Learn how effective modelling and questioning can boost musical progress in your classroom. Music specialist Laura Forster-Rea shares practical strategies to build pupils’ confidence, deepen understanding, and support skill progression – plus a Q&A to wrap up.
year: Year 2
Pupil video: Evaluate and improve a chair
In this video, the pupils are guided through evaluating a chair made for a teddy bear by checking against the design criteria, and then improving each element.
Teacher video: Exploring how the thickness of material affects strength
In this video, the teacher is guided through a method for testing how stiff or flexible a material is when it is made thicker by folding it in half and then in half again. This provides them with the skills and knowledge to guide Year 2 pupils to carry out their own exploration of thickness and flexibility themselves.
Pupil video: Making a chair for a bear
In this video, the pupils are guided through several possible methods to make and attach parts of a card and paper chair for a teddy bear.
Teacher video: Exploring how shape affects strength
In this video, the teacher is guided through a method for testing how strong different prisms are when weight is added on top of them, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to guide Year 2 pupils to carry out the test themselves.
Pupil video: Exploring how shape affects strength
In this video, the pupils are guided through a method for testing the strength of different prisms when weight is added to them.
Pupil video: Testing the stiffness of dowel
In this video, the pupils are introduced to dowel as a thin, wooden cylinder and make predictions about which thickness of dowel is the stiffest.
Pupil video: China
This video introduces the pupils to China, one of the largest and most diverse countries in the world.
Pupil video: Oceans
This video introduces Key stage 1 pupils to the world’s oceans, helping them understand the difference between rivers, seas and oceans.
