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The thematic English National Curriculum (ENC) is a well-established and recognised curriculum used by most schools in England and by thousands of British curriculum schools all over the world. It is characterised by the terms ‘broad and balanced’ as, students study the full breadth of subjects that are needed to help them develop into well-rounded citizens of the future.
As a British international school, here at LEH Foshan Prep School, we deliver the full requirements of the English National Curriculum through a thematic approach while offering our young students in Prep School (aged 8-10) a unique enhanced learning experience.
What is the thematic approach and how do students benefit from it? In this article, we invite our Head of Prep School Ms Mandy Bateman to share more insights.
Ms Bateman graduated from Cambridge University with a MA SEN Education degree and has over 25 years of experience as an educator and leader in both British and international schools in the UK, Portugal and Egypt.
Ms Bateman will be hosting a Teacher Talks session on 28 September. If you are interested in learning more about our Prep School Curriculum, thematic approach, use of technology in school or our English learning support, don’t hesitate to sign up via the QR Code on the poster!
What is Thematic Approach?
The Thematic Approach is a way of teaching and learning, whereby many areas of the curriculum are connected and integrated within a theme. It allows learning to be more natural and less fragmented.
It also helps combine lessons giving more time to specialist subjects, although these can also be involved into the thematic approach with careful planning and preparation. Thematic teaching starts with the identification of a theme the underlying concept that allows for the structure and organisation of specific content across disciplines. It helps learners see meaningful connections across disciplines or learning areas.
In our Prep School, the classroom teachers are responsible for teaching the core curriculum plus Humanities and Science, while Computer Science, Spanish, Mandarin, Art, PE, Music, Design and Technology are delivered by subject specialists.
Benefits of the Thematic Approach
The thematic approach keeps students engaged by making learning activities fun and by creating a variety of different experiences, which helps students to learn and retain more information. It allows literacy to grow progressively, with vocabulary linked and with spelling and sentence writing being frequently, yet smoothly, reinforced.
Connecting information from different sources and experiencing a variety of working styles encourages the involvement of all abilities of children through topics relevant to them and their learning needs. From the learning aspect the children are able to relate to real-world experiences and build upon their prior knowledge learned from previous lessons taught at that moment in time.
When making realistic connections among different areas of the curriculum, teachers are allowed more flexibility and adaptability in planning activities that cater to students’ needs and interests and in modifying plans as units progress. Thematic units also enable teachers to teach children of different capabilities and learning styles, helping students build self-esteem and grow into more confident and independent learners.
Thematic Teaching in Action
Thematic instruction integrates diverse subjects like English, Mathematics, Science, PSHE, Art and STEM with the exploration of a broad theme, such as communities, rain forests, river basins, the use of energy, and so on. It allows the teacher to integrate all subjects and use literacy within those subjects, while students can share the same learning goals, utilising collaborative and cooperative learning.
For example, the Me, Myself and I theme is explored through different curriculum areas and connects several ideas and patterns in different subjects over three weeks. In English and Spanish, students develop their vocabularies to describe a person and their skills in self-presentation and auto-biographical writing. In STEM subjects, they learn about the vital organs in the human body, how they function to keep us alive, and important concepts such as growing up and growing old. The knowledge learned from these subjects can be transferred to Art and Sport and helps them create better self-portraits and describe how the body reacts and affects performance when doing circuit training.
An Example of Thematic Activity
Thematic activities offer opportunities for children to use their skills and intellects to bring together different facts, to research and explore, and to achieve goals. Examples of some thematic activities include learning about the local environment.
Art Project: Under the Sea
Last school year, Year 6 students had been on a field trip to the Nanfeng and Shiwan Ceramics Museum. They researched artists and learned techniques and skills in drawing, painting and ceramics. Later on, they applied the inspirations from the museum visit and the techniques they learned to make coral sculptures in their ‘Under the Sea’ art project, which created awareness of the impact of climate change and pollution on our environment and ecosystem and linked to their studies in Science, Geography and History.
If you are interested to learn more about our thematic approach or Prep School in general, don’t hesitate to sign up for our upcoming Teacher Talk session! Meet Ms Mandy Bateman, Head of Prep School and ask her any questions you would like to know about our Prep School on 28 September.
