I recently got these books from Prim-Ed to use with my class, I also got the Senior Infants book and a separate review will follow for that.
Primary SPHE – Prim-Ed
These books cover the three topics with the SPHE Curriculum. Myself, Myself and Others and Myself and the Wider World.
There are many strands and strand units covered within the book.
There are lots of different approaches to lessons such as the use of cartoons and illustrations incorporated into the lessons which are very relevant to the pupils.
There are different worksheets for each lesson also which will examine their knowledge and identify key points within each lesson.
Each lesson also comes with an outline for the teacher which includes Introduction, Development and Conclusion, there is also a section on differentiation within each lessons. The planning guidelines are very coherent which could be ideal for anyone who is preparing for Teaching Practice.
There are lots of different topics explored in each book, these topics are relevant to the age and peer group of the children. Skills including Wellness, Cyber Safety, Managing Bullying and Conflict Resolution also feature within the different lessons, this is really helpful to show the pupils how to manage difficult situations.
I really liked these books, I covered the Power balance lesson with my class and we have been referring to it during our other SPHE lessons. I use the worksheets and include them in their SPHE portfolios which is good for self assessment and recording progress. There are also links within each lesson so that if the lesson is working really well you can further explore the topic with the class.
I feel that the topics in these books are relevant to the pupils and they can relate to them, however I feel that the real importance is the development of specific skills so that the class can have skills and knowledge to deal with difficult situations as they arise.
Further information on these books can be found on the Prim-Ed site.
A.M.
Aistear Múinteoir 