Teaching & Learning

What does a Wellbeing Lesson look like?

At Woodlands Primary, we use ‘lesson elements’ to structure a lesson, based on teaching and learning research. This applies to all lessons, and is linked to the CPD that teachers receive each week (more information on this can be found in the Teaching and Learning Handbook).

KS1 and KS2

Wellbeing
Within all Wellbeing Lessons, the following structure should be followed
5 minutes	Retrieval Practice: This should recall knowledge from the previous unit/lesson as defined on the planning. Use examples from the teacher handbook or create your own idea for how to do this. Vocabulary: Use the Leitner system to recall vocabulary from the current unit.
3 minutes	Whole class reading: Find an extract of a relevant text to the core knowledge being taught. Use this as an ‘opener’ to the lesson, for discussion and questions.
5 minutes	Find the answer: Use the text to answer no more than 3 thinking questions about the subject you are learning about. Ask the children to find these in pairs or independently, and then recall as a whole class.
13 minutes	Sharing the knowledge: Shared the planned knowledge with the children through explicit teaching, using the interactive whiteboard. Use lots of Partner Talk throughout these to embed concepts.
20 minutes	Everybody Writes or Debate It: Either apply the new knowledge into a creative task, or use a P4C session to discuss, debate and apply their new knowledge.
3 minutes	So what? Ask the children what difference this knowledge will make to them in the real world. Offer a scenario, discuss a picture or read a quote. This helps children to think about why this learning is important and provide reflections for children each week.

How do we ensure children remember more in Wellbeing?

How is the Wellbeing curriculum organised?

What do we use to recall previous knowledge from the long-term memory?

How else do we strengthen learning in school?

The Core Curriculum

The curriculum is organised into 4 cycles, with 3 core themes taught within each cycle. All children are exposed to these themes each cycle, and knowledge is built on sequentially year on year.

Recall Starters

Each lesson contains recall, of which the teacher can use a selection of strategies from the Teaching and Learning Handbook. The content of this recall is from the current topic in the year group, and previous year. Due to COVID implications, we will also recall knowledge from other year groups where necessary from formative assessment decisions.

Theme days and weeks built into the whole school curriculum

Throughout the year, we learn through ‘wellbeing days,’ to strengthen the core knowledge of what is important for Valley Park children. These include:

Our School Week – mindsets, aspiration and resilience;
Keeping Safe – first aid, help and support
Body Basics – the adolescent body

Endpoints

Content within the curriculum is broken down towards cycle endpoints, ensuring children and teachers give children real life, practical knowledge to ensure that they are WELL INFORMED to make SENSIBLE CHOICES and become INCLUSIVE CITIZENS.

Assemblies

Assemblies are carefully planned to revisit and consolidate learning throughout the year. These are linked explicitly with books, and key influencers so that children can continue to develop and consolidate core knowledge.