Key Stage Two is the level of education for pupils aged 7-11. As well as the subjects a child will learn about in school, literacy skills play a big part in this phase of a child’s education.
Literacy has been described as the ability to read for knowledge and write coherently and think critically about the written word. Literacy can also include the ability to understand all forms of communication, be it body language, pictures, video & sound (reading, speaking, listening and viewing).
Evolving definitions of literacy often include all the symbol systems relevant to a particular community, and encompasses a complex set of abilities to understand and use the dominant symbol systems of a culture for personal and community development. In a technological society, the concept of literacy is expanding to include the media and electronic text, in addition to alphabetic and number systems. These abilities vary in different social and cultural contexts according to need and demand.
Key to all literacy is reading development, which involves a progression of skills that begins with the ability to understand spoken words and decode written words, and culminates in the deep understanding of text.
Reading development involves a range of complex language underpinnings including awareness of speech sounds (phonology), spelling patterns (orthography), word meaning (semantics), grammar (syntax) and patterns of word formation (morphology), all of which provide a necessary platform for reading fluency and comprehension.
The ‘School’ curriculum at Key Stage Two level comprises all learning and other experiences that each school plans for its pupils – Whereas the ‘National’ Curriculum is an important element of the school curriculum and has been covered in a separate piece.
The school curriculum aims are as follows,
- To provide opportunities for all pupils to learn and to achieve their goals.
- To build on pupils' strengths, interests and experiences and develop their confidence in their capacity to learn and work individually and collaboratively.
- To prepare them with the essential learning skills of literacy, numeracy, and information and communication technology, promoting an enquiring mind and capacity to think rationally.
- By providing rich and varied contexts for pupils to acquire, develop and apply a broad range of knowledge, understanding and skills, the curriculum should enable pupils to think creatively and to solve problems.
- To provide an opportunity for pupils to become creative, innovative, enterprising and capable of leadership to equip them for their future lives as workers and citizens.
- To develop their physical skills and encourage them to recognise the importance of pursuing a healthy lifestyle and keeping themselves and others safe.
- To promote pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and, in particular, develop principles for distinguishing between right and wrong.
- To develop their knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their own and different beliefs and cultures, and how these influence individuals and societies.
The school curriculum should also promote equal opportunities and enable pupils to challenge discrimination and stereotyping. It should develop their awareness and respect for the environments in which they live, and secure their commitment to sustainable development at a personal, local, national and global level. It should also equip pupils as consumers to make informed judgements and independent decisions and to understand their responsibilities and rights.
The final aim in the School Curriculum is to groom pupils for the next steps in their education, training and employment and to help them to make informed choices at school and throughout their lives, enabling them to appreciate the relevance of their achievements to life and society outside school, including leisure, community engagement and employment.
These curriculum intentions as listed above all support each other. The personal development of pupils, spiritually, morally, socially and culturally, at Key Stage Two level; plays a significant part in their ability to learn and to achieve in life.
This information was brought to you by Key Stage Two.com, an online learning environment for children aged 7-11. Key Stage Two.com successfully manages to combine fun games with education, making sure academic and non-academic children benefit greatly, whilst being compliant with the National Curriculum in Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales.
Key Stage Two.com offers benefits for all; including schools, parents, teachers, tutors, councils, local authorities, and most importantly, the pupils. Visit the website at http://www.keystagetwo.com to … ‘learn’ more!
No comments:
Post a Comment