General Teacher's notes

Aims of the Compass Series

The Compass Series: an overview

Using the Compass Series

Notes on geographical enquiry and skills

Notes on places

Using the Compass Series to develop cross-curricular work

Using the Compass Series to develop common requirements and aspects of Personal and Social Education

Suggested activities for developing geographical knowledge, skills and understanding

General Teacher's notes: PDF Download

Aims of the Compass Series

Each book develops particular geographical themes. Themes explored include: weather, journeys, jobs, and quality of the environment. Although some titles have a central theme, elements of all four themes appear in each book.  Furthermore, each season is represented by two books in the Series.

The Compass Series offers opportunities to develop the use of specific geographical language, for example, positional (behind the school, to the left of the shop, to the north of Llanelli); descriptive (a busy town, a quiet village); comparative (there are more shops in Llanelli than where I live); evaluative (a beautiful park, noisy street); and language to express opinions (I like …, the best thing about … is …).

Together the text and illustrations provide a meaningful context for pupils to develop their geographical skills, knowledge and understanding.

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The Compass Series: an overview

Book	Title	Location	Themes
1	Waiting for Snow	Llanelli	the weather living in a town quality of the environment winter
2	Going to the Match	Aberystwyth	journeys coastal town quality of the environment spring
3	Showtime!	Llandeilo	jobs living on a farm transport quality of the environment summer
4	Sea Shells and Wedding Bells	Porthmadog	the weather seaside holiday quality of the environment summer
5	Christmas in the City	Cardiff	jobs transport shopping in the city quality of the environment winter
6	The Story of Windy Morris	Anglesey	the weather energy quality of the environment autumn
7	Gary Longlegs	Llangollen	journeys quality of the environment summer global links
8	Title to be confirmed	Dublin	jobs ferry crossing quality of the environment autumn

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Using the Compass Series

The Compass Series has been designed to support the National Curriculum for Geography from Key Stage 1. It provides pupils with the opportunity to develop:

• geographical knowledge, skills, and understanding
• interpret, question, and discuss text and illustrations
• describe, compare, and begin to explain what they observe
• acquire geographical skills and apply geographical enquiry
• develop geographical vocabulary
• ask and answer geographical questions
• express their views and opinions
• build on their awareness of their local area and other localities in Wales
• investigate geographical themes such as weather, journeys, jobs, and quality of the environment

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Notes on geographical enquiry and skills

The Compass Series collection of story books offers opportunities to develop many lines of possible geographical enquiry and skills, for example:

• Where are Bethan and Gareth going?
• What are Bethan and Gareth doing?
• Describe what you can see.
• What is it?
• What can Bethan and Gareth see, hear, smell, and feel?
• What and where are the features which are illustrated, and what are they like?
• What is happening in the illustrations?
• What are Bethan and Gareth doing at … o’clock?
• What are Bethan and Gareth doing in the morning/afternoon?
• What is everybody doing in the illustrations?
• Which way do we go to or from …?
• What is the weather like at different times of the day?
• What do you think about …?
• Why do you say that?
• What do you think would make it a better place to live?
• Would you like to live in …?
• Why would you like to live there?

These types of questions can be developed with each of the books in the Series.

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Notes on places

It is possible to investigate the locality or place in which the story is set by posing the following key questions:

• Where does the story take place?
• Where is this place?
• What is this place like?
1. What are its main features?
2. What do people do there?
• Why is this place like this?
• How is this place changing?
• How is this place connected to other places?
• How is this place similar to and/or different from the local area, or where Bethan and Gareth live?
• What do you think about this place?
1. …as a place to live in?
2. …as a place to visit?

Specific and possible further lines of enquiry relating to geographical themes are suggested in the following Teacher’s Notes section for each of the individual story books.

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Using the Compass Series to develop cross-curricular work

Cross-curricular work can be developed by using the Compass Series. The following list* provides examples of how to incorporate the Series into other National Curriculum subjects.

English: Oracy

1.1 Utilize talk for a range of purposes. For example, using talk to develop thinking by exploring, developing, and clarifying ideas; predicting outcomes, and discussing possibilities.

2.5 Listen with growing attention and concentration so that, for example, questions that clarify understanding can be asked and answered.

3.3 Extend vocabulary, including the exploration and discussion of, for example, the meanings of words.

English: Reading

1.3 Read information presented in fictional form.

1.6 Understand and respond to stories.

2.1 Read with fluency, accuracy, understanding, and enjoyment.

English: Writing

1.3 Write in response to a variety of stimuli, for example, a response to one of the stories.

2.1 Write with confidence, fluency, and accuracy.

3.3 Develop an interest in words and their meaning.

Welsh: Oracy

1.4 Respond appropriately to what is heard and be ready to ask further questions.

Welsh: Reading

2.6 Offer conjecture, predict, and reflect in order to confirm understanding.

Welsh: Writing

1.2 Write in response to a variety of stimuli.

Mathematics

2.1 Understand and use the language of numbers and comparatives, for example, ‘bigger than’, ‘next to’, and ‘before’.

4.2 Collect, record and interpret data arising from an area of interest using charts, diagrams, tables, and graphs.

Science: Life processes and living things

4.1 Find out about the different kinds of plants and animals in the local environment.

Science: Materials and their properties

1.3 Recognize and name common types of materials.

1.4 Find out about the uses made of a variety of common materials.

IT

1.1 Generate and communicate ideas in different forms, for example, using text, tables, pictures, and sound.

Design and Technology

2.1 Talk about ideas to solve the task in hand.

2.2 Make simple decisions about ideas.

History

1.1 Appreciate the sequence of events.

1.2 Use common words and phrases relating to the passing of time.

Religious Education

Raise awareness of life experiences, for example, have an opportunity to make simple choices and be encouraged to ask questions and reason at a basic level.

Art

3.1 Record from observation and experience the natural and man-made environment.

3.2 Organize collections of images to support activities and stimulate personal responses.

Music

2.3 Create, select, and organize sounds in response to different stimuli, for example, a response to one of the stories.

3.3 Recognize and describe sounds in the environment.

Physical Education

3.3 Imaginatively explore and express through a variety of movements and rhythmic responses a range of moods or feelings in response to different stimuli, for example, words and pictures from the stories.

*The numbers in this list refer to the Key Stage 1 programme of study found in the Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales (ACCAC) publications: Key Stages 1 and 2 of the National Curriculum in Wales (Cardiff, Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales, 2000); and Cyfnodau Allweddol 1 a 2 o’r Cwricwlwm Cenedlaethol yng Nghymru (Caerdydd, Awdurdod Cymwysterau, Cwricwlwm ac Asesu Cymru, 2000).

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Using the Compass Series to develop common requirements and aspects of Personal and Social Education (PSE)

The Compass Series provides ample opportunities for teachers to explicitly develop pupils’ understanding and application of the following common requirements, as identified in the National Curriculum programmes of study:

• Curriculum Cymreig
• Communication skills
• Mathematical skills
• Information Technology skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Creative skills
• Personal and Social Education

In a similar manner, the Compass Series offers opportunities for teachers to develop elements of Personal and Social Education in a meaningful way. Through the context of the stories, positive attitudes and values can be fostered, skills learned and applied, and knowledge and understanding of key areas in the Personal and Social Educational framework explored and developed.

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Suggested activities for developing geographical knowledge, skills and understanding

The Compass Series offers plenty of opportunity to develop pupils’ geographical knowledge, skills, and understanding. The following activities provide a good starting-point:

• Introduce the story book. Read and enjoy its contents. Question the pupils about the main characters and the sequence of the plot and storyline. Focus on the geographical vocabulary for each story book (see the following Teacher’s Notes section for each of the individual story books). Use flashcards to reinforce the vocabulary.
• Focus on one particular type of geographical vocabulary, for example, weather, transport, or directional words. Develop this theme further by repeating the activity with other similar groups of geographical words.
• Ask pupils to talk about illustrations on a particular page. Draw and label the contents.
• Ask general geographical questions about each of the story books (refer to the Teacher’s Notes section for each of the individual story books). If time is available, repeat the activity with individual pages.
• Ask pupils to work in pairs. Encourage one pupil to ask questions about a specific page and the second pupil to answer. Reverse roles.
• Identify, name, and describe the key features of a locality named and illustrated in one of the story books. Match drawings with appropriate flashcards. Ask pupils to draw and label them.
• Ask pupils to sort features into natural and man-made categories. Make lists and drawings.
• Encourage pupils to think about whether some the features are attractive or unattractive. Encourage pupils to give reasons.
• Encourage pupils to think about the materials that buildings are made of. Discuss with the pupils what the buildings are used for and what people do in them.
• Use the illustrations to talk about the lives and activities of Bethan, Gareth, and the other characters who feature in the stories.
• Identify and describe features and activities in the stories which are similar to or different from the pupils’ own local area. Draw, label, and record the comparisons.
• Ask pupils to imagine that they are accompanying Bethan and Gareth on their journeys and adventures. Discuss what they would see, hear, feel, and taste.
• Ask pupils to make a postcard, i.e. draw and write a suitable message to send home describing their experiences.
• Write a letter to Bethan and Gareth asking questions about where they live, the kinds of things they do, or the places they visit.
• Make a visual representation of one of the story books or a particular aspect of it, e.g. individual drawings, labelled sketches, pictorial sketches, class friezes, collages, models, or pictorial sketch maps of scenes or buildings where the action of the story takes place.
• Draw a picture map of the landscape features illustrated in one of the stories. Plot some of the journeys undertaken by Bethan and Gareth.
• Introduce place vocabulary relating to distance, direction, and location, e.g. forwards, backwards, towards, along, away from, by, near, at, between, etc.
• Introduce the idea that places are separated by distance. Each story explores how this can be overcome. Investigate how this is done and how places are linked to one another. Ask the children to work out the route of a journey described in the text and illustrations of one of the story books.
• Ask the pupils if they think that the stories are set in real places? How do they know this? Show photographs of one of the places and ask pupils to compare these with the illustrations in the book.
• Have pupils draw or write about what they think a day is like for Bethan and Gareth, as identified in a storyline of one of the books. Ask pupils to talk about their own similar experiences.
• Ask the children to imagine that they are joining Bethan and Gareth on one of their adventures. What do they like and/or dislike about the adventure in the story?
• Encourage pupils to see a situation from Gareth or Bethan’s point of view. Ask pupils to complete speech bubble captions to express the character’s feelings.
• Provide opportunities for pupils to develop mapping skills. Practice elements of using co-ordinates, direction, symbols, distance, and scale.
• Look at a map of the UK. Identify the countries of the UK and label. Identify and use labels to match the capital city of each country.
• Provide opportunities for pupils to role-play characters and events within one of the story books.
• Arrange a ‘hot-seating’ experience where two pupils would take on the roles of Gareth and Bethan. Encourage other pupils in the class to ask them appropriate questions relating to the text and illustrations of one of the story books.
• Read and enjoy the other books in the Series, while following Bethan and Gareth’s adventures on a map of Wales.

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Activity Sheets accompanying the Compass Series are available to download in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.