As part of the every developing ACE rota course at KGS, staff from the 4 departments involved in delivering this interdisciplinary course felt there was a clear need to ‘arm’ our pupil’s with key skills that will allow them to become more successful and confident participants when undertaking Yr 2 of the ACE rota course.
Below is the outline of the 3 lesson plans developed by Kathleen Houghton, PT Business Studies, as a result of working in consultation with Alison Drever LT Scotland.
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WELCOME TO THE S2 ACE ROTA COURSE
TEAM-BUILDING EVENT
Departments:
Art, Business Education, Computing and Technology
OVER THE NEXT 3 WEEKS WE AIM TO:
1.Work together in teams
2.Answer the question,
“What is a Learning Community?”
3.Work through ‘Challenges’ to solve problems
S2 INTRODUCTORY (Team-building) COURSE:
June 2009 (3 x 1 lesson, half-year groups, Thurs p3 and Fri p5)
Course Description:
The introduction to the S2 ACE course in June will run as a 3 or 2 x 50 minute, Critical-Skills-type event, combining all 4 groups (Art, Business Education, Computing and Technology) with the purpose of (at a basic level):
(a) Building a ‘learning community’ – towards a full-value contract
(b) Developing group dynamics/skills/through activities and roles
(c) ‘Challenge’ – in groups – ‘Paper Towers’/or other suitable (outdoor) activity, eg moving team across chessboard (playground)
Venue: Conference Room (Social Area/Hall may be required, depending on size of cohort of pupils each lesson – total S2 pupils = 124; 72 on Thursday, 52 on Friday)
Week 1 PLAN:
Notations/requirements: |
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Welcome/Introduction/Learning ‘purpose’ explained and on screen Emphasize ‘play safe’ and ‘play fair’.
Ask pupils to organize themselves into 2 lines (Jan-June and July-Dec) down the room (cards indicating lines). RULES: WITHOUT SPEAKING
Split pupils into 4 groups, with teacher, to allocate to 4 separate areas, around tables for ‘Your Hand Activity’ – see question sheet: “Coaching Container Questions” – “Who are you?” “What are you?” Pupils draw their hand on A4 paper Spin the bottle; date of birth of person it stops pointing to; choose Q for their d.o.b., eg 4th March, then choose Q4 For each question, pupils all write their answer – one word – along the space on finger/thumb, one answer per digit In random pairs, in the group, try to find out a bit more about your partner’s answers, without using WHY If time, cut out hands (or leave as A4) and put up on the wall behind group
Line-ups (IP3s): Pupils, still in groups round table, are asked to consider each of the following situations (4x LINE-UPS – BELOW*) and line themselves up, AROUND THE ROOM in a horse-shoe shape according to each end of the scale, eg intuition vs direction. After the 4 line-ups, DEBRIEF why we are doing this (OHP) and ask pupils to go to the corner of the room they have the most ‘tendency’ for.
USEFUL TIP: If undecided, give pupils the scenario: If you are going to the supermarket DO YOU: Go in and see what takes your fancy to buy? (IDEAS PERSON) Go in hoping to meet people to have a chat with? (PEOPLE PERSON) Go in with a list – write it down and tick it off (PROCESS PERSON) Go in and get what you need and come out again (PRODUCT PERSON)
QUESTIONS*: Direction vs intuition: You have been asked, by a younger sister/brother to build a toy from a kit, or Lego. How do you go about the task? Do you LOOK FOR THE INSTRUCTIONS, or do you TIP ALL OUT OF THE BOX AND ‘GO FOR IT’? Text vs graphic: If you have to give someone directions to get to your house, eg a new friend visiting for the first time, how do you prefer to give instructions on how to get there? DO YOU PREFER TO FOLLOW WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS, OR DO YOU PREFER TO LOOK AT A MAP? Ideas vs product: If you have chosen to take up a new activity, eg go to an art class this summer, think of you reason for joining. IS IT BECAUSE YOU – WANT TO MEET NEW PEOPLE? OR IS IT BECAUSE YOU WANT TO CREATE SOMETHING BY THE END OF THE COURSE? People vs process: When you are taking part in a group effort, to achieve something as a whole group, which is more important to you: CONSIDERING LOTS OF IDEAS TO GET THE BEST IDEA, OR GETTING THE JOB FINISHED AND ON TIME?
Place pupils in 4 corners, according to their GENERAL ‘type’ on the IP3 scale (take care to stress that these are ‘fluid’ and change over time). SELECTION: Each teacher (JW also advising pupil combinations) chooses ‘X’ number from each group to form the working groups for next week’s ‘Full Value Contract’ Challenge. Explain/introduce concept of how next week’s Challenge will run. |
(5 min)
(5 min)
(15-20 minutes)
(15 minutes)
DEBRIEF: Types of people (OHP) and the importance of having a good balance of skills/types for a group to succeed. (5 minutes)
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WEEK 2 PLAN:
Full-value Contract: Steven Reid delivering Challenge
Notations/requirements: |
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Reinforcement/re-setting of groups required, or groups may need to be set for the first time, if not achieved last week.
Double carousel on what Full-Value Contract means: Play/work: SAFE FAIR HARD
On first Carousel (flip-chart sheets) titles: “What will it look like/sound like in S2 when we PLAY and WORK: 1. fair? 2. hard? 3. safe physically? 4. safe emotionally?”
1st round of Carousel: Pupils have 3 mins. at each point/station WITH NO TICKING to consider the questions
2nd round of Carousel: 1 min. at each point/station – tick 2/3 of the most important on each sheet
Distil: to top 2 from each sheet (choose method for this)
Agree contract and write up/display
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WEEK 3 PLAN:
Notations/requirements: |
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Group re-formation/reminder of Full Value Contract (5 min)
CHALLENGE: Reminder of the FVC Challenge last week.
Q: How do we tackle a Challenge? A: By breaking it down into manageable parts, ie CHUNKING the Challenge; and sharing out the tasks according to the skills of the group.
Script for Paper Towers – SEE NEXT PAGE (30 min, including debrief)
Final de-brief – reminder of FVC on wall. Did your team apply those rules?
Pupils given reminder of which Dept. they will be in on return in August.
ADDITIONAL ‘CHALLENGES’ – See separate sheets given out at previous (planning) Meeting in May.
BALLOON MODELLING CHALLENGE – See K Houghton for instructions.
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OHP – agreed contract from last week, also copies on wall(s)
Challenge Outline + newspaper, paper clips, masking tape, ‘egg’ (rubber)
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WEEK 3: Team Challenge - Paper Towers.
RESOURCES
3. Newspapers
20 paperclips 
and 1 metre masking tape.
From the resources provided, make a tower as high as possible. It must be stable and not fall over when it is finished. It should also be capable of supporting an ‘egg’ for 1 minute.
Time allowed 20 mins.
Judging will then take place – the group with the HIGHEST tower that stays up for 1 minute, supporting an ‘egg’ wins!
After the task, your group must give a short presentation to the rest of the class (no longer than 2 minutes). Report back on how well you worked together as a team and how effectively you used the ideas of group members.
Think of the statements that apply to you:
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‘Ideas’ people:
see ‘The Big Picture’ are creative/have many ideas
look for choices or options
dislike rigid rules prefer activities like ‘brainstorming’
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‘People’ people: are concerned with relationships and how the group get on
like co-operating, understanding and getting on with people
enjoy small group discussions and positive debating |
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‘Process’ people: like ‘order’ and discipline in the group
like logic and procedures
like to have a ‘pattern’ or ‘recipe’ to follow
- like to analyse results |
‘Product’ people: like clear targets
need to have high quality results
like setting goals for success
are keen to ‘get the job done’ no matter how it affects others
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Once you have a good mix of people in your team, you need to choose your Task Roles for the Challenge. You may find that you are a mixture of 2/3 ‘types’, and your ‘type’ will change for you, personally, over the years.
Working in a Group.
A group which will work well needs different types of people
who fit together like a JIGSAW PUZZLE. 
How do you work in a group?
Find FOUR words to describe
your behaviour in most groups
1 ……………………………………………………………..
2 ………………………………………………………………
3 ……………………………………………………………..
4 ……………………………………………………………..
Write about the kind of
role you usually play in
a group.
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What do you DO when there
is a problem in the group?
……………………………………………………………….
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How could you IMPROVE the way
you work in a group? (After activity)
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Kirkwall Grammar School’s (KGS) Drama department and the National Theatre for Scotland have come together to work over a period of several weeks to plan a ‘transformational’ learning experience. The planning has culminated in allocating, during the KGS ‘A Curriculum for Excellence’ (ACE) week, a range of rolls/responsibilties and tasks/outcomes to all S3 pupils required in the production of a theatrical performance.
It was clear from watching the pupils that they were all experiencing a boost to personal confidence, through successfully meeting challenges set for them by the staff of KGS and the National Theatre team.
The project culminates in a performance and exhibition for the St Magnus Festival who are in partnership with the National Theatre Scotland in the funding of the project.
For up to the minute developments as to how the pupils are achieving success and evaluating their progress click on this link Mixter Maxter
Through the auspices of Orkney Schools of Ambition ‘Connecting with Others’ Theme Group, colleagues from a number of schools across Orkney attended a highly interesting Global Citizenship twilight workshop run by Janis Keast, a Global Citizenship development officer based in Dingwall.
Aims of the twilight were:-
1. What is Global Citizenship?
2. Why include a Global Dimension in the curriculum?
3. What does a Global Dimension in the curriculum look like?
Using photos and real issues
Can every area of the curriculum have a global dimension?
4. Tools to make a Global Dimension manageable.
5. Whole schools approaches. Joining-up other intiaitives.
6. Resources to browse and borrow and sales offers.
Janis provide a sea of resources to take away, borrow or purchase.
For further information contact:-
Janis Keast, Development Education Worker, Education Centre, Castle St, Dingwall
Tel: 01349 863441(Tuesdays) or 01381 621265 or email janis.Keast@highland.gov.uk
Thirty pupils and accomanying staff from Westray, Stronsay and Sanday schools attended a one day Speak – up! workshop held at Kirkwall Town Hall.
The workshop was delivered by Mr. Graham Shearer from Kirkwall Grammar School, who had himself received training the previous year through a SoA – Enhancing Skills Theme Group – initiative. Graham was ably supported colleagues from the visiting schools.
Go to the following link to find some Ice breakers to start the day with….
http://insight.typepad.co.uk/40_icebreakers_for_small_groups.pdf
Outline of Programme presented:-
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Activity |
Comments |
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1. Introduction: welcome everyone; nerves!!!! (keepy-up) Organise 2 groups; names on stickers |
Horseshoe; flipcharts; booklets; pens; post-it stickers;
-pupil has to interview a ‘stranger’ and write name on tag? |
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2. WARM-UP- name a country |
Good energiser. Other possibilities?? ICEBREAKERS? Line up game-size/D.O.B/shoe size.. WHO AM I? Stickers?in pairs/3s; CIRCLE GAME |
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3. STAND-UP- ‘I like..I dislike’ |
Random with the ball- no time to panic Why? To get up and speak & p info |
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(4. Name situations when communication is important.) |
How? In small groups, students Discuss ideas- post on wall- OPTIONAL
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5. What makes a good speaker? (* INVISIBLE BALL!!!) |
Flip chart? Go through (or 2 exaggerated examples of a good/bad speaker) 10 tips- ‘YES SPEAKER’ -v hot; v cold; v heavy; helium; v large; tiny; precious & v slippery! |
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6. Impromptu speaking |
1min-choose a mystery object & speak about it! Why? Highlights importance of structure( use burger to emphasise this point) |
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7. FEEDBACK: (WIN!) |
Giving good FB helps other speakers develop skills.. GROUP fb only- positives at first & USE BOOKLET p7 |
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9.’THIS IS ME’ |
1 MIN SPEECH (GROUPS 4) GO OVER STRUCTURE GROUPS GIVE FEEDBACK |
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10. ENERGY BALL? |
Other energiser(s)? |
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11. Planning & prep |
Use p10 for ideas |
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12. ‘SPEAK UP’ CHALLENGE |
2 min speech; use booklets & USE POST ITS- pupils generate ideas in pairs/threes for speech In 1 group? |
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13. EVALUATION |
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14. CERTIFICATES |
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Additional games |
- depend on timing |
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ASKING QUESTIONS GAME |
Game where 2 players ask each other questions continually( on 2 chairs at front & are out if they hesitate or answer a question) |
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TONALITY |
I didn’t say you stole the money |
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TABLE TOPICS & EYE CONTACT GAME |
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Pupils in Action:-
S6 Leadership roll out programme.
Over the past two months senior pupils from KGS and SA have delivered a series of Leadership workshops to all S1 pupils in the 6 Schools of Ambition. Seniors from KGS rolled out their workshop to the North Isles and KGS S1’s, while seniors from SA delivered to the S1 in Stromness Ac.
KGS senior pupils involved were: Joni Craigie, Raema Campbell, Nabil Zoha, Hannah King, Alan Fortheringhame.
SA senior pupils involved were: Katherine Stockan, Callum Stevenson, Charlotte Slater, Donald Cowan.
Lesson Plan:
Senior pupils will work in pairs delivering a 50 min lesson to junior pupils across the 6 schools involved in Orkney Schools of Ambition. The lesson content has been developed as result of their own leadership training and whole school experiences.
Learning Intentions:
1. To make pupils aware that everyone, if they feel strongly enough about a topic/issue, they can become a leader of change and new learning.
2. To promote confidence in contributing solutions to an issue, knowing that all contributions will be treated with equal respect.
3. Learn to work together as a team and accept that other people’s ideas are, at times, better than their own.
4. Don’t allow others to run over your personal beliefs and values. You know the difference between right and wrong!
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Some of the attributes Cards….
Pupils had to write three of their own cards and place them along with the other cards given to
them in order of preference.
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The ‘Value Yourself’ sheet…
Give yourself a score out of 10 for each of these Qualities:
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Honesty
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Adventurous |
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Positive attitude
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Articulate |
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Confident
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Determination |
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Sense of humour
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Organisation |
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Creativity
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Good with numbers |
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Persuasive
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Caring |
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Energetic
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Encouraging others |
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Good listener
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Speaking in public |
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Fairness
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Self belief |
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A team player
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Risk taking |
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Lateral thinker
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Leadership |
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Hard worker
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Reliability |
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Competitive
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Proud of success |
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Cloud Hopping sheet…
Pupils wrote out the series of steps they think they would have to undertake to get to their ‘dream’ destination/career.
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Some ‘leadership in action’ pictures from across the 6 schools.
A Kirkwall Grammar School class project was recently shortlisted for the Standard Life Best Practice Awards at the Creative Sparks conference in Glasgow on the 27th February.
English teacher, Mrs Sandra Ballantine, presented an outline of the project which received the accolade of ‘Highly Commended’.
The conference, whose key note speakers were Poet Laureate Michael Rosen and Nina Calegari – co-founder of the inspirational 826 National – explored creative approaches to literacy and literature across the curriculum. In addition to seminars on creative practice the conference showcased innovative practice from schools and libraries across Scotland through presentations from the 5 shortlisted projects.
Mrs Ballantine – with the help of the (now) S4 class involved – created a presentation using six slides in six minutes which she presented to the voting audience.
Their project employed ICT to help motivate reluctant readers. Whilst the pupils lacked enthusiasm for reading and writing Mrs Ballantine noticed that they were ‘very adept at using mobile phones, computers and other technology’. Sandra described how she got the idea when exploring the icons on a new computer in her class room ‘I was investigating the mysterious icons at the bottom of the screen when I happened upon something called Comic Life. As soon as I opened it, I realised it had real possibilities for the kind of pupils who find it difficult to produce much in the way of writing. Why didn’t we turn the short story we were reading into a comic book? ‘
The pupils used digital cameras or mobile phones to turn the short story ‘The New Boy’ by Geddes Thomson into a photo story comic strip. Despite their previous reluctance, Sandra described how, the pupils soon ‘realised that they would have to go back to the text and think about how to tell this story in pictures. They also had to select appropriate snippets of dialogue for speech balloons and decide what words to put into captions, narrative boxes and so on. ‘
Sandra feels that the pupils also learned much about teamwork, co-operation and responsibility as they had to approach other pupils and members of staff to ask if they would become involved and pose as characters. Sandra explained that this ‘required effective communication and diplomacy skills’.
The comic was published – in colour – with the help of the Orcadian newspaper. In addition to improving attitudes to learning and relationships in the class the pupils then went on to read a variety of challenging texts and covered what Sandra reflects is ‘more than I (she) normally would’. In fact one pupil in particular asked to read when he had packed up early one day – and immediately followed with the afterthought ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this!’
This man WAS the most powerful Leader in the World for 8 years!!!!!!
Report on ComeniusTrip to Thessaloniki
Scott Bain and Matthew Reid 2I1 Kirkwall Grammar School.
Tuesday 13th January 2009.
We left KGS at 1:30 pm for Kirkwall Airport. We met the 2 representatives from Aquatera there. Our flight to Edinburgh was at 3.40 which got us in at 5:00pm. We had enough time to have some dinner and a look about the airport before our flight to Gatwick at 8:10pm. We arrived at Gatwick at 9:35pm. Our hotel was just 5 minute bus ride away. After settling in our rooms we all met for a drink before bed.
Wednesday 14th January 2009
We all met in the lobby early before getting the bus back tot he airport. After cheeking in we went for a coffee. Our flight was at 08:33hrs to Thessanloniki. The flight took three hours. During the flight we has a drink and something to eat. We landed at 14:00hrs, local time. Difference is 2hours ahead of UK time. It was cold and wet when we arrived. We took a taxi to our hotel, the Grand Palace Hotel, which was the nearest to the school we were going to visit.
We settled into our rooms before meeting for lunch. After lunch we spent time on the hotel’s computers. As the conference didn’t start until the next day, we went for a walk with Mr Henning and discovered a Lidl store. We made our first purchases in Greece, paying for juice and sweets for our room in Euros.
In the evening all the teacher from the nine schools, and us, went for a meal in a traditional Greek restaurant. I t was great sampling the local food and culture. We think we all had a good time before heading back to our hotel exhausted.
Thursday 15th January 2009
We got up early for breakfast, which was great, and then we all walked to the school.
The school was called the 1st Geniko Lykeio, Menemenis. There were over thirty pupils from Orkney, Spain, Greece, Germany, Portugal, Denmark Austria and Hungary. 
The pupils got a talk from the two representatives of Aquatera, whilst the teachers attended a planning meeting. The representatives from Aquatera spoke about their work and Climate Change. The second half of the session was question and answer and writing down our ideas about our ideas that might help to prevent more climate change.
For lunch we walked to a local cafe, when walked back to the school with Mr Henning and Mr Diack the long way so we could get some exercise and fresh air.
When we got back to school we wrote down and discussed what we and our and the others did about
climate change, for example recycling. We also looked at how countries were being affected by climate change
and what further things we could do as a schools to try and help. For example, reduce the number of lights in a school, walk to school, use rain water to flush the toilets, switch off all computers at the end of the day.
The Aquatera presentation and our listed ideas are available on the Comenius blog at http://web2class.edublogs.org
Friday 16th of January 2009
After breakfast, we went on a sight seeing trip. Our destination
was Halkidiki, a very popular seaside area for both Greeks and
tourist from across Europe. We stopped at a beautiful beach and
everyone took lots of photographs. 
We stopped for a drink during our sight seeing trip and eventually
had our lunch at a beautiful fish restaurant. All the pupils had time
to mix and have a chat in order to find out more about each others
countries, schools, like and dislikes. It was good fun.
Saturday 17th of January 2009
After breakfast we got a taxi into the centre of the city and walked to 
the famous ‘White Tower’. The tower is called the White Tower as
during the wars with Turkey, the Turks used to chop prisoners heads
off from the top of the tower so all local people could see what
happens to rebels. As a result the tower was stained red from all
the blood. Once the Turks were defeated, the Turkish prisoners
were made to paint the tower white so that all traces of the
be-headings were removed. This is why the tower is still called
today the ‘White Tower’.
Inside the tower to-day is now a museum which displays the history of Thessaloniki throughout the ages. The history was well presented by means of pictures and audio tapes which we listened to as we went round and up the towers 6 floors.
At the top you could walk outside and get a great view of the Mediterranean and the modern large city. Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece.
Sunday 18th January 2009
After breakfast we packed our bags, then took time to walk all the way into the city for a final sight see-ing Mr Henning and Mr Diack showed us some more ancient building that are still preserved in the modern city.
We returned to the hotel to collect our bags and went to the airport for our fight back to London. We got back to London at 16:30hrs. We went back to the hotel we stayed at on our way to Greece and enjoyed a good evening meal before going to bed early.
Monday 19th January2009
Flew back to Orkney via Glasgow and arrived back on Orkney at 12:00hrs. Mr. Diack told us he expected to see the both of us in school the next morning!!!
Scott Bain & Matthew Reid.
30 pupils and 9 staff from across the 6 Orkney Schools of Ambition attended a very full and demanding days training programme at Kirkwall Town Hall on Thursday 4th December 2008.
The aims of the morning presentation, presented by Janet Trevanion, were a preparation for the kind of deeper, emotional but also personally analytical thinking that designing and taking part in Metasaga entails.
It is aimed to bring the participants on a ‘journey’ of self analysis and an exploration of how they personally answered leadership skills and then how these fit in with their own personal values.
The morning session was a preparatory session for the Metasaga input that followed in the afternoon, and as such complimented the work to be covered in the afternoon.
The afternoon session, presented by Kate Coutts, was devoted to introducing Metasaga. Metasagas allow people to reflect upon important life issues, and thus help take forward the way people think about their own life and learning e.g. find yourself in the world around you.
Each of the 6 schools planned to take their own Metasaga about the catchment area of their own school and identify key stopping points. Pupils will research each stop. The school will create a Metasaga in their community. There will be a live version and a virtual version on the internet.
Each school will invite a neighbouring school to come and trial their Metasaga. Participants can then post their response on line.
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