House Detectives Teachers Notes Key Stage 2

Your pupils’ main task as House Detectives is to use the examples of information on a series of case study sheets to help them fill in three investigation sheets that focus on their own community.

• Investigation Sheet 1 – Community Spirit
• Investigation Sheet 2 - Community History
• Investigation Sheet 3 – Who Lives In The Community?

Each investigation sheet contains a series of categories (description of area, population, special buildings, etc) and two blank columns: ‘My Community’ and ‘Comparison Community’. Pupils can fill in the information in the comparison community columns using the case study sheets about three different Redrow communities:

• Dickens Heath Village, Solihull, West Midlands
• Buckshaw Village, Chorley, Lancashire
• Altolusso, Cardiff, South Wales

The information about these communities is presented on the case study sheets using the same categories as the pupils investigation sheets.

Once the pupils have completed the comparison community columns, their task is to find similar information about their own community.

This can be done on field trips and using local community archives, newspapers and websites, as well as books, magazines, family records, etc.

A further three investigation sheets allow pupils to make personal choices about existing buildings, plan for the future, and take part in field trips.

Investigation Sheet 4 - The Buildings I Like

Particularly suitable for pupils who make a field trip to one of the comparison communities, but can also be used by pupils who are able to search for visual material in books and newspapers, on the internet, etc.

Investigation Sheet 5 - My Plans

Requires pupils to turn their thoughts to the future and how their community might develop.

Investigation Sheet 6 - Field Study Trip

This sheet can be used by pupils taking part in a field trip between their home and school.