(n)…

WALTs

The WALTs are taken from the subject content descriptors. They must be used for all learning objectives to match Learning for Life’s philosophy of learning:

• learning develops over time
• repetition is essential
• lessons advance learning: we nudge forward rather than achieve
• lessons are part of the process of learning, they are not an event in themselves

An artist

Purpose of study

Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. A high-quality art and design education should engage, inspire and challenge children, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. As children progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They should also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.

Mastery characteristics

•The ability to use a range of visual language skilfully to share their ideas, experiences and imagination (for example: line, shape, pattern, colour, texture and form).

•The ability to communicate powerfully and perceptively through purposeful drawing in 2D, 3D and digital media.

•An impressive knowledge and understanding of other artists, craft-makers and designers.

•The ability to think and act like creative practitioners by using their knowledge and understanding to inform, inspire and interpret ideas, observations and feelings.

•Independence, initiative and originality which they can use to develop their creativity.

•The ability to select and use materials, processes and techniques skilfully and inventively to realise intentions and capitalise on the unexpected.

•The ability to reflect on, analyse and critically evaluate their own work and that of others.

Subject content

Key stage 1

Children should be taught:

to use a range of materials creatively to design and make products

to use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination

to develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space

about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work.

Key stage 2

Children should be taught:

• to develop their techniques, including their control and their use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design
• to create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas
• to improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials (e.g. pencil, charcoal, paint, clay)
• about great artists, architects and designers in history.

Language

analyse / illustration / printed fabrics
animation / image / printmaking
artefact / installation / process
ceramics / interpret / product
contemporary artist / land art / reportage
convey / landscape / sculpture
dimensions / lens-based media / sensory
drawing / light-based media / still-life
dyed fabrics / mixed media / tactile
embellished textiles / new media technology / technique
evaluate / painting / tools
form / photography / traditional
historical artist / portrait / visual

WALTs

design

make

draw

paint

sculpt

be inspired

create

review
A designer

Purpose of study

Design and technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Using creativity and imagination, children design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. They acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. Children learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.

Mastery characteristics

•Significant levels of originality and the willingness to take creative risks to produce innovative ideas and prototypes.

•The ability to use time efficiently and work constructively and productively with others.

•The ability to carry out thorough research, show initiative and ask questions to develop an exceptionally detailed knowledge of users’ needs.

•The ability to act as responsible designers and makers, working ethically, using finite materials carefully and working safely.

•A thorough knowledge of which tools, equipment and materials to use to make their products.

•The ability to apply mathematical knowledge.

•The ability to manage risks well to manufacture products safely and hygienically.

•A knowledge of up-to-date technological innovations in materials, products and systems.

Subject content

Key stage 1

Through a variety of creative and practical activities, children should be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. They should work in a range of relevant contexts, such as the home and school, gardens and playgrounds, the local community, industry and the wider environment. As part of their work with food, children should be taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Instilling a love of cooking in children will also open a door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill that enables children to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life.

When designing and making, children should be taught to:

Design

design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves and other users based on design criteria

generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through talking, drawing, templates, mock-ups and, where appropriate, information and communication technology

Make

select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks such as cutting, shaping, joining and finishing

select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their characteristics

Evaluate

explore and evaluate a range of existing products

evaluate their ideas and products against design criteria

Technical knowledge

build structures, exploring how they can be made stronger, stiffer and more stable

explore and use mechanisms, such as levers, sliders, wheels and axles, in their products

Eat healthily

• use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes

understand where food comes from

Key stage 2

Through a variety of creative and practical activities, children should be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. They should work in a range of relevant contexts, such as the home, school, leisure, culture, enterprise, industry and the wider environment. As part of their work with food, children should be taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Instilling a love of cooking in children will also open a door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill that enables children to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life.

When designing and making, children should be taught to:

Design

use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups

generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design

Make

select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks, such as cutting, shaping, joining and finishing, accurately

select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities

Evaluate

investigate and analyse a range of existing products

evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work

understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world

Technical knowledge

apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures

understand and use mechanical systems in their products, such as gears, pulleys, cams, levers and linkages

understand and use electrical systems in their products, such as series circuits incorporating switches, bulbs, buzzers and motors

apply their understanding of computing to program, monitor and control their products

Eat healthily

understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet

prepare and cook a variety of predominantly savoury dishes using a range of cooking techniques

understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed

Language

absorbency / enterprise / natural / refuse
aesthetics / ethics / new technologies / renewable energy
automation / ferrous / non-ferrous / repair
availabilty / fossil fuels / nuclear power / rethink
batch / functionality / obsolescence / robotics
CAD / industry / oscillating / rotary
cellulose fibre / innovation / outputs / smart material
component / inputs / polymer / social footprint
composite / linear / processes / specification
consumption / malleability / properties / sustainability
culture / manufacture / prototype / synthetic
disposal / marketable / re-use / systems
ecological footprint / mass produce / reciprocating / timber
elasticity / mechanical devices / recycle
emerging technologies / modern material / reduce

WALTs

design

make

evaluate

build

explore

improve

program

eatheathily

A performer

Purpose of study

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high-quality music education should engage and inspire children to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As children progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon. Children should develop fundamental movement skills, become increasingly competent and confident and access a broad range of opportunities to extend their agility, balance and coordination, individually and with others. They should be able to engage in co-operative physical activities in a range of increasingly challenging situations.

Mastery characteristics

•A wide repertoire which is used to create original, imaginative, fluent and distinctive composing and performance work.

•An ability to use voice, movement, gesture and facial expressions with purpose to communicate effectively to an audience.

•A musical understanding underpinned by high levels of aural perception and technical expertise in playing tuned and untuned instruments.

•An awareness and appreciation of different sounds, musical traditions, musicians and genres.

•An ability to watch and listen to a range of performances with concentration and understanding.

•The ability to give precise written and verbal explanations and feedback, using performance terminology effectively, accurately and appropriately.

Subject content

Key stage 1

Children should be taught to:

use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes

play tuned and untuned instruments musically

listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music

experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music

• master basic movements as well as developing balance, agility and co-ordination, and begin to apply these in a range of activities

perform dances using simple movement patterns

Key stage 2

Children should be taught to sing and play musically with increasing confidence and control. They should develop an understanding of musical composition, organising and manipulating ideas within musical structures and reproducing sounds from aural memory. Children should continue to apply and develop a broader range of skills, learning how to use them in different ways and to link them to make actions and sequences of movement. They should enjoy communicating, collaborating and competing with each other. They should develop an understanding of how to improve in different physical activities and sports and learn how to evaluate and recognise their own success.

Children should be taught to:

play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression

improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the inter-related dimensions of music

listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory

use and understand staff and other musical notations

appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians

develop an understanding of the history of music

develop flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance

perform dances using a range of movement patterns

compare their performances with previous ones and demonstrate improvement

Language

abstract / convention / medium / rehearsal
accompanied / delivery / melody / rhythm
accompaniment / devise / metre / solo
amateur / downstage / monologue / structure
aptitude / duo / mood / texture
blend / dynamic / narrative / timbre
canon / extract / note / tonality
centre stage / form / orchestral / tradition
chord / genre / pitch / unaccompanied
choreography / harmony / playwright / understudy
classical / interpretation / popular / unison
climax / intonation / posture / upstage
comic / lyrical / professional

WALTs

sing

chant

play

listen

create

move

perform

improvise

compose

appreciate

compare

respond

evaluate

recite

record

A geographer

Purpose of study

A high-quality geography education should inspire in children a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Teaching should equip children with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As children progress, their growing knowledge about the world should help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge provides the tools and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.

Mastery characteristics

•An excellent knowledge of where places are and what they are like.

•An excellent understanding of different human and physical environments and how they are interrelated.

•An extensive base of geographical knowledge, skills, techniques and vocabulary.

•The ability to reach conclusions and develop a reasoned argument to explain findings.

•A real sense of curiosity to find out about the world and the people who live there.

•The ability to express well-balanced opinions, rooted in very good knowledge and understanding about current issues in society and the environment.

Subject content

Key stage 1

Children should develop knowledge about the world, the United Kingdom and their locality. They should understand basic subject-specific vocabulary relating to human and physical geography and begin to use geographical skills, including first-hand observation, to enhance their locational awareness.

Children should be taught to:

Location knowledge

name and locate the world’s seven continents and five oceans

name, locate and identify characteristics of the four countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom and its surrounding seas

Place knowledge

understand geographical similarities and differences through studying the human and physical geography of a small area of the United Kingdom, and of a small area in a contrasting non-European country

Human and physical geography

identify seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom and the location of hot and cold areas of the world in relation to the Equator and the North and South Poles

use basic geographical vocabulary to refer to:

• key physical features, including: beach, cliff, coast, forest, hill, mountain, sea, ocean, river, soil, valley, vegetation, season and weather
• key human features, including: city, town, village, factory, farm, house, office, port, harbour and shop

Geographical skills and fieldwork