Knowledge Organisers/Curriculum Overviews
Dear Parents/Carers,
Each term we send home an overview of what your children will be learning this half term. In addition we are also sending home knowledge organisers. These are the key pieces of information and vocabulary that will help your child in their topic. These are also available on the website.
Below is a series of tips and information to help your child learn the key content and vocabulary contained in the knowledge organiser.
What are Knowledge Organisers?
A knowledge organiser is a set of key facts or information that pupils need to know and be able to recall in order to master a unit or topic. We all want children to gain specific knowledge in each curriculum subject that builds up over time. Research shows that regular retrieval of knowledge helps us remember more effectively (Roediger et al, 2011). Again, it helps us store knowledge in, and recall it from, the long-term memory and frees up space in the working memory to take on new knowledge (Hirsch, Why Knowledge Matters (2016).
How will a Knowledge Organiser help me to help my child?
Many of you are keen to know how you can support your children at home. The knowledge organisers help you do this easily as they contain all the subject specific knowledge you need to be able to help your children. Each year group will set their own activities linked to their knowledge organisers but listed below are some additional activities which you may like to try.
1. Use as conversation starters with your children to find out what they have learnt at school.
2. Support children in carrying out their own research around the topics.
3. Make practice active –don’t just read it. Try flashcards, mind maps or use post-it notes to cover sections and help your child to try and remember them.
4. Self-quiz at home. Asking parents or friends to quiz them, will show what they know and what they still need to learn.
5. Make notes / drawings to help learn facts from the knowledge organiser.