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X: Cross-curricular approaches
Here you will find additional support, guidance, activities and ideas for every sub-section in X Cross-curricular approaches. If you’re accessing these pages via the QR codes in the book, the cloud symbols will help you locate where ideas and activities expand discussion in the main text of the book.
X1 Cross-curricular approaches
page 179
Get me OUTSIDE here and Creative Star Learning
page 180
Maths Trails, see also Stage 2 and 3
6” OS maps for Scotland
Now available for England and Wales
Old OS map sources from 1940s
The Groundwork Trust provide training and create jobs, reduce energy and waste, re-connect people with nature and transform whole neighbourhoods. “Step by step we’ll go on changing places and changing lives until everywhere is vibrant and green, every community is strong enough to shape its own destiny and everyone can reach their potential.”
The Green Allianceis an influential environmental think tank working to ensure UK political leaders deliver ambitious solutions to global environmental issues
Incredible Edible are “passionate people working together for a world where all share responsibility for the future wellbeing of our planet and ourselves.”
Eastfeast is a team of professional gardeners, artists and teachers that helps schools deliver more effective learning based on working a school allotment through the seasons, culminating in a community feast. We work with students and teachers to develop the outdoor classroom, cultivating shared learning about the world in which we live, through food and art.
Arnstein’s ladder of participation
page 181
Carbon Footprint calculators
Tree surveys
Public records
page 183
Re-cycling, up-cycling. Ellen MacArthur, Circular Economy, Cradle to Cradle.
There Is No "Away" Films about Garbage, Overconsumption and Plastics
X2 Playing with the language of mathematics
page 186
Poetry Soup Look at the many different poetic forms.
Dingbat puzzles
X3 Maths in music, dance and knitting
Music apps Look for simple composing software apps, such as ‘Garageband’, Figure and beat box. Consider other music software for sampling and apps such as iReal b or Ocarina.
Dance notation Consider Circle dance notation or Labanotation (also see here)
Knitting patterns and instructions
X4 Maths, sustainability and the global dimension
A great collection of Children’s Counting Songs
Plain Hunt bell ringing
page 192
Music resources
The Counting Music activity “shows you how to count rhythms, and connects your knowledge of fractions and length to musical notes. Simply enter the notes and it counts the music with you.”
“Can music-making help your pupils understand mathematical concepts such as fractions, ratios and probability? In autumn 2005, creative arts charity, Create, sent four professional musicians to maths classrooms to find out. In this article, Create’s founders – Nicky Goulder and Samantha Lodge – reveal how maths books and marimbas can go hand-in-hand.”
Mathematics in Music “Help students find the connections between mathematics and music with these lesson plans, printables and references. There are plenty of fun and interactive ways for your students to learn about jazz, Mozart and composing music, while exploring numbers, patterns and graphing. From learning about tempo to writing songs about math concepts, you’ll find great activities for elementary, intermediate and high school students.”
Michiko Yurko “Music Mind Games” This book is an amazing source of music games, enticing children to become engrossed in the learning process. It has a clever sequencing of over 200 interactive and flexible activities. This is a recent promotion of her materials, but it gives a good idea of the concepts used and some games.
Benjamin Zander on music and passion.
More ideas page 194
Form a partnership with another school. Try the EU eTwinning site or use the BBC World Class site for short films and try to link up with other schools.
page 195
Info-graphic of ten major companies monopolising the food system
page 196
Carbon footprint calculator
Global Dimension: the world in your classroom is a central clearing house website for global learning resources
Get Global! is a skills-based approach to active global citizenship for Key Stages 3 and 4 (with useful background material for primary-school based teachers)
Oxfam Education website
Oxfam’scalendar of action and learning is packed with creative ways to explore topical global issues with your pupils, and challenges them to make a positive difference
Practical Actionis full ofinnovative science, design and technology, and geography resources that focus on a whole range of sustainable issues including renewable energy and climate change. Free resources include lesson plans, activities, posters, challenges, images, videos and games all set within a global context
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Green Ambassador schemeaims to encourage a new generation of sustainability champions. It provides everything you will need to set up or reinvigorate your school’s green teams
Save the Children Fund – No child born to dieinitiative
Sustainability and Environmental Education
Frances Hunt “Global Learning in Primary Schools in England: Practice and impacts”
The Millennium Development Goals Will the eight global poverty reduction goals agreed in 2000 be achieved by 2015?
UN briefing papers for students
ESCalate ESD website
X5 Reasoning, logic, proof and programming
page 199
Systems theory can teach us some very general ideas that appear to apply across different systems. Self organisation, self similarity, the value of diversity and sensitivity to initial conditions are described in Capra’s ‘The Web of Life’ and ‘The Tao of Physics’. See also the Center for Ecoliteracy
Fritjof Capra “Speaking Nature's Language: Principles for Sustainability” [View T16]
What would Happen if We Used the Principles of living Systems as Tools for Learning? [View T15]
page 201
Computing At School booklet “Computing in the National Curriculum: A Guide for Primary Teachers”
page 202
Brick Patterns
For spirals in nature, see Vi Hart’s series on “Spirals, Fibonacci, and Being a Plant” on YouTube. Part 2 and Part 3 are available too.
Nrich Maths making spirals
Making Spirals (serious stuff)
Spirolaterals (photos of kids work)
Have a look at the superb Learning Theories info-graphic