Bringing DNA to Life in the Primary Years

Abstract concepts relating to DNA can be challenging for students. Dr Mandy Hartley offers a framework for teaching it in primary school, allowing students to visualise and engage with DNA, laying a strong foundation for curiosity and inquiry.

Why is it important for children to learn about DNA?

Working with DNA is of huge importance in the modern world. It enables us to identify why people get ill, develop gene targeted drugs, eradicate diseases like malaria, ensure babies are born without cancer-causing genes, create crops to feed the world, answer questions about the past, catch criminals, bring back lost species and learn more about life on earth than has ever been previously possible.

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      string(400) "... speaker should bring in the hopeful andinspiring arguments. Some thought that my humorous arguments could make a funny andmemorable end point.  52Freedom to speak l Cross CurriCulum ProjeCt PlanTeaching Thinking&Creativity  After this modelling, students continued planning their own speeches. Having alreadypinned down their messages, they found it much easier ..."
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      string(5669) "them fordetentions – very amusing!  Modelling this activity together showed students the link between argument andmessage, to show that argument needs to be targeted at an audience. They startedto think about how to logically construct arguments. I asked students to think in pairsabout what would be the best order for my arguments – out of the best ones we hadpicked. Most of the students decided that it was necessary to scare the audience first– with warnings of failure. Then, they said, the speaker should bring in the hopeful andinspiring arguments. Some thought that my humorous arguments could make a funny andmemorable end point.  52Freedom to speak l Cross CurriCulum ProjeCt PlanTeaching Thinking&Creativity  After this modelling, students continued planning their own speeches. Having alreadypinned down their messages, they found it much easier to think through their arguments.They were finally removed from the research they had done for homework in theirthinking. Many were able to follow the pattern of identifying a problem then coming inwith solutions – building to a climax.  I believe this activity was very important in the success of the speeches. Above all, itenabled students to give focus to their speeches and to understand that an effectivespeech has to be structured around its aims and its audience. It also gave them a cleartechnique for doing this. This was a massive leap from the initial drafts the studentsbrought in, which were often incoherent or bluntly informative.  When the students began writing their speeches, some ignored their plans and revertedto their old habits of rehashing factual information in a structureless narrative. But with thestructure in place already, it was easy to challenge students – is this an argument? Will itpersuade people? Is it interesting? In response, the students did not become apathetic in adefensive or defeatist gesture at the criticism. They were able to understand the weaknessof their work and had a clear path out of the problem.  Testament to the success of this approach was the fact that in the final speeches, nostudent rattled through factual information. Even the weaker students clearly introducedtheir speeches with a hook and gave at least one argument before reiterating theirmessage in conclusion.2008 grand finalist and essex regional finalist ed alston53Teaching Thinking&CreativityFreedom to speak l Cross CurriCulum ProjeCt Planspeech builder:the “speak out” Challenge!Your Idea GeneratorIs there one thing in the world you would like to change? Why?What really motivates or annoys you? Why?Your proudest achievement – what is it?What would you miss the most out of everything you have? Why?Who do you admire the most? Why, and what have they achieved?Your topic IsYour key message IsJust one short sentence – keep your message in mind as you develop your speech.Your IntroductionNow what is your opening sentence that will grab the audience’s attention?the Body of the speechWhat are your three key points, and do you have any stories or examples to back them up?1. _______________________________________________________________________________________________2. _______________________________________________________________________________________________3. _______________________________________________________________________________________________How to Conclude Your speechThe answer to any of these will give you your ending:What is my key message? ___________________________________________________________What do I want the audience to do after I have spoken? ___________________________________Why is this topic important to me? ____________________________________________________What one change do I want to bring about? ____________________________________________lllllllll54Freedom to speak l Cross CurriCulum ProjeCt PlanTeaching Thinking&Creativityactivity three: Use one of the ‘hook’ techniques to create an engaging introduction  From this point, we started to explore techniques for structuring and writing speecheseffectively. We looked at the basic structure of introduction, middle and conclusion.We read through a list of ways to hook the audience (see resource four) and, as a class,analysed the techniques used in the two speeches we had already watched. Studentswere given a quick task to decide which of the three ‘hooks’ I was thinking of using for myspeech, would be most effective and to explain why (see resource five).  Students were then given time to come up with an idea to hook their audience and beginwriting the introduction and main section of the speech – which should be built aroundthe two or three key points already identified. Stronger students were really motivated bythe creative challenge of writing a hook. They started discussing ideas avidly or got theirheads straight down.  Here are some examples of the students’ best hooks:  “It affects every single person on this planet, but it especially affects our generation.Despite this, millions of us miss ways to prevent it every singe day. Shall I tell you what it isor have you worked it out? Global warming.”  “160,000 children miss school every day in fear of intimidation. People think it is cool to takethe mick out of someone. But it is not cool. You are actually ruining someone’s life. Today, Iam going to talk to you about bullying. I have been a victim of bullying because of my hair.”  Weaker students got the concept, too. They mostly chose to use a bold statement orstatistic to get the audience’s attention. One"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

Freedom to speak

22 Nov 2009

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      string(334) "and share their learning in different stylessupports them in engaging in this way of learning.  Imagine receiving poems,presentations, videos, podcasts or animated learning instead of countless reportsor 30 pieces of the same style of writing. If the children have mastered the keyconcepts then it will come across in the ..."
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      string(5630) "and share their learning in different stylessupports them in engaging in this way of learning.  Imagine receiving poems,presentations, videos, podcasts or animated learning instead of countless reportsor 30 pieces of the same style of writing. If the children have mastered the keyconcepts then it will come across in the application of the knowledge.What videos should I use?I have used videos from YouTube, Vimeo and even created my own which areshort and easy to consume.  I’ve also discovered teachers and lecturers whorecord whole lectures and send them to students before classroom-basedlessons.  Depending on the age of the students, giving them large amounts ofinformation can be incredibly effective, just make sure you have taken the timeto teach them how to make the best use of the videos.The more you use this method and the more videos you create, the less youwill need to do in the future.  Ensure you get feedback from your students aboutthe quality of the videos and use it as a tool to improve your own teaching.Remember that a video you created three years ago may no longer be relevant,so review and update regularly.Also, make your videos entertaining – you would not want to sit through a 45minute video that did not engage you, so don’t expect your students to.Some teachers don’t know how record, edit, publish and email videos tostudents.  If this is you, don’t panic! The Internet is awash with ‘how to’ videoson YouTube and Vimeo to help you to create your first video.  I bet some of yourstudents may know how to do it too – ask them for help!If you don’t want to appear on film, a useful way to create video guides is touse screencasting applications – QuickTime already has this built in.  Recordwhat is happening on screen and simply narrate over the top.  You can createWatching a video – How to introduce this essential skillTeaching the children how to watch a video was the first step in flipping my classroom and if I hadn’t done,I’m sure I wouldn’t be having the success I am now.To begin, I modelled the whole process with an example video, thinking out loud and verbalising my thoughtprocesses.  I showed the children the best way to get the most out of the video – pausing it, making a fewnotes, watching some more, pausing again, making more notes and then rewinding the parts I needed tocover again.I paid particular attention to modelling how to find the point in the video where I got ‘stuck’ and how toarticulate my difficulties – finding the next step in my learning. At this point, I explained to the children thatthey should write down any questions they have or confusion they feel about the content of the video.I then sent the children away to practise the skill using a short video I’d prepared for the week’s mathslearning.  I could see the children pausing, having a go, rewinding, and making notes.  We then had aconversation about the video and I asked the children to discuss with their learning partner where they got‘stuck.’ This enabled the children to establish their next steps.Modelling this whole process is essential at the beginning of your conversion to a flipped classroom approach.Without it, the children will just ‘watch’ the videos.Teaching Approaches26Volume5.1n CreativeTeaching & Learningsome great guides in very little time.  I have found this invaluable to supportchildren working independently.  When they need to ‘check’ a process or afact, they simply grab an iPad and load up the video. I have also used the appsVittle and Explain Everything to create screencasts on my iPad. (You can find alonger list of useful apps and tools in the article ‘Tools for the flipped classroom’later on in this issue).“Not all my children can get online…”Hard to believe in 2014 but still very true – not all children have internet accessoutside the classroom.  Aaron Sams and John Bergman advise a creativeapproach to this issue, perhaps burning DVDs for children to take home, allowingtime in school to watch or listen to the videos or sending home a flash drivewith the content on. You could leave an iPad or video running in the class as aninteractive learning wall.Taking it one step furtherLearning is at its most powerful when it is a social experience, involvingchildren and adults engaging in a shared dialogue to solve problems and buildunderstanding. The Early Years Foundation Stage excels in using this model tobuild, fail, question, improve and engage in a purposeful learning dialogue.  Canwe take this model and put it into our flipped classroom?The first version of ‘Internet’ (Web 1.0) held information online, that’s it,nothing else – just a huge wealth of information. The Internet in its currentform (Web 2.0) is based around how information is shared between us – entersocial media in education.I teach the children to collaborate and peer assess throughout the curriculum(peer assessment plays a large role in flipped learning), but I also encouragethem to do it online as well – for example, collaborate when writing computercode, share websites on a particular topic, and when they’ve published, seek 27Volume5.1n CreativeTeaching & LearningTeaching ApproachesKnowledge trails1)  Lessons on demand – Thanks to thedigital media revolution, TV and othermedia are increasingly accessed ‘ondemand’. Dave McCollom says there aredistinct benefits if schools offer lessons ina similar way. (Available with subscriptionto School Leadership Today)  library.teachingtimes.com/articles/mobile-distance-learningChris"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

Flipping classrooms

15 Aug 2014

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      string(5707) "ENGAGING HEARTS AND MINDS l Cross CurriCulum ProjeCt Plan64 Creative Teaching & Learning n Volume 1.2ENGAGING HEARTS AND MINDS l Cross CurriCulum ProjeCt PlanEngaging Heartsand Minds – it’s akind of magic!Head Teachers have voted to boycott the SATs – will teaching change as a result?What will happen to the Literacy Hour when teachers don’t feel the curriculum isrestrained by the SATs? Ellen Lloyd has some answers.As teachers, we ask ourselves many questionsconcerning the curriculum we deliver and its impact onthe children in our care. Can we do so with humanityand relevance? What values, attitudes and real life,transferrable skills will they take with them, to empowerand enable them to become caring, critical, creative andeffective members of their community? Will they beequipped to live in this changeable, uncertain world;to make decisions, to listen to and respect others andexpress their point of view with qualification? Are weimposing limitations on their minds or engaging in theirreal world by focusing on their fascinations, energy andimaginations? Are we utilizing the factors that facilitateand enhance real learning and elicit caring and thinkingskills of a higher order?I am reminded of W.B. Yeats’s comment that ‘educationis not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire’. So howcan we ‘light fires’ in the minds of our children?Kieran Egan, (1986) states that we need to embrace‘the most powerful tool for learning that children bringwith them to school…the power and educational usesof children’s imagination’ which he argues is, ‘the mostpowerful and energetic learning tool’ and that ‘engagingthe imagination…is at the heart of learning’ (2005)We want our children to question, understand,empathise, think, imagine and more. We want theMAGIC of discovery and learning, by utilizing what wehave in front of our eyes – the amazing capabilitiesand possibilities of children’s minds: minds it is ourresponsibility to expand and stretch with permanent,irreversible changes. According to Oliver Wendell Holmes(in Fisher, 1998:135) ‘the mind once stretched by a newidea, never goes back to its original dimensions.’Egan (1986) explains the power of narrative in engagingchildren’s imaginations and dealing with abstractissues. ‘Typical five-year olds could not define loyaltyor courage,’ he says, ‘but they use the concept clearly inmaking sense of all kinds of stories.’ Children arrive atschool with an experience of abstract concepts he calls‘binary opposites’. Good and evil, kindness and cruelty,courage and cowardice, for example, are embodied in thecharacters, conflicts and structure of children’s stories.The story, therefore, is a way in – to convey values,judgements, empathy, questioning, issues – to think – toimagine within the safety of the story – and children lovestories. As Lipman (1988) says ‘Literature does more thanEllen taught Key Stage 2 for over 20 years. After12 years of preparing Year 6 for the SATs shedescribed herself as a SATSOID. She decidedthings had to change. As language coordinatorand with responsibility for Global Citizenship andSustainable Development (ESDGC in Wales), sheabandoned the literacy hour and introduced a thematicapproach to her teaching. In this article Ellen showsus how ESDGC can help teachers provide a thematicapproach to the curriculum which engages children anddelivers results. Ellen reminds us that good literaturecan inspire and engage, and teach children about theworld. When children see the world, past and present,through the eyes of powerful characters, both imaginaryand real, they can explore what it means to be human.When harnessed to the key task of the primary teacher– to teach literacy – a thematic approach can produceoutstanding results.ENGAGING HEARTS AND MINDS l Cross CurriCulum ProjeCt Plan ENGAGING HEARTS AND MINDS l Cross CurriCulum ProjeCt Plan65Volume 1.2 n Creative Teaching & Learningprovide us with other worlds to dwell in. It suggests tous other ways of living in and thinking about the worldwe inhabit.’We must harness what children can do, not limit themby our own parameters. We want to develop the affective,so that their development is not only enlargement ofknowledge, but cognitive and emotional and social. Asargued by Matthews (1994), ‘We owe them respect…notto dehumanize them’ but to treat them as ‘fellow humanbeings, and we should respect them for what they are aswell as what they can become’.We want to employ the affective to promote cognitivedevelopment. It is essential that these cognitive tools topromote learning, consideration of values and issues areintegral – not bolted on –and permeate the curriculumlike a dye.With this backdrop, we can select suitable, relevantstories that will ‘light up’ the children’s imagination andbring in the magic factor that transcends knowledge– in short, ‘light fires’, deliver the curriculum and raisestandards. The author of ‘Journey to Jo’burg’, BeverleyNaidoo (2001: T.E.S) said, ‘Give me the heart and thehead will follow’. The affective and the cognitive mustbe conjoined, never to be separated. It is false andproblematic to make tenuous links. The choice of suitableresources and methodology is essential.SELECTING APPROPRIATE TEXTSThese materials were chosen as an integral part of a thematicscheme of work to sensitively raise issues surroundingGlobal Citizenship and Sustainable Development, whilstraising standards across the curriculum, especially inliteracy, history,"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

Cross curriculum project plan - Engaging hearts and minds

14 Jun 2010

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      string(1423) "of anarchyLesson 3: DictatorshipOutcomes: Understand what a dictatorship isDescribe some features of a dictatorshipRecognise some of the challenges faced by people living under dictatorshipEvaluate the advantages and disadvantages of a dictatorship or ‘strong ruler’Lesson 3a & 3b (optional): Comparing Authoritarian RegimesOutcomes: 3aUnderstand some of the ideologies behind authoritarian regimesIdentify different types of real life authoritarian regimesExplore, and be exposed to, real life important historical and political eventsCompare and evaluate regimes3bTo use the internet and media to research important political eventsTo apply theoretical knowledge to understanding real political eventsTo explain, with example, why dictators come to power, are able to stay in power and why revolutions happenLesson 4: RevolutionOutcomes:Understand what revolution means and why it happensEvaluate the risks of participating in revolutionEvaluate values 											The project pack: ‘Who’s running the country?’, from which the  lessons featured here have been extracted, includes:Teacher’s Manual (including nine lesson plans).Book of  photocopiable resources and activity sheets.2 x A3 full colour  posters.CD of Powerpoint slides to accompany lesson plans  detailed in manual, plus other resources.The pack is available to purchase for £60. For full details visit theTeaching Times Bookshop."
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Creative Teaching & Learning

Democracy Cross Curriculum Project

28 Aug 2012

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      string(237) "Being able to read, write and speak well underpins a child’s chances of success at school, at work and in life. But how do we begin to inspire children to pick up a book or a pen when it is often the last thing they want to do? Jim ..."
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      string(5618) "features from the Football School books, allow them plenty of time for illustrations, cartoons, joke boxes and more.Don’t forget to entertain your pupils! Encourage them to think about the style of the Football School books. Can they find interesting or quirky facts linked to their chosen lessons? Can they invent jokes linked to their subject? Can they come up with quiz questions to bamboozle their classmates?Share the lesson plan checklist with your pupils to make sure they include a school crest, coaching stats, a timetable and a quiz.Pupil-led enquiryOne of the biggest motivators for writing is choice. This project encouraged pupils to be led by their own interests and ideas to research and write lessons which they think will intrigue and engage their peers: Reading comprehension, research skills, note-taking, critical literacy and creativity all came into play as pupils defined and planned the area they wanted to write about, and created their lessons.Modelling was key, so we enabled schools to use the original Football School books for guidance and to show pupils the style of writing they should use.The Football School books cover a vast range of subjects from core curriculum subjects like maths and science, to broader topics such as politics and philosophy. Pupils were able to choose any subject they like.Lesson ideas libraryIt can be hard to come up with ideas of what to write about, so we created a library of ideas to get pupils started. Pupils were able to choose one of these ideas to explore or use as a starting point to develop a line of enquiry and research. Alternatively, pupils could start with their favourite subject area and think about things they’d like to know about – raising questions is always a good place to start.Here are some lesson ideas from our World Cup teaching resources, which can be adapted for other sporting events and competitions, including the upcoming 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.   Subject area  Football lesson ideas EnglishWhat makes a good football match report?The language of football: create a glossary of football terms to help new fans join in with football feverThe language of superlatives: explore some excellent adjectives you might hear in football TV commentaryHistoryThe history of the World CupPick your favourite country that plays football and explore the history of football in that countryWorld Cup legends: create a ‘who’s who?’ of World Cup legends from past competitionsThen and now: legends from previous tournaments and competitions who are competing againGeographyA lesson on participating countries and their capital cities. What are their famous landmarks, characteristics, populations, climates?Where in the world? Find out which continent each of the participating nations belong to. How do the continents differ?A study of the host nation, its rivers, coasts, physical landmarks, climate, and key football citiesA greener competition? Find out more about the impact large sporting events have on the climateScienceHabitats around the world: how many different habitats are represented by regions, nations, or countries taking part? Which ones have similar habitats?Weather around the world: which teams are used to which types of weather?How do the winning athletes stay fit and healthy?Which animals are associated with each team?Art and designPick your favourite team and research famous artists and art works from that area. Are there any famous sculptures and are any of them outside football stadiums?Learn about any art installations that may be connected to the event (e.g. the exhibit in Volgograd celebrating the 2018 World Cup)Who are the famous architects and designers from the region/country of your favourite team?Design and technologyLearn how to design a team logo or football kit. Are there famous designers who have national kits to their name?Find out about the design of the new ‘green’ stadiums that are being developed for different events, including the Amsterdam ArenA, the Stadium of Siena, Stade Océane in Le Havre, the Volgograd in Moscow, and the new Qatar stadiums that are being built for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.Designed for success: what is special about the designs for match balls and the latest football boots the stars will be wearing? Can technology and design help athletes win?Dishes of the world: what do your favourite teams like to eat? Do they have a national dish?MusicWhat are the favourite songs of each region/nation that is participating? Is it their national anthems, or are there other songs and chants for which they are famous?What is the history of your chosen team’s national anthem?Are there countries that are famous for different types of instruments or music?MathsIt’s a numbers game: goals scored, shots on target, fouls committed, kilometres covered, passing accuracy, goal difference – the statistical possibilities provided by sport tournaments are endless!A long way from home: how far do teams have to travel from their home nation to get to the competition?What’s the time Mr Wolf? What are the time differences between each participating country and the tournament? What time will people be watching their teams back at home? Who will find it hardest to watch their country play live because of the time difference?Final whistleFor 20 years, I’ve seen first-hand how combining sport and literacy can really help turn a child’s literacy around. Our World Cup literacy activities this summer were our most popular yet, offering a great reminder that students can often overcome learning barriers"
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Arts-Based Learning

Running with the Ball Improving Literacy through Sport

10 Oct 2018