The Home-School Link AuthorsBarry Corrigan, Millennium Integrated Primary School, Saintfield, Co Down To strengthen the home-school link and extend the learning of pupils and give support to parents. Objectives Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, Learning NI environment, Internet Explorer, Encarta Encyclopedia, Adobe Reader, ACTIVprimary. Software DescriptionPupils access materials used in the classroom to support their learning. The resources are placed on their individual space in the Learning NI environment and they are then supported as they complete homework. There is support from the class teacher as well as online discussion forums for the children to participate in. Learning Areas Homework – Numeracy and Literacy Class Primary 7Online Learning Environment; Virtual Learning; E-Learning; ; discussion boards; Interactive whiteboards; Homework support; Home-school link Keywords Project Overview

The Home-School Link Teacher Planning and Management Click the documents below to help you understand the context of this exemplary learning project: Background & Planning: I had become increasingly concerned regarding the homework issue for children. I wanted to ensure that it was useful and beneficial to the children in my class. I also wanted them to understand that homework didn’t have to be something to dread and that it supported their learning in the classroom. I was also aware of how prevalent ICT was becoming in the homes of the children and I wanted to harness that enthusiasm and turn it to my, and their, advantage. Classroom Images: The Classroom Images document will hopefully give you an overview of how the link between school and home continues to be developed. Documents

The Home-School Link Teaching Resources Student Project Overview: The homework resources are contained in the course folders for the children. Sometime the discussions are stand-alone and not included in the course. I have created a link to some of the courses the pupils have used in the past. Click on the graphic below to navigate to the LNI login screen. Username: st Password: password

The Home-School Link Assessment and Standards Click the documents below to see the assessment rubrics and standards cover in this learning project: Assessment and Pupil Tracking: Some samples of how the children’s participation is tracked in the LNI environment. Teacher Evaluation: My own personal reflections on the success or otherwise of the online homework element Pupil Evaluation: Some of the children’s own thoughts and ideas about completing homework in this way. Documents

The Home-School Link Barry Corrigan Millennium Integrated Primary School Millennium Integrated Primary School opened in Septmber 200 with just 10 pupils in a house in Newtownbreda Park, Belfast. Five years later it opened its building on the present site on the Belfast Road, Saintfield. The school now has 226 pupils, including a Nursery Unit which opened in September The school has had three Primary 7 classes who have left to go to Post- Primary education. In that time we have sent a large proportion of our children on to Integrated Post-Primary schools as well as local Grammar and Secondary schools. We like to feel that we develop independent, creative and interested pupils. I am the Vice-Principal in the school as well as being the Primary 7 teacher and ICT co-ordinator. I have taught in Integrated primary schools for twelve years, having come to Millennium in 2005 from Kircubbin Integrated Primary School. I do not have any formal qualifications in ICT, having followed a degree in Education with English Literature, so all my knowledge is self- taught through personal interest. I have a keen interest in gaming and have ambitions of having this medium accepted more into mainstream interest through the use of ’Wiis’ for Dyspraxic children; incorporation of Nintendo DS into maths classes and future use of Sony’s PS3 and game ’Little Big Planet’ for collaborative game design.