Read the article about Beach Schools, and then complete the notes. It is lunchtime, and a class of children from a local primary school are sitting on the beach, chatting happily and eating their sandwiches. There aren't any desks, blackboards or iPads in sight, but instead the children are surrounded by piles of shells, seaweed and sticks, and bags of what looks like rubbish. Welcome to a day's learning with Beach Schools, on Point Beach, for Fawcett Primary's Year 5 class. For the past few years, a company called Beach Schools has been travelling to various parts of the country to enable children of all backgrounds to experience outdoor learning. The idea is based on that of the well-established Forest Schools, where children leave their classroom to visit woods and natural spaces. 'What we offer is different from normal daily school,' explains one of Beach Schools' teachers, Jane Strong. 'We are mobile, so we can take our programme to any beach. And the great thing about it is that children learn without realising it.' That morning, the children found out more about pollution in the oceans. It's something they have been studying in class recently, but on the beach the children can see the problem of pollution for themselves. We are interrupted by ten-year-old Jeremy, who races over to show us the plastic bottle and bag he's just picked out from the sea. He looks very worried. 'It might have been eaten by a dolphin,' he says. Jane explains that the beach is one of the best learning environments. 'As well as teaching skills like how to make a fire, you can also focus on topics such as the effect of the moon on the sea. Being outdoors also has a really positive effect on children's behaviour. I never have any problems out here, whereas you'd expect that much more in a classroom situation.' Today is rather cloudy and cool, and it looks like it might rain soon. But that doesn't seem to worry anyone here. Jane explains that it doesn't matter what the weather is like. 'Obviously we're more in demand in the summer months, but we run Beach Schools throughout the year. We've only had to cancel a day out two or three times in the past couple of years.' One popular activity this class is about to do is discover how to build an emergency shelter. Then, if it rains, the children can keep themselves dry while continuing to learn. All of the Beach Schools' activities relate to the national curriculum, and they have adaptable lesson plans for children up to the age of 16 . The older ones might spend time working out how to identify plants, whereas younger ones might discover why the sea is so important to us. It isn't just Beach Schools who believe in outdoor learning - there's plenty of research on the issue to support them. It's also widely recognised by education experts that outdoor learning helps to increase children's confidence. In fact, I can't think of a single reason why these children shouldn't be here today, instead of sitting behind their desks in a classroom. You are going to give a talk about Beach Schools to your class at school. Prepare some notes to use as the basis for your talk. Make short notes under each heading. 9 Reasons why having lessons outdoors is better than learning in classes at school: $$\(\bullet\)$$ . $$\(\bullet\)$$ . $$\(\bullet\)$$ 10 What children can learn about on a beach: - . - . - . a

Answer:

Award 1 mark for each acceptable response, up to a maximum of 3 marks. Acceptable responses are:

Reasons why having lessons outdoors is better than learning in classes at school:

1 (children) learn without realising (it)
2 (the children) can see the problem of pollution (for themselves)
3 (the beach is) one of the best learning environments
4 (has a really) positive effect on (children's) behaviour / no problems with (children's) behaviour
5 (helps to) increase (children's) confidence
Award 1 mark for each acceptable response, up to a maximum of 4 marks. Acceptable responses are:

What children can learn about on a beach:
1 pollution (in the oceans) / (problem of) pollution
2 how to make a fire
3 the effect of the moon on the sea
4 how to build an emergency shelter
5 how to identify plants
6 why the sea is so important (to us)

Knowledge points:

Solution: