A time for change

In this ever changing world is it possible to meet the growing needs of year 6 pupils in the limited time available in the timetable?

“Adolescence is a critical period in human development – we must provide our young people with all the support they need to ensure a smooth transition to adulthood.” Dr Stephanie Burnett Heyes University of Birmingham

There is no doubt in the teaching and research communities that the vast amount of physical, emotional and life changes that a year 6 pupil goes through in the build up to leaving primary school and starting secondary school has an enormous effect on their future lives and learning.  Supporting pupils through the transition is essential; however it can be difficult to bring sensitive issues and topics to life in the classroom.

A few of the PSHE association guidelines for KS2 suggest covering the following topics:

Examining what affects physical, mental and emotional health.

Exploring and critiquing how the media present information and how the media impacts our judgements and self esteem.

To be aware of the different types of relationships and recognise those which can be unhealthy.

Understanding the differences and similarities between people and considering the factors that influence these.

How their bodies may change.

To listen and respond respectfully to a wide range of people.

We believe it is possible to cover these areas and more by utilising a creative format.

“In 80% of primary schools, outside speakers made a valuable contribution to the PSHE education programme.” OFSTED Report on Personal Social and Health Education.

The team at Tip of the Iceberg Theatre Company have been delivering theatre in education projects for 20 years. The ethos has always been to respect every young person as an individual and to empower them to learn about themselves and then relate that to the world they live in, therefore developing a foundation for a healthy mental attitude for life. Each show and the follow up workshops are developed alongside schools, teachers, pupils and experts on the topics to ensure that the experience is informing, involving and inspiring to those that take part.

“Changing Britain” is designed to explore all aspects of life changes that year 6 pupils have highlighted as key issues and that they requested support with. Our infamous vlogger “Big Sister” presents tonight’s episode which follows the life of a range of year 7 pupils as she delves beyond the surface asking “How do changes really affect us and what can we do about them?”.

Download a flyer with further information here:

http://www.tipoftheiceberg.biz/pics/Changing%20Britain%20Year%206%20Flyer4email.pdf

Tip of the Iceberg weave topics into the lives, experiences and personalities of the characters so they don’t appear too didactic for the audience, however, there are many areas that can then be drawn on further in our workshops and discussions.

At the heart of great PSHE and pupil support is looking at self-esteem and strategies to develop positive mental health and wellbeing. Our follow up workshops help pupils to relate the topics to their own lives and experiences in a fun, nurturing environment.

The play lasts 30 minutes and the workshops are adapted in length to suit the number of pupils and the school timetable.  We offer half and full day packages, however our delivery is bespoke to your needs and requirements.

For more detailed information and how we can work in partnership with you please don’t hesitate to contact us.

E: tourbooker@tipoftheiceberg.biz or admin@tipoftheiceberg.biz

Tel: 01707 527140 or 07519 593711

Why Macbeth with Pictures?

A story about witches, ghosts, murders, and moral values by the greatest dramatist of them all: what else does one need at KS3?

There is a growing awareness (as a recent report on student reading has revealed) that teenagers today, brought up on the internet and multi-channel TV, are showing less and less inclination to read.

This is an issue that we, as publishers of Shakespeare, have faced, and one that we feel we have answered with the production of Macbeth.

For our volume takes the majority of Shakespeare’s original text and offers it alongside both a modern English translation and page upon page of full colour illustrations.

The value of the combination of the original text and the contemporary “translation” is obvious – but there is also an added bonus from including the illustrations throughout.

The report on the decline in student reading I mentioned above reveals that where students are provided with suitable illustrations their willingness to read, and the level of knowledge that they take in, is greatly enhanced.

In this manner, emotionally powerful, complex characters are presented in a way that allows students to consider and debate the demanding questions that Macbeth raises.  Questions such as whether Macbeth is a tragic hero, who is to blame for Duncan’s murder, and, indeed, what makes a good ruler of a nation, can all be considered in a more approachable manner.

This new edition of Macbeth, in full colour with both the original text and a modern English translation, is now being widely used in schools across the UK and is available direct from the publisher.

You can get a feel for the book here. Then just click on the small pictures that run down the web page to the right of the cover picture, and you’ll see exactly what individual pages of the resource look like.

There are more details of how to order on the website And If you would like to know more please do email us at info@shakespearecomics.com or call 01691 770165.

I do hope you find the approach of interest.

Simon Greaves

Evidence-Based CPD – do more for less

What is the most effective way of making Evidence-Based Teaching easy to access and quick to learn?

One solution is to offer your colleagues anytime access to an Evidence-Based Teaching resource that can be personalised to their teaching needs.  A resource they can tap into as and when they need it.

Of course, you will want the resource to be broken down into quick-to-learn sequences that your colleagues will find immediately relevant and easy to apply to their classroom practices.

Value for money will be an important consideration and, since student success is the only real measure of value, the Evidence-Based Teaching resource will need to support your current in-house professional learning strategies.  Strategies such as coaching, teaching and learning groups, and whole school literacy.

Covering a variety of topics such as Behaviour, Independent Learning, Whole Class Teaching and Assessment for Learning, the HOW2s will save you both time and money when compared to buying in traditional CPD or sending teachers out on training courses. And the good news is the HOW2s pass the Education Development Trust’s CPD test

Take a look at our pricing here. Use offer code SCHOOLS17 to get 20% off standard school subscriptions until the end of March 2017.

Call 01277 202812 or email me at info@teachinghow2s.com to arrange a time for us discuss HOW2s – as an ex-SENCO and deputy head i/c CPD, I promise no hard-sell.

Want to find out more?  Watch Nico’s video. Nico is a Maths teacher and uses the HOW2s extensively in his classroom.

Best wishes

Ian Harris
Creator – HOW2s

Tw: @teachinghow2s

What is the most effective way of helping children to develop their problem-solving skills?

It could be argued that the possession of good problem-solving skills is all that it takes for pupils to achieve high attainment across the subjects, not least because every subject area requires pupils to use problem-solving skills at some point or another. Yet, despite this, the curriculum doesn’t cater for lessons specifically in problem-solving.

Which is why we have developed CRAMES – creative games that will help children to develop their problem-solving skills in only five minutes a day, making them ideal to use at the start of the day, between lessons, at the end of the day, and whenever else there might be a spare five minutes.

CRAMES are user-friendly activities that get children thinking creatively, ranging from ‘What if?’ and ‘How many ways …?’ questions to ‘describing things from a different point of view’ and ‘choosing which you would rather be’.

Furthermore, CRAMES focuses on a variety of themes and thinking methods, from fluency, synectics, flexibility, imagination, originality, and risk taking, to elaboration, curiosity, lateral thinking, problem solving, and evaluation.

You can order CRAMES for just £13.99 in a number of ways, including:

• on our website

• by phone on 01449 766629

• by fax on 01449 768047

• by email to orders@tradecounter.co.uk

• or by post to Brilliant Publications, Mendlesham Industrial Estate, Norwich Road, Mendlesham, Suffolk, IP14 5ND.
Brilliant Publications,
Mendlesham Industrial Estate,
Norwich Road,
Mendlesham,
Suffolk,
IP14 5ND.

website: www.brilliantpublications.co.uk
email: orders@tradecounter.co.uk

phone: 01449 766629
fax: 01449 768047