Securing Success Workshop

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Securing Success Workshop
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Explaining

• The skill of explanation is the key to success in
  most subjects at Key Stage Three.
• Most children can describe what is happening, but
  they need to be able to explain why.

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Describe the process of making toast

• Put the bread in the toaster
• Wait until it pops up
• Spread butter over the toast
• Cut the toast into squares

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Explain the process of making toast

• Put the bread in the toaster which will heat it
  until it is cooked.
• Wait until it pops up as this means it is ready.
• Spread butter over the toast because this makes
  it less dry and it tastes better.
• Cut the toast into squares so that it is easier
  to pick up and eat.

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Can you change this description of making a cup
of tea into an explanation?

• Fill up the kettle
• Switch the kettle on
• Put the tea bag in the cup
• Fill the cup with the boiling water
• Add milk and sugar
• Stir

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Why?

• Asking your child WHY they have given a certain
  answer in their homework will give them the
  opportunity to EXPLAIN their reasoning.
• You dont need to know the answer - the process
  of explaining is what is important.

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Describe and explain

• Describe deals with what
• Explain deals with why and how.

I want to explain how First Next Then
Finally
I want to explain why This is because So
when A further reason is Consequently
Explain how a piece of bread is eaten. Explain
why air causes pressure.
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• I want to explain how a piece of bread is eaten.
• First you place the bread into your mouth.
• Next your teeth chew the bread.
• Then the saliva which is an enzyme starts to
  break up the starch.
• Finally you swallow the sticky bread pieces.

I want to explain why air causes pressure. This
is because air is made of particles. So when they
move around and hit a surface they push against
it which exerts a force on the surface. A further
reason is that pressure is equal to force divided
by area. Consequently the moving air particles
are causing pressure.
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More explanation!

• Watch this video clip about football referees
• Create a MindMap that explains everything good
  and bad about being a football referee

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This demonstrates how pupils can think around a
topic exploring and planning ideas for a detailed
explanation
Have to work in a lot of bad weather
Bad
Good
You get to work in a team with other officials
Referee Video Clip
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Finally

• Put these explanations in order of the weakest to
  the strongest.

Literacy Evening\fish smell.doc
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Just to recap

• Level 4/5
• Pupils can
• Use appropriate specialist terms
• Use connectives e.g. because
• Link cause and effect
• Include comparative statements e.g.
  larger/smaller
• Level 6
• Pupils can
• Use appropriate vocabulary confidently, including
  specialist terms
• Link cause and effect considering a number of
  factors
• Begin to use models or examples
• Include comparative statements and relate them to
  ideas
• Level 7
• Pupils can
• Use more ambitious vocabulary including complex
  technical terminology
• Links processes (how) and explanations (why) to
  phenomena (what happens)
• Make links with knowledge and understanding from
  other areas
• Use a model in detail to explain and may refer to
  more than one e.g. particles and energy

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Thank you for attending this workshop. We hope
that it has been enjoyable and informative..
Questions?
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What Kind of Learner are you?

• Have a go at the learning styles questionnaire
  which will help you to work out what kind of
  learner you are!

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What Kind of Learner are you?
Click here to see the results

• Label each row to indicate whether the answer you
  gave was red, yellow or green.
• Mostly yellow answers Visual learner (you like
  to see something to learn it)
• Mostly green answers Audio learner (you like to
  hear something to learn it)
• Mostly red answers Kinaesthetic learner (you
  like to do something active to help you learn)