Literacy In Reception

[Guest]

hello! i've gone from being in a year 1 class last year to reception and i am a little confused as to how to plan literacy. last year i was used to following the literacy framework units but there is hardly anything for reception. how does anyone else decide what to do, do you base your literacy around your phonics or do you do text based work? just need to check i'm doing things right. i'm a bit of a worrier!! hope you can help.

[Guest]

Hi chocolatedaisych,

 

I tend to plan our literacy sessions round the letters and sounds programme, but finding lots of times when literacy is spontaneously observed, ie, registration, snack time, lunch time, in fact all day!

 

Role play is great and when they choose to play with the puppets,

 

Hope that helps and stops you worrying,

 

jackie

[Guest]

thats great thanks Jackie! anyone else? x x

[Guest]

Role play , stories, phonics, getting them involved in displays, role play like what do we need......, mindmapping what they already know e.g. last week children were on about a post office so I got them to think about what we might need then set up a post office. On Monday I started reading the Jolly postman then I gave them different templates of postcards, envelopes, birthday card, invation etc to have a go at writing but while reading this, it is obvious that they aren't very hot on traditional tales so maybe that is somewhere for me to go next. In the post office they started making kites with the string and notelets so today I thought lets go for it, so with some plastic bags and straws, we started making kites, what fun, they made different shapes then we went out on to the playground and they were so pleased with themselves.

[Guest heleng]

We do a variety of things really. The way I start is to choose a skill or ELG or objective based on either the children's interests or a particular theme/ topic etc. I try and come up with storybox items. Then I plan for various activities based on different objectives (both whole class and group activities) like speaking and listening might be retelling the story or phonics might be to spell -ig words or p words.

 

For example last week and the beginning of this week (as I was off two days last week) we have been looking at The Three Little Pigs as one of our focus children is really into building. So we have read different versions together and watched an animated big book on the smartboard. We have retold the story using puppets, made a giant storymap, written labels for the story map, writtten speech bubbles for the story map, sounded out -ig words, thought of p words, made the three pigs houses from lego, junk modelling etc and then made a display label for our work, as well as having clipboards in the role play builders yard, where they have to sign in and make a badge, read the signs, make lists of materials, pay for tools and materials, wear safety helmets and hi vis vests etc. Sounds like a lot but not all the children do all the activities.

 

Hope this helps.

[Guest]

thank you so much thats loads of help. xx x

[Guest]

We do a variety of things really. The way I start is to choose a skill or ELG or objective based on either the children's interests or a particular theme/ topic etc. I try and come up with storybox items. Then I plan for various activities based on different objectives (both whole class and group activities) like speaking and listening might be retelling the story or phonics might be to spell -ig words or p words.

 

For example last week and the beginning of this week (as I was off two days last week) we have been looking at The Three Little Pigs as one of our focus children is really into building. So we have read different versions together and watched an animated big book on the smartboard. We have retold the story using puppets, made a giant storymap, written labels for the story map, writtten speech bubbles for the story map, sounded out -ig words, thought of p words, made the three pigs houses from lego, junk modelling etc and then made a display label for our work, as well as having clipboards in the role play builders yard, where they have to sign in and make a badge, read the signs, make lists of materials, pay for tools and materials, wear safety helmets and hi vis vests etc. Sounds like a lot but not all the children do all the activities.

 

Hope this helps.

Hello, just reading your feedback. i wondered if you get all the children to do a written activity each week/monthly etc or just encourage it in all the areas? How do you get children to write independently? very tricky to know whether to sit them down and encourage them or encourage it in the areas.

[Guest]

Hi!

For my Literacy, I generally teach Literacy sessions based around a book or theme. We practise collecting words, or saying phrases or sentences following a tight structure(depending on time of year/focus), then i model write, and after that the children independent write the same sentence/phrase and finally they create and write their own. Not all children do all tasks (according to need/ability) but all children do take part in writing activities during each block. In the writing sessions we use the phonic skills directly to support our writing. Other Literacy activities will be linked tasks in areas of provision eg props/musical instruments for story retelling in the sand, objects from story for independent labelling on table top, basket of shopping for list writing or stand alone activities eg enhanced role play themes. I also always have several specific phonic challenges in areas of provision and on table tops (I try to make them fun, creative yet focussed).

Hope this helps

[Guest heleng]

Hi Cazzab,

The children don't all do a written activity monthly/ weekly, it all depends on what the learning intentions for that week are. We really encourage writing in all areas and have paper and writing pencils all over the classroom and outside. We encourage the children to have a go and praise them when they try. We also, at times, have an adult focussing on a particular area to promote ideas for writing i.e last week I spent two days in the builders yard. One day working in the office signing people in, writing lists of materials, booking in repairs and jobs to do and health and safety inspector. The second day I was in the tool shop taking money, writing receipts and writing lists of things we needed, writing orders etc.

 

I think it needs to be a balance of direct teaching to give them the skills and know how and then give them the opportunity to use those skills independently and try it out.

[Guest]

Hi!

For my Literacy, I generally teach Literacy sessions based around a book or theme. We practise collecting words, or saying phrases or sentences following a tight structure(depending on time of year/focus), then i model write, and after that the children independent write the same sentence/phrase and finally they create and write their own. Not all children do all tasks (according to need/ability) but all children do take part in writing activities during each block. In the writing sessions we use the phonic skills directly to support our writing. Other Literacy activities will be linked tasks in areas of provision eg props/musical instruments for story retelling in the sand, objects from story for independent labelling on table top, basket of shopping for list writing or stand alone activities eg enhanced role play themes. I also always have several specific phonic challenges in areas of provision and on table tops (I try to make them fun, creative yet focussed).

Hope this helps

 

Hello, would it be possible for you to attach a photo of your classroom please? It sounds great! Thankyou!

Natasha