Supporting Children Learning at Home

Page Last Updated on 25th March 2020 11:46 am by intranetadmin

 

In an attempt to help you support your child/ren in processing the change in educational circumstances we thought it might be useful to provide you with some ‘Top Tips’ whilst managing children’s education at Home. These are simply suggestions and we recognise that you will have to adapt these to your particular circumstances.

  1. Create a space in which to learn

Ideally, it will help your child if they know that there is a dedicated space in the home at which they can work from. A desk, good lighting and appropriate resources for learning are suggested. Paper, pens, pencils, glue etc. Ensure that there is plenty of ventilation. If your child/ren have a laptop, chromebook or computer we suggest placing these in an area dedicated to learning. Ensure that this space is away from distractions.

  1. Communicate expectations

Be very clear with your child/ren about what you expect of them in terms of home learning. Be clear about when you are expecting them to work independently, when you might supervise and when they have ‘free time’. Make sure that you plan a schedule of learning with them – this is something that you might actually want to do with them through discussion of things that they are interested in.  If they have ownership over the schedule they are more likely to stick to it! However, remember that you are in control.

Set some ground rules for the use of mobile telephones so that they do not become a distraction to learning.

  1. Create a schedule/plan/timetable

We suggest talking to your child/ren about this. Give them some ownership. Be realistic –attempting to enforce our 6 Unit day is probably going to be a non-starter! Consider your work needs.

You might want to consider core subjects like English, Maths and Science in the morning and in the afternoon Humanities subjects. Your child/ren would normally study for fifty minute sessions.

Build into your schedule some time for exercise, mindfulness, art, drama and music.

Encourage your child/ren to help with preparations for supper to incorporate Food Technology. You may want them to create a menu for the week based on the food that you have in the house. Get them to research a healthy diet across the week, you can incorporate numeracy if there is a need to buy additional resources. You could also get them to research the nutritional value of the food. Finally, support them in preparing and cooking the food.

  1. Build in breaks

Make sure that you build in opportunities for your child/ren to have some scheduled breaks. Try to keep these to a clear routine so that it is at the same time each day. (Whilst they may not say this…children do like routine and consistency!) This might be a time during the day that they have their mobile telephones to make contact with their friends.

  1. Plan some activities that do not require supervision

Give yourself a break and don’t stress. Plan some activities for your child/ren to do that does not require any supervision. This could involve reading or writing stories or creating uplifting pieces of art that could be displayed in the windows of your home.

Create an ‘Activity Box’ around a theme – this could be decided upon with your child/ren and should certainly be influenced by the things that they are interested in. This box could include arts and crafts materials, design projects, research projects. If you have more than one child at home you might want to get them to work on a joint project together (providing that they adhere to social distancing guidelines), perhaps they could create a play script together and make some of the set/scenery and then video it for their friends and relatives?

  1. Reward good behaviour

We all like to receive praise for when we do well. Think of ways that your child/ren respond best to praise. Perhaps a chart system displayed on a wall, a jar with tokens in it with each token contributing to a physical reward.  You will need devise a system that your child/ren can ‘buy into’. Perhaps you might even like to send a version of a Praise Postcard into school to let us know how well your child/ren are doing at home?

  1. Use the school resources

Please utilise the resources that teaching staff have posted. Key Stage Three work can be accessed via the school hub. If your child/ren is currently in Year 11 we are asking teaching staff to begin posting onto Google Classroom work for Key Stage Five after the Easter Holidays.

Students can keep in touch with their teachers via school email.

  1. Support with Literacy

You might like to get your child/ren to complete a diary whilst they are away from school.  This will help with Literacy.  You might even want to ask them to compete this activity in a particular style or according to a particular genre.

Children may also like to record acts of kindness that they are aware of happening in their local communities or around the world. Get them to include some ‘good news stories’.

  1. Knowledge Organisers

In school we use Knowledge Organisers as a way to highlight key information, words and ideas from the topics that are studied in lessons.  These should be in your child/ren’s books. You could use this to test knowledge around a particular curriculum area.

You might want your child/ren to use an existing Knowledge Organiser to teach you something about that topic.

You could also ask them to create their own Knowledge Organisers about the topics that they are studying in school.

 

Free Online Resources

Resource Description
Twinkl

https://www.twinkl.co.uk/home-learning-hub

 

 A global educational publisher who are providing free access to all its teaching and learning materials to support teachers, parents and carers.

 
Cypher

https://www.cyphercoders.com/

 

 Which teaches coding to children in schools and during holidays, has launched live online camps to keep children engaged and learning from home.
BBC History for Kids

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/forkids/

Perlego

http://www.perlego.com/

 

 Provides information and lessons on lots of world events.

Has opened its library of 300,000educational books free of charge to students until the end of the academic year.
Audible Stories

https://stories.audible.com/start-listen

 

 Is offering free audiobooks for students during school closures.
Quizlet

https://quizlet.com/en-gb

 

 Provides learning tools and flashcards to make subjects more fun.
Seneca

https://www.senecalearning.com/

 

 Provides revision guides for a range of subjects from KS2 right up to A Level.
White Rose

https://whiterosemaths.com

 

 Provides free resources for teaching maths at all levels.

 

You Tube Videos

Resource Description
Emmatheteachie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHCDfzy0Z-I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p42VNpRKmMg

 

 

 GCSE Science

Follow the links for more.
Mr Bruff

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_Egz2bDQ0o&list=PLqGFsWf-P-cAO64lBHZTFwTz2X0DD_Cxk

 

 English

Follow then links for more.
Physics Online

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtPeQsEwEWA

 

 

 GCSE and A Level Physics

Follow the links for more.
Stacey Reay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkogftglb8o

 

 English

Follow the links for more.
Primrose Kitten

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKYQ-K23Mr4

 

 Science and Maths

Follow links for more.
Freesciencelessons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fuv76dJKBkE

 

 Science.

Follow the links for more.

 

BBC Resources

Resource Description
BBC Teach

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach

 

 Free video resources
BBC Bitesize

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize

 

 Activities and guides.
BBC Teach Live Lessons

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/live-lessons

 

 Curriculum linked video lessons with downloadable resources.