Wolverhampton City Learning Centre (CLC)

During the Autumn Term, the CLC has worked with learners from 20 Primary schools from around the city. Here are the projects we’ve been running with primary schools this term:

1. Junior Apprentice Day

Schools who have taken part: Hill Avenue Primary, Bantock Primary, Loxdale Primary, Spring Vale Primary, St. Paul’s CE Primary, St. Martin’s Juniors.

Created in collaboration with Wolverhampton Educational Business Partnership, the Junior Apprentice Day challenged Year 6 pupils to work in teams to research, create, and market a new product.

Pupils worked in teams to develop a product (balancing price, quality and ethical considerations) then created a brandname, slogan, and radio advert for their product. They then “pitched” their product to the rest of the class and to a real local business person.

Photos and discussions from the project were inserted into a school’s learning platform using our specially-created Junior Apprentice minisite.

Teacher quotes:

“Action-packed and fun. All
children were on task all day and engaged in all activities”

“Children were very focussed and impressed”

“The important of teamwork was put across really
effectively”

“Our Year 6 children and staff came back buzzing after their day at the CLC. They all had a fantastic day and the Year 6 teacher couldn’t believe the difference in them by the end of the day, as they can be quite timid.”

2. Junior Rangers Day

Schools who have taken part: Edward The Elder, D’Eyncourt, The Giffard, Field View, Perry Hall, Eastfield Primary

This exciting day gave pupils the chance to experience life as a Park Ranger in one of Wolverhampton’s premiere parks. The day mixed practical learning and challenges with technology-based tasks. Students created their own bird boxes and learned about the creation and protection of habitats for animals living within the park.

They also explored the park, armed with handheld computers, searching for “tags”, which, when scanned, directed them to information and questions on the internet.

Teams of students competed to see who could answer the most questions correctly in a “Mischief Makers” vs. “Conservationists” challenge.

Finally, students used netbooks set up in West Park’s classroom facilities to design fantastic fireworks displays in a piece of free software called Scratch MIT:

For more information about Scratch MIT and a tutorial screencast showing some of the basics of using it, see this other post on the CLC website.

Teacher quotes:

“Really enjoyable varied program. A great mix of ICT and environmental work”

“First class throughout. Children engaged and interested all day. Great mix of activities”

“Fantastic day - both children and adults loved it!”

3. Environmental Awareness Day

Schools who have taken part: Woodend Primary, Warstones, Parkfield Primary, Grove Primary, Perry Hall, Holy Rosary

This day focused on conveying key, simple messages around litter and pollution in our locality, in a fun and interactive way. and was deilivered in collaboration with representatives from the Local Authority Environmental Awareness Team.

During the morning, pupils followed the sad tale of the crisp packet who doesn’t get put in the bin, but instead faces a lonely life on the streets.

Pupils worked on a poem entitled ‘A World Without Litter’. This was published onto an online blog and printed to take away:

In the afternoon, pupils took part in a film-making project where they produced and edited a short advert re-enforcing one of the issues they have learned about during the day.

Teacher quotes:

“Fantastic day combining lots of curriculum areas. Engaging and age appropriate.”

“Raised awareness of the issues. Children loved making their own movie”

“Children were on task throughout the day. They found the day to be a very positive experience.”

4. Internet Safety Day

This day, aimed at Year 5 and 6 pupils, showed pupils how to have fun online while staying both safe and in control. Based around age-appropriate video materials from CEOP and other agencies, animations, and interactive activities, the day considered key questions such as “Do you really know who you’re chatting to online?”.

By the end of the day, pupils had more knowledge in operating safely in an online world of exciting possibilities.

Teacher quotes:

“Informative and energetic. Kept
students really interested”

“Children and staff really enjoyed the day. Thank you!”

“Vital information delivered in an
engaging way”