Trish Rose is Year 6 teacher and Damp;T manager at Studfall Junior School, Corby Two years ago, we were studying aborigines and went to an exhibition with a storyteller and it was fantastic. This is our second visit, at the end of a Damp;T block in which we have been making wooden buggies. We have been using vocabulary such as “axle” and “bearings”, and that has been very helpful.
Last year, the group had no experience of the vocabulary and it was harder for them to get going.
It is a challenge for children and they can repeat the exercise until they succeed. It helps build their confidence because what they take home looks good and works.
The sessions are well-paced and the enablers are helpful and professional.
Our model-building session was structured so the children could follow the stages more easily. The group is mixed ability and some pupils who I thought might struggle a little have found it very rewarding. Even for teachers who are not specialists, they and the children would benefit. The resource pack is well-produced, with good ideas for pre-visit and follow-up work.
