Rationalw

Rationale

The topic I chose was, 'Houses and Homes.' I chose this topic as I felt it would allow me to develop various Cross curricular links. I felt that the topic would be flexible enough to enable the children to make choices and decisions during their learning. I felt the children would have many opportunities to explore and investigate homes locally and globally, which will intensify their learning.

I used resources throughout my lessons to give a more memorable and enjoyable experience of this topic. By using a playhouse with furniture, the children can physically picture where the furniture is placed in their homes. Therefore a mental picture is created and learning is done in a fun manner. The use of Argos catalogues also enhanced learning as the children would not only have the chance to cut and stick but will also have the opportunity to become more familiar with furniture and utensils found in and around their homes. Pictures taken with a digital camera of local houses provide exciting pictorial evidence for the children and I feel will be beneficial as the children will be familiar with some of these places and therefore find the topic more interesting. These pictures will also aid the teacher when discussing and describing different types of housing, as the children have a visual aid to assist them when imagining what each house looks like. A video of a house in the Victorian times and artefacts from the 1900's, also make the lessons more fun for the children, as instead of being told what these objects looked like, they can experience them for themselves.

Various links are made to the new Northern Ireland Curriculum. DMU is incorporated through the exploration of similarities and differences between how we live compared to other children. However, it is important, when teaching this topic, to avoid making any negative perceptions of other people, so that children