|
Parents
in partnership
When
children come to Dungannon Primary School it is of prime
importance to the Primary 1 teacher, and to the wider school
family, that they settle quickly and are happy in their new
environment.
At
this stage children learn mostly through play. They learn in
different ways – by listening, seeing and doing. They are at
the experimental stage, soaking up information and new ideas
like sponges.
Through
play children can:
 |
communicate
with others as they investigate or solve problems; |
|
explore,
develop and represent learning experiences that help
them to make sense of the world; |
|
practise and
build up ideas, concepts and skills; |
|
learn how to
control impulses and understand the need for rules; |
|
be alone, be
alongside others or cooperate as they talk or discuss
their feelings; |
|
take risks
and make mistakes; |
|
think
creatively and imaginatively; |
|
express
fears or relive anxious experiences in
controlled and safe situations. |
Through
play you, as parents, can work to ensure that your children
enter school having established solid foundations on which to
build.
You
can help them to make the most of their experiences by:
 |
sharing in
the fun, |
|
giving
support and asking questions that prompt increased
observation or help the play to move on, |
|
encouraging
and guiding children to use all of their senses as they find out about themselves and their surroundings. |
Play,
both indoor and outdoor, not only provides children with
enjoyment but with challenges and diverse learning
opportunities.
Water
play is always a favourite. It doesn’t have to be at a water
tray and you don’t need sophisticated equipment.
When
playing in water children are developing:
|
their hand
eye coordination, fine motor skills and visual
concentration as they pour, fill, squeeze, squirt, pump,
blow etc., |
|
language
skills as they discuss and describe what they are doing, |
|
mathematical
understanding as they come to an improved understanding of
the language of capacity
or volume, |
|
personal and
social skills as they share and take turns. They may also
be learning about the importance of keeping clean. |
|
their
understanding of the world around them as they discover
some of the properties of water and how other materials
behave in water e.g. displacing, absorbing, floating and
sinking. They may also be learning how water wheels,
sieves and funnels work and how objects can move across
water. |
It
should also be remembered that children need time to
consolidate their ideas and should have time to play
independently without an adult hovering and trying to make the
most of every learning opportunity.
It
is largely through structured play activities that your child
will engage in the Northern Ireland Curriculum.
Current
proposals for the revised curriculum combine the nine subjects
into five interconnected areas:
1.
Creative,
Expressive and Physical Development
(
bringing together Art and Design, Music And P.E.)
2.
Language
and Literacy (bringing together
Talking and Listening, Reading and Writing.)
3.
Mathematics
and Numeracy ( emphasising
practical and mental mathematics and thinking processes in
mathematics as well as the application of numeracy.)
4.
Personal
Development (giving clear ideas
for how to develop children’s knowledge of health and safety
also emotional, and community understanding.)
5.
The
World Around Us ( where
geography, history, science and technology have been combined
into topics. Through these topics teachers can also teach
Language and Literacy, Numeracy, Expressive and Physical and
Personal Development.)
Dungannon
Primary is one of 31 schools currently piloting the Early
Years Enriched Curriculum Project. As a result our year 1
children have benefited from much improved resources. Teachers
have been given training and afforded opportunities to learn
about best practice in other countries. As the programme rolls
on through the school further funding and training will be
provided.
Research
tells us that the early years are perhaps the most important
period in establishing children’s:
 |
attitudes to school; |
|
disposition to learn; |
|
confidence and self esteem; |
|
ability to think for themselves and show initiative. |
Feedback
from both parents and teachers, in all of the schools involved
in the Early Years Enriched Curriculum Project, has been very
positive and would suggest that the children are:
|
enthusiastic about school and learning |
|
more concentrated on task |
|
better listeners |
|
showing improved physical skills |
|
aware their own interests are valued |
|
feeling that their views are valued |
|
more independent |
|
more willing to share |
|
more confident |
|
more co-operative |
|
more willing to have a go |
|
better problem solvers |
|
better communicators |
|
better at making
decisions |
|
able to direct their learning |
|
able to show leadership skills |
|
able to cope with making mistakes |
|
demonstrating higher levels of self esteem |
Children
learn best when they are active and involved and when learning
is enjoyable. If your children return home tired and happy and
saying that they have played all day don’t under estimate
the value of their experiences. You can be assured that their
play activities have been structured and differentiated in
order to best meet the needs of all of the children in the
class.
Induction Booklet Part
1,
2,
3,
4 |
Induction Booklet Download
Top
|
