Elgs V. National Numeracy Strategy Medium Term Plans

[Guest]

Can you explain something to me in very simple terms please.

 

We have a new teacher going in to Y1 next year. I've been looking at her first week's planning and I think some of the things she's planning to do are quite hard, particularly introducing place value as understanding what each digit in a 'teen number represents. Perhaps this is because I'm thinking of where my children currently are: most of them have scored 6/7 on the Numbers as labels...aspect of the FSP. However most of them don't recognise numbers beyond 10 and although we have looked at them I haven't felt a burning need to drill these into them because it isn't an ELG.

 

I know that the Primary Framework has swapped bits of the numeracy about but the medium term plans from the NNS medium term plans are useful for organising things but they don't seem to marry up with the ELGs and so the Y1 stuff seems really heavy going based on what my children have been taught. I'm feeling bad now because I said, tactfully I think, that I thought the children would struggle to cope with some of the stuff she's planned but according to the NNS stuff what she's planning is right. Do other people find that the ELGs and the NNS stuff don't marry up? What do you do about it? Do you really teach place value so early in Y1 (mine struggled with this in Y2 to begin with although I do actually like teaching place value)? Have I been holding my children back all year? I desperately need help!

[Guest]

Hi Moose

I can't be much help, I can only tell you that I do exactly what you do. I teach to the ELG and have no one on point 9 (numbers as labels) so do not drill the next numbers into them.

My colleague in R/1 (Oldest reception youngest year 1's) has found this year that a few of hers were competent at numbers to 10 so she moved them on, as any of us would have done in that situation. We do however make sure that the year 1 teacher knows that she has to start with the child and not go straight to NNs or NLS so for at least half a term she continues with ELGs and gradually introduces the more formal aspect of KS1 curriculum.

 

I hope this has made you feel better..... it's a terrible time of year... we're all full of doubts...have we done enough etc etc. But just look at how much your children have changed and developed since they began and they are ready and keen to continue.

 

rualprice

[Marion]

The Y1 teacher should be looking at the profiles to see where the children are now so she can plan to meet their needs. I don't think that place value is in the primary Framework for Y1 is it?

[Guest]

Thank you rualprice and Marion for attempting to soothe my fears! I don't know about anyone else but I'm running on empty at the moment . There's something in the Primary Framework end of year objectives about beginning to understand what the digits in the teen numbers, and then beyond, represent but it's not very specific. The thing is because there's not much stuff for the new framework (or wasn't the last time we checked out the website) it's difficult to know where to start with it and what, exactly, they meant; hence using the NNS sample medium term plans as a guideline.

 

You have made me feel better - I do know where my children are and I know that they would struggle with this concept so early in the term. My advice to the new Y1 teacher was kindly meant - I can't do more than that, can I?

 

Thank you once again!

[Marion]

I certainly wouldn't be covering it in term 1 and when I did cover it I would concentrating on the concept of the first digit shows how many lots of ten and the second digit shows how many units (ones) Maybe it's me but I can't see it in the primary framework ??????

[Guest]

It's taken me about half an hour to find it (really user friendly!) but the new objective is: Read and write numerals from 0 to 20, then beyond; use knowledge of place value to position these numbers on a number track and number line.

 

This is opposed to the old objective: Begin to partition two-digit numbers into a multiple of 10 and ones.