At St Vincent’s, we deliver aspects of the curriculum using a ‘project based’ approach. Through this, our pupils gain knowledge and skills by investigating, exploring and responding to an engaging real-life problem.
This method of teaching has developed from pedagogy which states that pupils learn best when they experience and solve real-life challenges.
It fosters active and engaged learning where pupils are inspired to gain a deeper understanding of the subjects they’re studying. They are often motivated due to the fact that each project has an end product which is meaningful and purposeful to them. Our aim is to therefore inspire greater levels of commitment and determination in the children.
Our projects often combine different subject areas together. This helps the children to see relevance in their learning and provides opportunities for them to use and apply the knowledge they are gaining in a variety of contexts.
Each project stems from a question or challenge posed to the children. Some projects may be long-term, others much shorter.
To see what projects our children are working on, please take a look below:
Foundation Stage - Spring 2020
Journeys
Reception’s project this half term is ‘Journeys’ and our driving question is ‘How long is a journey?’
Through the project, children will learn about the different types of journeys we can take in life, developing their understanding that journeys can be learning and spiritual as well as physical.
The project links with the Vincentian Value of ‘we do not judge others’ as we reflect on how everyone is at different stages in their individual journey. One of the rights we will focus on is Article 27 ‘you have the right to food, clothing and a safe place to live’ and to live out this right we will be collecting for our parish food bank and taking a journey to the Church to deliver the items ourselves.
We will look at a range of focus texts in literacy about transport as well as texts which depict a character’s personal journey and reflect on how they change along the way. The children will create character descriptions which illustrate this transformation. We will develop understanding the world through travel agent role play and exploration of our school grounds, where the children will get to create their own maps.
The children will also have the opportunity to design, build and evaluate their own method of transport in design and technology which will be showcased as their end product for their parents.
To see our Foundation Stage Project Based Learning Blog, please CLICK HERE.
Key Stage 1 - Spring 2020
Other People’s Shoes
Our project this term is ‘Other People’s Shoes.’ The aim of this project is to enable the children to answer our driving question ‘Can we put ourselves in other people’s shoes?’ Throughout this topic we will be focusing on our Vincentian value ‘We do not judge others. The children will gain a deeper insight into how judgements can affect both themselves and other people, enabling them to be better equipped with the life skills to refrain from making assumptions based on face value. It will also help the children develop empathy for others by thinking about how they would feel if they were in that person’s position.
The children will be given the opportunity to explore a variety of texts to support the English element of our project, as well as exploring the children’s rights, with a specific focus on Article 2, ‘You have the right not to be treated unfairly on any basis’.
Animals will also be a Science focus this term, with a view to learning about different animals and whether or not killing for food is right, or whether hunting is right or wrong. They will create fact files about animals and see what we can do as humans to protect their habitats and look after the environment, including our local environment with an outdoor learning focus.
The children will be given the opportunity to design and make an ‘In Their Shoes’ box, which they will present to Key Stage 2 children to showcase their learning.
To see our Key Stage 1 Project Based Learning Blog, please CLICK HERE.
Lower Key Stage 2 – Spring 2020
Can we judge a book by its cover?”
The Spring term project for LKS2 looks at the Vincentian value of ‘We do not judge others’. We will focus on the driving question, “Can we judge a book by its cover?” We will begin our project by getting the bus to Mill Hill library. On the bus, the children will be split into two groups depending on their hair colour which will determine where they sit. This will promote conversation regarding assumptions and judgement and lead us on to Rosa Park’s story. They will then find books and will be tempted to make snap judgements on what they see based on the book covers they find. This will also ignite conversation on what judging is and what it means to judge. We will then get the children to explore the library and find inspirational people to research for our project. We will explore the children’s rights with a specific focus on Article 12, ‘We all have the right to practice our beliefs and religion as long as we respect other people’s rights’. The children will then focus on Rosa Parks where they will have to make predictions about why we are studying this extraordinary influencer.
Following on from learning about Rosa Parks and a study on North America we will be studying a ancient civilization from this area, the Mayans. We will go on to look at how they mastered many technologies from astronomy to agriculture in ancient times, how they created logosyllabic script—the most sophisticated and highly developed writing system in the Americas at the time and other memorable achievements across areas such as art, architecture, mathematics, etc. The architecture the children learn about from the Mayans will lead them onto researching architecture in their local environment. We will also look at the people who created famous buildings in London and Mill Hill.
We will gradually research other significant people who have made an impact on the world culminating in our saviour Jesus Christ, which we will explore in detail through the Easter Reflection, presenting this to the school and parents.
To see our Lower Key Stage 2 Project Based Learning Blog, please CLICK HERE.
Upper Key Stage 2 – Spring 2020
Is killing animals ever right?
The children will be investigating the ethical question: “Is killing animals ever right?” as part of our focus on the Vincentian Value “We do not judge others”.
We will use the concept of New Year’s Resolutions and ‘Veganuary’ as a starting point to investigate how people often judge each other for their ideas with a focus on Articles 12 and 13 (respect of views and freedom of expression) from the Rights Respecting charter.
The children will understand how it is always worth learning about different ways of thinking and respecting others opinions while not necessarily agreeing with them. They will learn how animals have been killed over the course of history for different purposes and how these reasons have changed over time.
They will be investigating the heart and circulatory system, how it works and how to keep it healthy in science with a special visit from someone involved in the heart transplantation field. There will be a focus on two class texts: Y5 – ‘Charlotte’s Web’ and Y6 – ‘Pig Heart Boy’ which will be used to stimulate ethical discussions, persuasive writing and non-chronological report writing.
They will learn about different dietary preferences from invited speakers and make, compare and evaluate recipes using meat, vegetarian and vegan products.
To see our Upper Key Stage 2 Project Based Learning Blog, please CLICK HERE.
Foundation Stage - Autumn 2019
Project 1 – What is Happy?
Reception’s project this half term is ‘Happiness’ with our driving question being What is Happy? This links with the Vincentian Value of ‘We believe in practical hands-on hard work and we learn from our mistakes’. The children in reception will start to think about what makes them happy as individuals as well as learners, friends, members of a family and part of a class. We will also look at how our actions impact other people’s happiness and complete friendship interviews to investigate this further.
The children will be identifying the key things which make them happy and coming up with ideas for how they can be happy during their first year at school. Inspired by listening to older children’s first-hand accounts of starting school, the children will create their own video diary on what happiness means to them at the beginning and end of their first half term in reception. These will be published on Tapestry along with all the different activities the children take part in to find out what happiness really means to them and how they can spread happiness to all around them.
This project focuses on article 15 (you have the right to choose your own friends) and article 31 (you have the right to play and rest) as part of our Rights Respecting School.
To see our Foundation Stage Project Based Learning Blog, please CLICK HERE.
Key Stage 1 - Autumn 2019
Living and Learning
Our project this term is ‘Living and Learning’. The aim of this project is to enable the children to answer our driving question ‘How do our mistakes help us to learn?’ Throughout this topic we will be focusing on our Vincentian Value ‘We believe in practical hands on hard work and learning from our mistakes’. The children will gain a deeper insight into how mistakes enable us to be a better learner and how hard work and perseverance help us to achieve our personal goals and support others along the way.
The children will be given the opportunity to explore a variety of texts to support the English element of our project. They will research significant historical figures, including Albert Einstein and be given the opportunity to explore the best way of making a paper towel holder.
Plants will also be a focus this term, with a view to each child growing a healthy plant of their own, identifying mistakes made along the way and evaluating their improvements.
All the above, as well as our preparation and final performance of the Christmas play will develop and celebrate the children’s new found knowledge of how both hard work and reflecting on mistakes help us to learn, grow and achieve. To support the Catholic Ethos of the school, the children will be raising money for charity in the lead up to Christmas time.
Our project focuses on article 28 (you have the right to an education), article 15 (you have the right to choose your own friends) and article 31 (you have the right to play and rest) as part of our Rights Respecting school.
To see our Key Stage 1 Project Based Learning Blog, please CLICK HERE.
Lower Key Stage 2 - Autumn 2019
Roald Dahl
Through the Vincentian Value of believing in practical hands on hard work and learning from our mistakes, we will look at the role of the author Roald Dahl with a particular focus on the book, ‘James and the Giant Peach’. The children will be investigating living things and we will discuss their living conditions and evaluate the impact of any changes. They will create a water system in our poly tunnel for plants to survive. The plants that grow will be sold in the future to raise funds for disadvantaged children.
As part of this project, we will also explore the UN Convention on the rights of the child and analyse the importance of these for us today.
The children will empathise with James by trying to see things from his perspective and link them to the UN rights of the child. We will focus on a variety of articles which will include: article 2, 3, 7, 12 and 19.
To see our Lower Key Stage 2 Project Based Learning Blog, please CLICK HERE.
Upper Key Stage 2 - Autumn 2019
What makes a mission successful?
Our Vincentian Value for the term is “We believe in practical, hands-on, hard work and learning from our mistakes” In relation to this we will be investigating “What makes a mission successful?” through learning about the explorer Ernest Shackleton and also reading the novel “The Explorer” by Ruth Rundell. The children will use both texts as stimuli to write narratives and biographies. They will be finding out about Shackleton’s failed mission to the Antarctic and debating whether it should be considered a failure or not. They will be doing personal research into other explorers of their choice and also finding out what a religious missionary is.
The children will be using their computing skills to create animations of either Shackleton’s journey or that of the “The Explorer” and develop their modelling skills to create clay figures. They will also be finding out about how circuits work and using this knowledge to create a light source in a shelter of their design.
The project will be brought to a conclusion through a lesson on what a Vincentian’s mission is and also taking part in the Sacred Heart Parish Mission by providing refreshments after mass for the parishioners and inviting them to attend their end of term dance assembly.
Our project focuses on article 27 (you have the right to a good standard of living) as part of our Rights Respecting school.
To see our Upper Key Stage 2 Project Based Learning Blog, please CLICK HERE.
Foundation Stage - Summer 2019
Superheroes
Driving question: What makes a superhero super?
Reception’s project this half term is ‘Superheroes’ with our driving question being, ‘What makes a superhero a hero?’. It links with our Vincentian value of ‘we do not judge others’ as we explore our similarities and differences as well as what our own ‘superpowers’ are.
Children will start to use critical thinking to explore who the real life superheroes in our world are, including those close to us, those who are well known and those who are quietly being heroes every day. Our entry event will be a superhero dress up day where children can come to school as the superhero of their choice.
Throughout the project, children will design their own superheroes including their abilities and personalities. They will also work collaboratively to design and create a superhero city using arrays to support counting in twos, fives and tens.
We will use a variety of rich texts in Literacy, as well as ‘helicopter’ storytelling to support children understanding the structure of a story. They will then apply this knowledge to create their own storyboards and narratives for their invented superheroes.
Children will get the chance to see their stories come to life as they direct and star in their own short films using iMovie, which will be showcased to another year group at the end of the project.
To see our Foundation Stage Project Based Learning Blog, please CLICK HERE.
Key Stage 1 - Summer 2019
How can we look after the environment and one another?
Our driving question for this project is, ‘How can we look after the environment and one another?’ It links with our Vincentian value, ‘We are stewards of the environment and one another.’ Throughout the project, children will explore a range of stories, including stories from familiar settings and traditional tales. They will watch the CAFOD video, which focuses on the message in Pope Francis’s, “Laudato Si.” They will take a walk around the school to see what changes they could implement both at home and at school.
Through learning about the story of Pentecost and other Bible stories such as the Creation Story, Noah’s Ark, the Good Samaritan and stories about Jesus, the children will continue to learn about the importance of looking after the environment and one another. The children will learn how to apply this in their everyday lives, little changes that they can make that could make a huge difference.
The children will learn about how to grow and look after plants and why plants are an important part of the environment. They will grow a plant which they will take home to look after with their families and create a power point to share with their families about plants. They will also learn about different types of animals and what part animals play in contributing to the environment, as well as our role in looking after them. They will write their own stories about animals based on the stories that are read to them. This will help instill a greater need for each person to take responsibility for our, “Common Home.” They will learn about how to be safe online and produce posters showing other children how they can be safe online. All of this will help make their learning more meaningful and give them the tools to begin, or continue their journey to becoming a Greener person, in the hope that if the message is spread and more people join the cause, “A Greener Me” will become, “A Green You” and a “Greener Us,” and that we will learn to better look after one another and the environment in the way God wants us to.
To see our Key Stage 1 Project Based Learning Blog, please CLICK HERE.
Lower Key Stage 2 - Summer 2019
Stone Age to Iron Age
LKS2 will be exploring how the environment has changed from Stone Age to Iron Age. They will look at the physical and human geography of their local area as they explore our Vincentian Value ‘to be stewards of our environment and one another.’
They will look at our local environment and find solutions to problems of how we can take care of our school. They will also have the opportunity to make and design a product that can be used to benefit our school.
In addition, the children will be exploring literature linked to these themes and writing stories which show their understanding of the topics being raised.
Problem/challenge: What does it mean to be a steward?
To see our Upper Key Stage 2 Project Based Learning Blog, please CLICK HERE.
Upper Key Stage 2 - Summer 2019
We are stewards of our environment and one another
Using the Vincentian Value of “We are stewards of our environment and one another” as a starting point, the children will focus on the concept of being a steward to one another. They will look at the negative side of circuses through the ages and how they have improved over time through people taking a moral stand. They will use the idea of “freak shows” as an example of how to answer the driving question “How can we, as Vincentians, ensure that no-one feels like an outcast?” The Y6 children will make personal pledges of stewardship in the Leaver’s mass at the end of the year.
This project will also focus on designing and making a roller coaster, using coding skills in computing and developing the children’s creativity through preparing for all aspects of the end of year production “The Greatest Show”.
To see our Upper Key Stage 2 Project Based Learning Blog, please CLICK HERE.
Foundation Stage - Spring 2019
Journeys
Driving question: How long is a journey?
Reception’s project for this half term is ‘Journeys’ with our driving question being ‘How long is a journey?’ It links with our Vincentian value of ‘we believe in practical hands-on hard work and we learn from our mistakes’. Through the project, children will learn about the different types of journeys we can take in life, striving to understand that journeys can be spiritual as well as physical.
We will have a range of focus texts in literacy about different journeys as well as texts which depict a character’s personal journey and how they change along the way. The children will create character descriptions which illustrate this transformation. They will also learn about different methods of transport and undertake science experiments linked to space and space travel.
They will have the opportunity to design, build and self-evaluate their own method of transport to ‘catch a star’ through junk modelling which will be showcased as their end product for KS1 children at the end of the half term. Children will experiment with different ways of moving in PE and through their explorative play in our outdoor classroom. They will develop their Understanding of the World through a role play travel agents and exploring the local area to create their own maps.
Our trip this half term will involve taking a journey somewhere exciting.
To see our Foundation Stage Project Based Learning Blog, please CLICK HERE.
Key Stage 1 - Spring 2019
Can stories help teach us how to respect the dignity and wishes of the individual?
It links with our Vincentian value of ‘We are respectful of the dignity and wishes of the individual.’ Throughout the project, children will explore a range of stories, including stories from familiar settings, traditional tales and stories from other cultures. They will experience a visit from a storyteller as an introduction to our topic.
The children will be given the opportunity to explore the value of respect through enriching texts with a moral ending.
As the liturgical season of Easter approaches, we will learn the Bible stories surrounding the Easter story, gaining an insight into treating people with dignity and reflecting upon these messages, linking the religious teachings with our behaviour every day and linking to our Catholic Social Teaching Theme of ‘Human Dignity’.
We will study Nelson Mandela and his fight for equality, focusing on Human Rights, to further reinforce knowledge and understanding of Human Dignity. The children will also learn about materials and their uses. They will be given the opportunity to predict, investigate and evaluate by designing and making a variety of models to develop their scientific enquiry skills, creating new homes for some of the characters we have looked at from moral stories.
They will plan and write their own stories with a moral message which will be presented and shared with the children in Reception in the form of a storytelling session. This will consolidate learning and enable the children in KS1 to develop in confidence by showcasing their work to others, spreading the message and sharing their knowledge of the answers to our driving question with other children in the school.
To see our Key Stage 1 Project Based Learning Blog, please CLICK HERE.
Lower Key Stage 2 - Spring 2019
How can we teach others about using technology safely?
Based on our Vincentian Value: We are respectful of the dignity and wishes of the individual, LKS2 will be exploring how the internet can be used both positively and negatively. The children will build their knowledge of computer coding and different software programs. They will look closely at how to present and give instructions to others through a range of mediums.
In response to Catholic Social Teaching, the children will also investigate the impact of overuse and over reliance on technology and the results on people’s health and well-being. The children will create a display in a communal part of the school to teach others about how technology should be used safely and to help others.
To see our Lower Key Stage 2 Project Based Learning Blog, please CLICK HERE.
Upper Key Stage 2 - Spring 2019
As part of the whole school focus on the Vincentian Value of “We are respectful of the dignity and wishes of the individual” the children will be investigating how a king should rule his kingdom. We will begin with a study of a new film “The kid who would be king” where the children will explore the role of kingship. They will be learning about the kings and queens of England with a particular case study of Henry Viii and Tudor times.
They will investigate what makes a good king and think of how these qualities can be transferred into other areas of leadership.
They will be looking at positive role models in leadership and what our Catholic faith teaches us about true Kingship and the Kingdom of God. The children will think about Catholic Social Teaching and their duty to pursue the Common Good of a community through leading the school in supporting the local parishes and their food banks.
To see our Upper Key Stage 2 Project Based Learning Blog, please CLICK HERE.
Foundation Stage - Autumn 2018
Project 1 – What is Happy?
Reception’s project this half term is ‘Happiness’ with our driving question being: What is Happy?
The children in reception will start to think about what makes them happy as individuals as well as learners, friends, members of a family and part of a class. We will also look at how our actions impact other people’s happiness and complete friendship interviews to investigate this further.
The children will be identifying the key things which make them happy and coming up with ideas for how they can be happy during their first year at school. Inspired by listening to older children’s first-hand accounts of starting school, the children will create their own video diary on what happiness means to them at the beginning and end of their first half term in reception.
These will be published on Tapestry along with all the different activities the children take part in to find out what happiness really means to them and how they can spread happiness to all around them.
Project 2 – Why are they not freezing?
The children in Reception will be learning about what the weather and conditions are like at the North and South poles. They will get the opportunity to learn about different animals from these areas through a visit to Colchester Zoo and meeting real life penguins.
They will investigate how animals stay warm in colder places through different science experiments and discussions. They will also get to be creative and make their own penguins, winter collages and snowflakes.
They will get to showcase their work at the ‘Tea in the Gallery’ art exhibition and will post their letters to Santa Claus closer to Christmas.
To see our Foundation Stage Project Based Learning Blog, please CLICK HERE.
Key Stage 1 - Autumn 2018
People Who Help Us
This term the children will embark on our topic ‘People who help Us.’ We will be investigating our driving question ‘Can you identify people in our local community who we can turn to for help?’ The children will be learning about valuable members of the community, e.g. doctors, nurses, postmen and postwomen, dentists, firefighters that we turn to for help with various things.
We will also focus on why people help others and the importance of doing so. Faith will be at the centre of all learning, with Vincentian Values incorporated into the topic. As part of a rights respecting school, children will be educated on the UN Charter for Children’s Rights.
The children will create a class book, which will be a record of everything that they have learnt about and experienced in order to share this journey with the children in Reception. The children will also create individual books where they will focus on specific people in the community that help us, enabling the children to realise the importance of looking after others.
To see our Key Stage 1 Project Based Learning Blog, please CLICK HERE.
Lower Key Stage 2 - Autumn 2018
How can we show care and compassion during conflict?
LKS2 are utilising the centenary of the end of WW1 to highlight how we can show care and compassion even in the most extreme of conditions. The children will be learning about how the war began and the conditions that the soldiers lived in and their means of communication. This will lead the children into designing their own communication device to share coded messages.
LKS2 pupils will be using Critical Thinking & Problem Solving skills to develop and debate opinions linking to World War 1 perspectives. The final product will be a formal letter to the UN to convince them that we should all be compassionate led individuals.
To see our Lower Key Stage 2 Project Based Learning Blog, please CLICK HERE.
Upper Key Stage 2 - Autumn 2018
How can we provide clean water for everyone?
The children in Upper Key Stage 2 have the unique opportunity to work as part of the Global Scholars Project. This is a worldwide project whereby the children will be working with schools from other countries on a common project, communicating via the internet and technology.
The children will be looking at the Water Cycle and how it works to recycle water in our world. They will investigate water usage in the local area and across the world in collaboration with the other Global Scholars. They will be exploring the importance of water to the unique culture, commerce and daily lives of their own cities and cities around the world. They will also learn from one another as they investigate environmental issues such as water pollution, the impact of climate change and the challenge of providing equal access to clean, safe drinking water.
The project will culminate in designing and making a water filter which could be used to clean water. They will present these filters to their global peers through film and power point presentations. Parents will be invited to see the project and be treated to a creative representation of their learning about water through the medium of dance! There will also be the opportunity to raise money for water charities through the selling of teas and coffees.
To see our Upper Key Stage 2 Project Based Learning Blog, please CLICK HERE.