Dippy on tour
A learning led curriculum overview for schools
and educational settings
Rochdale - the big ambition!
If successful, the Education programme for Rochdale as the host, will deliver an ambitious and aspirational
‘Learning Led curriculum,’ for Rochdale, the North West region and nationally. At this stage in the development of
this learning led curriculum, we have consulted with local partners, however if successful, our visioning and
delivery plan will address, following consultation, the aspirations of neighbouring stakeholders.
The Rochdale programme aims to inspire the imagination and stimulate the questioning and thinking of
generations and communities of learners from birth onwards. It will cut across cultures, language barriers and
religious beliefs to further question our understanding and knowledge of the past and the present to ensure that
our future is informed by the lessons of the past, particularly in relation to sustainability. We recognise that
heightening aspiration is key to realising academic potential. Hence the Rochdale programme will seek to not only
engage schools, but engage families through a range of community based learning opportunities.
As the “ birthplace of cooperation,” this opportunity has already proven to be a catalyst in developing, in
partnership with key stakeholders, the ‘bones’ of a programme which will seek to engage and unite communities
of learners across Rochdale and the North West region to develop a future narrative and commitment to
sustainability, ignite curiosity and in so doing inspire the future generation of scientists.
An inclusive programme
Our methods of delivery will challenge inequality and seek to include all, engaging our immediate and
north west communities and those children and their families in our hardest to reach groups. Whilst this
list is not exhaustive, these groups may include;
•
Families seeking asylum and those classed as international new arrivals
•
Children and families for whom English is not their first language
•
Disabled children and their families in addition to children with special educational needs
•
Children and young people who are electively home educated
•
Children, young people and their families from minority ethnic groups
•
Children, young people and their families identified as disadvantaged and those in communities
where there are high levels of deprivation.
Core principles underpinning the
programme
This document sets out to provide an overview for our Learning Led Curriculum focused around “ Dippy on Tour.”
This overview marks the start of a longer piece of development work to provide a high quality cohesive and rich
curriculum experience. This will be undertaken following further consultation with schools, educational settings and
key partners. The core principles driving this overview are as follows;
•
To secure positive engagement with the curriculum for “Dippy”, the delivery must be accessible to all and be
inclusive of all.
•
The content must make meaning to a range of audiences and ensure that learning is contextualised and
enables learners to make connections between the past, present and the future.
•
The curriculum will build on experiential and memorable opportunities to establish understanding about big
scientific concepts and questions.
•
High priority is to be given to questioning knowledge and understanding in order to deepen thinking
Objectives for the programme
•
To develop scientific knowledge and understanding in the key areas of Origins and Evolution,
Biodiversity and Sustainable Futures
•
To develop scientific enquiry and questioning in children, young people and learners of all
ages in preparation for the next stage of their education and or employment
•
To raise awareness in children and young people of everyday “ real science” and of career
opportunities within the science and STEM industries.
•
Not only to inspire the next generation of Scientists, but to inspire and motivate learners
across the whole curriculum to apply skills, knowledge and understanding across a range of
disciplines to deepen their understanding of scientific concepts
Outcomes, ambitions, aspirations
across Rochdale and GM
Through the programme we aim to secure improvements against key indicators.
These include an increase in;
•
% young people attaining A* - C in Science at GCSE and the STEM
subjects
•
% young people attaining A’ levels in Science and the STEM subjects
•
% young people accessing a STEM based post 16 vocational or graduate
qualification
In addition, we aim to achieve the following;
•
Create and secure access to Science based work placements,
apprenticeships and employment
•
Creation and access to Technology, Engineering and Mathematics based
work placements, apprenticeships and employment
Outcomes, ambitions, aspirations
across Rochdale and GM
•
Develop a GM strategy to match STEM graduates to employment opportunities within local
businesses
•
Increase access across Greater Manchester to the “GM Higher Project” ensuring children
and young people attend Science and other STEM subject focused sessions at one of the five
partner GM Universities
•
To use this opportunity as a springboard for Curriculum development across the borough and
the region, to improve curricular provision, teaching and learning in the STEM subjects and
further impact on outcomes for children and young people.
•
Strengthen and improve science subject knowledge and teaching within schools,
•
To further develop subject leadership of Science locally and within the North West, enabling
the sharing of exemplary science teaching and leadership within schools and other education
settings.
•
Delivery of continuous professional developmental opportunities through the Rochdale
Education and Learning trust.
Methods of delivery
In considering how this programme will be delivered, we have identified key drivers. These are;
•
How we reaching and connect with local, regional, national and global
communities
•
How we enable access for all
•
How we retell our narrative… the past, present and a future narrative for Rochdale
•
How we promote “Dippy the Tour Guide” to engage families, children and young
people out and about in Rochdale
•
How we inspire the next generation of Scientists
•
How we develop projects to further awareness and understanding of sustainability
•
How we promote STEM across Education settings
•
How we linking the opportunity with Arts Education
Methods of delivery– our Big
ideas!
Reaching and connecting local,
regional, national and global
communities
Enabling access for all
Develop and promote a Learning Led Curriculum plan for all
key stages with the main focus on the STEM subjects and
History and Geography, creating meaningful cross curriculum
links to enable children and young people to apply skills and
make sense of their understanding across the range of subject
disciplines. Develop high quality resources and prompts for
learning relating to the Science key lines of enquiry.
Development within No 1 Riverside of an immersive sensory
learning space where children, young people and families can
experience the Rochdale narrative and the story of the
Dinosaurs
Building a Virtual Shared Dippy on-line learning space with
pre-teaching activities, opportunities to upload and share
learning on key lines of enquiry about Dippy and Dinosaurs,
develop and upload Webinars and links to websites and
resources.
In partnership with Library Service develop sound enabling high
quality fiction and non-fiction texts relating to Dinosaurs in the
main regional community languages.
Development of Webinars, live stream seminars over the web
of Dippy experts to include local experts, scientists and
learners themselves
To further the use of ICT access at No 1 Riverside to members
of the public, to encourage visitors to access the Virtual Shared
Dippy on-line learning space and make the most of an
augmented reality experience.
Secure link with BBC Media Partnership to support
broadcasting of the event, providing children and young people
with the opportunity to actively participate in broadcasting
opportunities.
For visitors to No 1 Riverside to establish and encourage the
use of QR codes at each point of interest providing bi-lingual
information about Dippy, the sustainability of the building and
the immediate environment to include the river and the grass
roof.
Our big ideas …
Our narrative… the past, present
and the future
“Dippy the Tour Guide” out and
about in Rochdale
Re-telling our narrative in preparation for our role as the
Rochdale tour guide for Dippy, engaging children, young
people and members of the community to tell our story. Use of
Pen Pal and sound enabling texts in the main community
languages to connect across communities. The Rochdale
narrative to focus on Industrial revolution, changes to the
natural landscape, formation of the canal, the Rochdale
Pioneers.
Engaging with outdoor/wildlife wardens to develop Dippy trails
based upon natural and local history. A “Dippy logo” on local
trails will enable visitors to access websites with additional
information through the use of QR codes, Dippy ‘green plaque’
place of natural and/or historical interest will be identified in
local trails. These could be developed by schools linked to
local developments during the industrial revolution and recent
projects related to sustainability.
Portraying our narrative through the Arts, engaging artists,
musicians and writers to develop a visual, auditory and
kinaesthetic tapestry of our locality.
Development of ‘outdoor’ fieldwork projects and ‘Forest School’
type activities to include; habitats, landscapes, wildlife studies
and population counts bees and hedgehogs.
Developing a narrative of journeys to Rochdale with
contributions from members of the public who have journeyed
to Rochdale, personal recollections from the war, families
seeking refuge etc.
Linking with Education programmes focused on Dippy, natural
history and the Rochdale narrative based at Touchstones.
Exploring stories of creation and evolution, connecting across
belief systems, drawing upon cultural beliefs and scientific
bodies of evidence
Uncovering environmental and physical changes. Rochdale’s
past, historic I-Spy trail the opening of the River Roch as a
flood prevention strategy, uncovering the Medieval Bridges.
Developing a future narrative/promise of sustainability for
Rochdale and the North West based on lessons learnt.
Changes on the moorland – the development of wind farms, the
impact on wildlife, opportunities for wildlife watches
Our big ideas …
Inspiring the next generation of
Scientists
Sustainable projects
Focused school and local workshop sessions for learners of all
ages with Scientists and Paleontologists to bring Science alive,
this to occur at No 1 Riverside and Touchstones. Development
and use of Webinars from scientists, paleontolgists, experts in
the STEM field and on sustainable projects
Developing community and school based sustainability projects
to include; developing allotments based on the Todmorden
Incredible Edible project/ community and school based grow
and create hubs.
Development of local and GM Future First Events (information
advice and guidance) involving Science based industries and
manufacturers
Promote community and school based eco-projects eg.
keeping Rochdale tidy, community tree planting projects
Forging links and opportunities across GM for young people to
access University Science Departments and other STEM
subjects
Promoting engagement of schools and education settings to
the Forest Schools Project and outdoor learning opportunities
linked to the curriculum with a key focus on sustainability.
Building upon existing links between Rochdale Sixth Form
College and secondary settings to promote mentoring and
support in the STEM subjects
Promoting school engagement with Eco schools project to
increase numbers of schools within the borough participating,
extending reach to parent groups
Develop in partnership with schools a sustainability pledge
Promoting STEM across Education
settings
Linking with Arts Education
Through the REAL trust (Rochdale Education and
Learning trust) deliver a programme of
professional development opportunities in the
field of STEM
Commission piece of work for delivery through the
music service
Raise the profile of STEM teaching through
primary and secondary STEM projects
Identification of High Quality texts as a stimulus
for children, young people
Develop with lead practitioners curriculum
mapped project combining science, mathematics
and technology, linking project to a specific local
challenge. Develop an innovate event and
competition for students.
Commission piece of drama focused on the
narrative of Rochdale in partnership with local
drama group M6 Theatre Company.
Promote the implementation of the Institution of
Primary and Secondary Engineers across the
borough’s schools
Our Learning Led Curriculum
Working Scientifically
Whilst the Learning Led Curriculum will be cross curriculum, developing pupil’s understanding of science is the cornerstone. By the end of
the primary age range, pupils should have developed a deeper understanding of a wide range of scientific ideas. Developing curiosity,
questioning and scientific enquiry are essential components. The Rochdale approach is to encourage the formulation of child initiated, key
lines of enquiry on which to develop hypotheses, drawing conclusions on scientific evidence and observations to support or refute ideas.
Our curriculum overview will encourage practitioners to form and address big scientific questions during the primary phase. For pupils
within the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, these may include:
What is a dinosaur ?
Why is dinosaur called a dinosaur?
Why is he called a diplodocus? How big is the dinosaur?
What body parts does a dinosaur have?
What does his skeleton tell us about where he came from, his habitat and how he lived?
What does his skeleton tell us about how he moves and what he might eat?
How does his skeleton compare to the skeleton of … ?
Sample Early Years
Curriculum Overview
Communication and Language
PSED
Physical
Use theme to listen, talk, raise questions,
describe, retell stories etc.
Support Characteristics of Effective
Learning through Achievosaurs.
Positive relationships supported through
group and collaborative work.
Inspired by dinosaurs, explore movement
and body control in fine and gross motor
skills eg moving like dinosaurs.
Literacy
Explore stories and information books. Talk
about their questions and ideas. Use theme
as a context for applying phonic knowledge
to read and write.
Dinosaurs
Planning would follow children’s interests and
reference ELGs.
Maths
Children use everyday language to talk about
shape, space and measures in relation to
dinosaurs, explore pattern and use the theme
as a context for counting and problem solving.
Some possible starting points include:
Understanding of the World
Expressive Arts and Design
Make observations, explore similarities and
differences in dinosaurs, and compare with
living creatures eg creatures that lay eggs,
life cycles. Discuss habitats and diet.
Identify criteria to sort by.
Visit exhibition.
Find dinosaur footprints in school.
Build hides/dens for watching dinosaurs.
Build traps for dinosaurs.
A huge egg is found in the sand area.
Watch extracts from ‘Waking with dinosaurs’.
Visit Natural History Museum Website.
Home links
Visits/visitors
Have a dinosaur day for children and their
parents. Have an egg hunt with written and
photo clues. Perform dinosaur songs and
rhymes.
Have a “dinosaur snores” sleepover after
school, on a dark evening for children and
parents. Have a torch lit trail. Cosy up with a
dinosaur book.
Cbeebies Andy’s Dinosaur Adventures.
Visit dinosaur exhibition. Revisit to explore new
questions.
Visit to or from local museum, Touchstones to
look at fossils.
Zoo visit to support children’s reference to
living animals.
Explore dinosaur themed music, songs and
dances- making their own. Use and explore a
variety of materials, tools and techniques,
experimenting with colour, design, texture, form
and function to model and illustrate dinosaurs.
Imaginatively represent their own ideas,
thoughts and feelings through design and
technology, art, music, dance, role play and
stories
.
Sample EYFS overview
Book area
Dinosaur discussion cards
http://displays.tpet.co.uk/?resource=343
#/ViewResource/id343
Turn your book area into a reading cave
with dinosaurs guarding the entrance.
Have a display shelf of a dinosaur
museum with non-fiction books to refer
to.
Maths
Displays around comparative sizes of
dinosaurs, footprints, eggs. Can be
compared to known animals eg taller
than a giraffe.
Identify a child sized dinosaur for
comparison with the children.
Make, sort dinosaur ‘eggs’.
Sort, match order a collection of made
bones.
Count, match, sort according to a
criteria eg colour, dinosaur models.
Sort dinosaur s into sets of herbivores,
carnivores.
Counting the letters in dinosaur nameslongest? How many letters longer than
your own name?
Pattern- dinosaur skin.
Creative
Explore paint mixing to create
camouflage. Use bubble wrap to print
dinosaur scales.
Make plaster cast imprints into clay and
pour plaster to make footprints, fossils
etc.
Make dinosaur eggs
http://www.abcdoes.com/abc-does-ablog/2016/03/3434/
sing songs and rhymes relating to
dinosaurs eg The Velociraptor Rap
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/watch/an
dys-dinosaur-adventures-velociraptorrap
Water/ gelli baff, gloop
Small world models of aquatic
dinosaurs with display to
identify.
Add paint and texture to water
to make a swamp.
Dinosaur models frozen in
eggs (water balloons).
Hatching dinosaurs- activated
by water.
Role Play
Have a “dinosaur dig” role play.
Include eggs, brushes,
magnifying glasses, bones,
camera and reference books
Incubate dinosaur eggs. Use
lights to keep them warm stored
in a clear plastic container. Write
and display instruction on how to
look after them.
Create an adventure corner.
Display props to take on your
adventure eg a compass, maps
Construction
Make a dinosaur, a
dinosaur trap,
home, landscape
etc.
Explore idea of size
eg display of actual
sizes for
comparison.
Small World
Make a range of dinosaur habitats using stones,
leaves, slime, and mud. Use tyres to store the
materials.
Build stone cairns with a variety of stones all shapes
and sizes.
Sand/
compost/gravel
Mark Making
Dinosaur footprints.
Dig for fossils.
Wet sand to mould
landscapes for small
world including nests
for eggs.
Add natural
resources eg bark,
moss, stones for
landscapes.
Press dinosaur
models in to damp
sand to make
impressions.
Make a small volcano for your small world area.
http://homelearningfrombirth.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/
volcano-dino-land.html
Models in mud, paint, gloop, shaving foam.
Giant dinosaur writing.
Captions for photographs of visit to exhibition. Class
book of experience.
Brochure for exhibition.
Write a letter home to encourage parents to visit
exhibition.
Stories and captions eg of photographs taken of dinosaur
small world play.
Story maps.
Maps of dinosaur journeys.
Outdoors
Malleable
Dig up and discover a trail of dinosaur eggs and bones
Bubble wrap stomping – tape bubble wrap to feet and
stomp in paint to create dinosaur footprints.
Find a huge dinosaur footprint in your outdoor area.
Adapt “We’re going on a bear hunt” to dinosaur hunt.
Make different eggs.
Press models into rolled clay/dough for footprints- shoe a
route.
Clay models enhanced with natural materials. Pasta and
pulse pictures used to suggest skin textures.
Lines of Enquiry
Lower Key Stage 2
What is a fossil and how are they formed ?
Why are dinosaurs no longer alive?
What causes extinction?
What would we need in order to create a dinosaur habitat?
What are the similarities and differences between dinosaurs?
Are dinosaurs similar to animals alive today?
Who were the dinosaurs predators and who were their prey?
Did dinosaurs talk like us?
Sample key stage 2 overview
Science
Why did the dinosaurs
vanish from off the face
of the earth?

Research key
feature of
dinosaurs,

Recognise that
living things
change over time,

Identify how
animals and plants
adapt to suit their
environment in
different ways.
Mathematics
Investigation into recycling

Impact

Ratios

Pictorial
representation
English
Using your understanding
of why dinosaurs vanished
from earth compare our
local environment with the
environment needed to
sustain dinosaurs.
In groups, design and
create a bio dome from
recyclable materials to
nurture a fern.
Create a persuasive
campaign to protect
current endangered
species.
Visit contrasting
localities to see the
effects of flooding
Investigate how Number
One Riverside was
designed
Visit recycling plant
Consider multi-media for
the campaign.
Art
Paleoart - design a
dinosaur that has adapted
to suit the environment we
live in today.
Computing
Write a computer quiz
game to challenge your
friends and family about
recycling.
Visit a museum to look at
dinosaur bones and
examples of Paleoart
Use Python and Code
Club
Supported by Code
Kingdome Guides
Key Lines of Enquiry
Upper Key Stage 2
What do fossils tell us about living things that inhabited the Earth
millions of years ago ?
How have living things on earth changed over time?
How were dinosaurs suited to their environment?
How did dinosaurs adapt to suit their environment overtime?
How would the Earth need to change to support pre-historic life today?
Without an extinction level-event, what would a dinosaur be like today?
How does our planet support life?
How has the climate changed from the Ice Age to the present ?
How have human and physical processes interacted to influence and
change landscapes, environments and the climate ?
What impact have changes in landscape, environment and climate had
on survival of species?
Key lines of enquiry at key
stage 3
To establish meaning and develop understanding of complex scientific questions and lines of enquiry, ensuring understanding across key
disciplines is essential. The Learning Led curriculum at key stage 3 will focus on the following scientific lines of enquiry in addition to key
questions from the geography curriculum;
How are organisms interdependent and how do they adapt to their environment?
What differences are there within species, between species and between eco-systems?
What is DNA?
What contribution did leading scientists make to the development of the model of DNA?
Why are some species and/or individuals able to compete more successfully whilst others are less well adapted?
What are the theories of evolutions, how and why have theories of evolution changed over time, what evidence is there supporting these theories?
Working scientifically at Key
Stage 4
What evidence is there for the origin of the Earth and the evolution of
life on it?
How was the Earth formed?
How has life on Earth developed ? How have organisms changed over
time?
What might have caused mass extinctions in the Cretaceous to the end
of Ordovician period? What species became extinct?
What might cause the next mass extinction?
What steps would need to be taken to prevent mass extinction?
“Dippy... ing” to the Humanities
Early Years
Foundation
Stage
Key Stage 1
Key Stage 2
Key Stage 3
Life Cycles
Significant Historical People
Analysing sources of information
and identifying bias and opinion
What happened to the Dinosaurs?
• Cause and effect
• Significant people Wiliam
Buckland, Robert Bakker, Mary
Anning
• Does who we study effect what
we believe?
Before 1066
• How do we build a picture of the
past?
• Research and order significant
world events back to the
dinosaurs
• Use of primary and secondary
sources
• Investigating stories and beliefs
distinguishing between fact and
fiction
Events beyond living memory
• When did Dinosaurs roam the
Earth?
• Where were they found?
• How did they travel?
• Making comparisons and
classification
How has the Earth changed over
time?
• Local study:,Industrial revolution
and beyond
• Transport, its effect on lives,
trades, where people live and
communities
• Census tasks to identify location
of people, trades, sizes of
families
How has our landscape been
formed?
• Ice age to present
• Natural and Human influences,
effects of weather and climate
• Industry, technology
• How has this influenced change
in places, people, jobs,
communities
Fact versus opinion
• What do we know and what do
we think ?
• Ordering artefacts according to
time, comparing ways of life in
different periods, similarities and
differences
Signs of the past
• The Roman Road
• Iron age amulet
• Scorpion from Sparth Bottom
• Important buildings in Rochdale,
how have these changed over
time
• Local myths and legends
How have our thoughts and
opinions about dinosaurs and
their demise changed over time ?
What/who has influenced this
change in perceptions?
•
•
•
•
Chickens
Babies
Butterfiles
Tadpoles and frogs
Extinct! Investigating Dinosaurs
•
•
•
•
How big?
How many?
Making comparisons and
classification
Modern Day Dinosaurs
Hidden Treasures
•
•
•
What can we find under our
feet?
Excavating using different
tools
Building the past, reassembling artefacts,
skeletons, pots
•
•
•
Mary Anning, Jack Horner
How does history talk to us?
Edward VII and Andrew Carnegie