Teach Primary Issue 18.4

Teaching position and direction to young children is tricky. The concepts can seem abstract and may be limited by pupils’ understanding of the language, as well as a potential lack of directional understanding. The best way to introduce these concepts is through a practical, concrete approach, where children can complete these directions and actions themselves before transferring them to pictorial learning. Using the outside environment to teach position and direction gives these concepts a real-life context, providing a more creative activity and an enriching experience. 1| OFF TO THE ISLAND Now it’s time to step into the world of the pirates. Take on the role of a pirate captain and lead the children (the pirate crew!) follow-my-leader style out to their secret island (the playground). Give them basic positional and directional instructions as you walk. You could also use this as an opportunity to introduce quarter turn, half turn and ¾ turn if appropriate to their level of development. When you reach the outside space, explain to the ‘apprentice pirates’ that before they can bury their treasure, they will need to complete some practice routes. Show the children a basic route of cones set up on the island (playground/field). Encourage them to explain how they would guide each other through the route. What will they need to think about? What language must they use? Focus on clear, one-step directions. As the pirate captain, guide the children around the route, modelling the directional vocabulary introduced in the starter activity. Once children have a secure understanding of the language and its meaning, you can expand this stage of the lesson to further smaller routes of cones. Pupils can work in small groups or pairs to guide each other around the cone track using the vocabulary introduced. This could be set up as a carousel of routes. The whole crew could be guided by the ‘pirate captain’ through the first route, and then split into smaller teams and rotate START HERE MAIN LESSON WHAT THEY’LL LEARN l To describe a one-step movement of an object (left, right, up, down) l To describe a one-step movement of an object including a direction (forwards, backwards, left, right) l To follow a series of movement instructions l To write a series of steps to describe the movement of an object Maths Begin by introducing the terms ‘direction’ and ‘position’ to the children. Discuss real-life situations, such as car or bus journeys and treasure hunts. Explain to the children that they’ll be pirates for the lesson and will bury their treasure in a safe place. Before they become pirates, elicit the children’s understanding of positional and directional vocabulary (backwards, forwards, right, left, up, down), sharing key words on vocabulary cards. Model moving a 2D pirate on a map for each of the directions. This may be the point to show the children a method for identifying their left and right hand. Playground pirates and buried treasure Develop pupils’ positional and directional understanding with this swashbuckling outdoor activity from Ruth Astley KS1 LESSON PLAN bwcet.com @bwcet 76 | www.teachwire.net