ESCOLA SADAKO
BARCELONA

Lesson 1: The classroom plan

Aims:
Reading of a plan
Interpretation of conventional signs
Importantance of the conservation of proportion

Materials:
A photocopy of a plan of each class

Introduction:
The teachers asks the pupils to situate different class elements on the plan (e.g. the sink, the windows, the teacher’s desk,…) and the other way round (what space of the class corresponds to the spot marked on the plan?)

Main part:
The teacher asks the pupils to draw some classroom elements on the plan (e.g. the hangers, John’s table, the bookcase,…) It is important to think about the elements proportion drawn by the pupils related to other elements on the plan.

Roundup:
Children discuss their work.

Observations:
Some pupils found it more difficult to measure the elements rather than to situate them on the plan. The next time we do this activity we should include more questions about relative positions (e.g. place a sign on the right of the blackboard having as a reference point the observer or the object, in this case, the blackboard).

Lesson 2: The plan of the school

Aims:
Reading of a plan interpreting conventional signs (e.g. doors, staircases, toilets,…)
To locate specific places on a plan (given by a photo) and located the photographer's position.

Materials:

A photocopy of the plan of different floors of the school
Photos of different corners of the school

Vocabulary:
basement, ground floor, 1st floor, 2nd floor,3rd floor, aerial view

Introduction:

The plans of different floors of the school are introduced to the pupils.

Main part:

Some photos are shown to small groups and children<have to physically locate the photographed places and photographer’s position, too. Children are encouraged to walk around the building freely.

Roundup:
Each group marks on the plan, using two different colours, the two locations previously named.

Observations:

Children have shown two different difficulties:
- reading of the plan (e.g. to orientate the plan correctly having as reference the street, the playground, to find a place
on the left or on the right of the staircase and to get the floors mixed up)
- to mark on a plan a location had already physically found

Lesson 3: Geometrical elements in the school

Aims:
To associate geometrical vocabulary with the surrounding objects

Materials:
Photos of different corners of the school

Vocabulary:
Cube, prism, pyramid, cone, cylinder
Rectangle, square, triangle, circle
Curved and straight lines, perpendicular and parallel lines

Introduction:
The teacher asks the children to loo at some photos and encourages them to identify as many geometrical figures as possible and to label them, too.

For example:

Roundup:
The labelling is assessed focussing on the used lexis whether the solids have 2D or 3 dimensions.

Observations:
In front of the same object some children focus on different aspects which implies to put different labels and to discuss them. For example, in front of a “pencil holder” some children see a prism and others see a rectangle referring to one of the prism’s faces.

Lesson 4: Routes

Aims:
To draw on a paper routes the students usually follow when they walk around the school or in their neighbourhood.

Materials:
Some paper and a pencil

Introduction:
The teacher shows the activity from an easy example: How would you draw the route from this classroom to the toilet? From the children’s brainstorming the teacher writes a diagram on the blackboard.

Main part:
The pupils are challenged to individually represent the route from their classroom to the gym and from the school to the swimming pool (approximately one km far from the school).

Roundup:
The correction of the different representations is verified. The pupils compare the elements in order to make the comprehension of the plan easier.

Observations:
In the first part of the lesson some pupils need to reproduce the route physically before drawing it on the paper. Some pupils need to include extern references (e.g. the staircases, columns, doors,…) These students show problems when they have to draw the route outside the school. We have observed that these children would have needed to work on a neighbourhood’s plan in advance. We will include this aspect next year in this lesson.

Lesson 5: We also follow itineraries in the P.E. class.

Aims:
To structure space and orientate oneself depending on the space elements and also related to their own body.
To develop the laterality sense, static and in movement, respect oneself and the others.
To promote the attention and observation as a mean to solve a difficulty successfully.

Materials:
Plan with the route’s instructions
Cones, stakes, balls, sticks and other objects spread on the playground’s floor as reference points for the pupils.

Introduction:
The teacher takes the pupils to the playground where all the objects are distributed (cones, stakes,…) and tells them that they are going to follow a route according to plan instructions and respecting all the information of the objects position as well.

Main part:
The pupils follow the route individually. Meanwhile the teacher writes down the number of mistakes, observes whether there are doubts or not and if there is an analysis, without care or not. If there are any mistakes the teacher asks “Are you sure? Try again.” It is an assessment activity and consequently the mark depends on the number of mistakes and the attitude shown by the pupil.

Observation:
It is an assessment activity about the orientation skills so there isn’t any roundup. Only if a general difficulty is detected during the activity the teacher makes a global remark about it.