1. New Curriculum 2014 New Curriculum for Foundation subjects is less prescriptive in terms of which specific topics should be covered and schools have greater freedom to choose how they teach those skills. It is however, prescriptive in terms of the skills that need to be covered within each subject. Topic planning isn’t a new invention. It was used a number of years ago when teachers had much greater freedom to choose what they taught before the first National Curriculum was introduced. Once the original National Curriculum was introduced schools moved towards teaching subjects separately.

2.  Increasing demands on the school timetable year on year with new Government initiatives has made it increasingly harder to cover all of the Foundation Subjects adequately when teaching them all separately.  Provide children with a richer knowledge and experience where they can learn about a topic in greater depth that covers elements of several of the Foundation subjects. Why change?

3. Core subjects – RE, Maths, English Science and ICT are still taught as separate subjects but some elements can be repeated / practised through a particular topic. Eg. The children can learn the skills of how to write a diary entry in their English lessons, then they get the opportunity practise the skill through their topic work.

4. 9.10 – 10.15 10.15 – 10.30 10.45 – 11.45 11.45 – 1.10 1.10 – 1.30 1.30 – 2.15 2.25 – 3.20 Monday Basic skills Maths (15 -20 mins) English Whole school Collectiv e worship Break Maths Lunch Phonics RE Break Science Tuesday KS1 Wor ship 9.30 – 10.15 KS2 Worship Break Maths Lunch Phonics Topic Break R.E English Wednesday Basic skills Maths (15 – 20 mins) English Class worship Break Maths Lunch Phonics Topic Break P.E Thursday English Assembly Break Maths Lunch Phonics RE Break Topic Friday Basic skills Maths (15 – 20 mins) P.E Awards Assembly Break Maths Lunch Phonics ICT Break ICT

5. English Poem: There was an old woman who lived in a shoe. Labels ; Parts of the houses exterior and interior. Class book: Goldilocks; identify rooms Goldilocks visits. What can they see in each room? Sequencing pictures: Goldilocks and 3 bears Captions: Adding captions to Goldilocks pictures. Re-telling story by drawing pictures and writing simple sentences. Maths Counting – how many houses, doors, chairs chimneys; counting in 2s (numbers on doors); (Link to English) More/ less than; Ordering according to size, shortest – tallest / smallest / biggest. Drawing 3 bears chairs, bowls, beds. Identifying 2D / 3D shapes : Shape houses - Shapes of external features, internal features /objects. Positional language: Where are different objects; On top of, next to, in front of, behind etc.. History Homes through time: Eg. Caveman, iron age, Tudor; Victorian, modern day. (Include castles), animal homes. Study features of houses from different periods. Items in homes: Compare Victorian to modern day. Kitchen / living room. Rich homes in the past Poor homes in the past comparison Art Sketch different house types / features e.g windows / doors. Design and draw / paint a fantasy home. Rubbings: eg. Bricks Drawings / paintings of our own homes. PE Dance: Different ways of moving, sequences of actions; Put a sequence of movements together to illustrate doing jobs around the house E.g. hovering, dusting, washing windows, digging the garden, washing dishes, hanging out washing, painting a wall, making beds. Also actions for building a house, laying bricks, digging, picking up and carrying light and heavy objects. Geography: Different types of houses, caravan, bungalow, terrace, semi- detached, detached, castles. Identify own house type and locate on a street map. Now home address. Look at house types in the local area. Look at house styles in other countries. (Similarities and differences) DT Make a plastic bottle greenhouse (home for plants).(Ongoing beyond topic -linked with Eco – club) Design and make a castle and design / make bird boxes ready for spring. RE Homes in Jesus’ time (flat roof) Jesus slept on roof when it was hot. No glass windows – why not? Science Materials topic: What are houses made of? Identify objects and materials used for internal items and discuss reasons why that material has been used. Properties: Describe materials identified – hard, soft, flexible, rigid, shiny, dull. Investigation 1: Which material is best for cleaning up a spillage? (absorbency) Investigation 2: Which household materials float? Looking at different animal homes? Music Sing floating / sinking song for Science investigation (to tune of when the saints..) The wise man built his house upon the rock. (Use instruments to add sound effects) Houses and Homes