Knowledge Organisers
Dear Parent/Carer,
Our homework approach has been designed as a consequence of extensive research into how students acquire and successfully recall knowledge and from learning about the successful practice of other schools.
The aim of our approach to homework is for students to:
- Consolidate newly-acquired knowledge, revise prior learning and practise skills, so they can master powerful knowledge for each subject
- Develop the self-discipline, perseverance and confidence to study independently
- Involve you in their learning, so you know how to support independent learning and revision
- Improve understanding, increase recall and retention as well as reduce test-anxiety
- Allow students and teachers to pinpoint what is known and not yet known, so that this can be targeted.
- Make it easier for everyone to understand what must be learnt by making the required knowledge visible.
To assist students in this, we are providing them with a knowledge organiser pack. The Knowledge Organisers should be used alongside the "How we revise at The Corsham School" booklet found under the students section of the website. Students will have the knowledge organiser explained to them by their tutor and their subject teacher will explain what they want them to do for their homework.
What is a knowledge organiser?
Knowledge organisers contain essential, fundamental knowledge that students MUST know in order to be successful. They will help students recap, revisit and revise what they have learnt in lessons, enabling them to move the knowledge from their short-term memory to their long-term memory. Knowledge organisers are designed to help learn a wide range of knowledge which in turn will mean they are more prepared for their lessons as well as their GCSEs.
What should they do with their knowledge organiser?
In KS3, each subject area has created a knowledge organiser for the topics students will cover each term and these have been put into a pack. In addition to the print version, these will be uploaded onto our school website in digital form. They may wish to print them out, or you might prefer to save them in their documents and use them on screen. In KS4, students have a file to keep their knowledge organisers in which are distributed to them by their teacher throughout the year. The subject specific Knowledge Organisers are found in each subject area in the curriculum area of the website. It is really important that students keep all printed knowledge organisers somewhere safe and look after them.
How will the knowledge organisers be used?
Students will use knowledge organisers at times in class and to assist with homework tasks. Most of the time, teachers will give students specific tasks focused around the knowledge organiser for homework, but sometimes they may allow students to pick a way of using them to help revise for a topic. They will be very useful in developing student confidence at home with topics they have covered in class.
Please see below Knowledge Organisers for each year group.
YEAR 7
YEAR 8
YEAR 9