Oooh...a Little Bit Of Inspiration Needed...firemen! :)

[Guest]

Hi...bear with me...this is a little bit of a long one...I think I might need to vut bits out...change bits??

 

Next Thursday I am being observed in Reception. This is only my second formal observation (first one wasn't great...eeek...) and it's my second year in Reception. I was previously a Key Stage 2 teacher for 5 years and I am still getting to grips with the EYFS! ( I do love it though!!)

 

Ok...I have most of next week planned already...but would like a little bit of help/feedback/input/couple of ideas to spur me on for Thursday's lesson observation! Any advice welcome...and especially any ideas...

 

This is what I have so far....

 

My current topic is People who Help Us. We are going to the fire station on Monday. Whilst there I am going get my TA to quickly record a fireman (using the little movie feature on the digital camera we have) who will be recorded asking the children for some help in making some signs etc for the station as they seem to have got covered in smoke after a recent fire. (He will be talking directly to the camera out of the view of the children)

 

On Thursday during the lesson observation I plan to show this video of the fire fighter asking for help and hold up the sign that is now covered in black smoke debris etc.

 

My learning ladybird (a little ladybird who whispers the learning intention to me) will say that we are learning to 'write for different reasons'. (A little bit of chatterboxing about the writing we do at the moment...writing cards...write our names...write labels for our work...)

 

In my main carpet session we will discuss the importance of signs around our school and why there is a need for them to be written (and correctly written). Real emphasis on these signs being important.

 

Then...my looking leopard (a little leopard that shows me a picture board with images of what the children might be doing in the session) will show some pictures. I use this as our Success Criteria...but not as structured as it was in KS2 as I most children will be choosing the way they wish to 'share' what they have been learning...but it tends to focus them.

 

The board will contain 3 pictures...

1) Our stretching/segmenting sounds picture. (I will explain that if we are 'learning' when looking leopard looks around he might see children 'stretching out sounds to spell....' 'f-ire t-r-u-ck'

 

2) Our 'phoneme chart' picture. (I will explain that if we are 'learning' when looking leopard looks at any writing around the classroom he might see 'sounds/graphemes' from our phoneme chart and sounds that make sense. (For example...not the /m/ grapheme at the beginning of t-r-u-ck)

 

3) Finally our speech bubble picture. When looking leopard asks someone what their writing says...they will be able to say what their writing says and why it is important.

 

I will then invite a group to stay and complete an activity with me.....making some big fire safety posters for the fire station- large A3 paper...different types of pens etc. My focus will be to get the children to segment the sounds they want to write on the posters and to think about meaningful messages. Warnings, precautions etc.

 

My EAL support teacher is going to take a small group of children (who still need to recognise that print has meaning) on a 'fire safety' walk. They are going to take digital cameras with them and take photographs of the fire signs they see. (I have also make little fire inspector badges for them to wear and have little clipboards with a firebordered page to write any 'letters/sounds' they see on the signs. What do they think they say? Why are they important? (They will bring these back to share during the plenary.)

 

My TA will be outside with a group of children where different activities will be set up.

CLL - letter writing resources to write thank you letters to the firemen

PSRN - numbers 1 -20 on firemen hats (good old sparklebox!) laminated and hung on the wall pegs outside...in the wrong order of course.

CD - Large chalk and charcoal and big sheets of paper taped to the floor.

KUW - Any ideas?

PD - Any ideas?

 

Any ideas for sand and water play...and how I could use the bikes?

 

INSIDE:

Inside my student teacher will be floating but will support and observe any children who are choosing from the activities set on tables inside

 

KUW table will have 5 laptops on - any ideas what activity I can put on these?

 

CLL table - the group I'm working with...the posters

 

PSRN - different 2D shape cut outs...and an example pic of a fire engine made using 2D shapes. There will not be an adult on this table so children will be creating the fire engine by problem solving...working out which shapes I used and where I placed them to make my engine....I imagine many children will make their own 'pictures' and I might only get 1 fire engine!!

 

CD - I will leave this table empty and children who wish to use the resources from the art area know that they may choose the resources freely and can select paper, paints, pastels etc.

 

PD - Any ideas?

 

And the end of the session...after the tidy up music...children will come to the carpet where we will look at the learning we have been doing. During the session I normally get 'nominated' children to take photographs of the activities going on (with a little bit of adult checking!!) we then load these on the whiteboard to rotate during the plenary. I ask children to come up and say things about their activity.....

 

For example:

 

"That's me making a poster. You have to make posters they are important. I was learning about writing on posters."

 

"That's a sign I saw in the library next to the door. It's a fire exit. I was learning about the special signs and what they mean."

 

Of course...the kids are more likely to come up and say..."That's me...I'm drawing my dad. He has a car. I was learning about maths." Eeeek!!!

 

Ok...long long long ramble over. Please reign me in or focus me!! Thank you lovely ladies!!

 

x

[eyfs1966]

I think your plan sounds terrific.

 

PD : using watering cans to collect water from a large container, and pass down the line to a "pretend fire". Challenge could be extended by setting up a type of obstacle course!

KUW: Fire safety issues. Asking children to risk assess the indoor and outdoor areas, looking at electrics, storage of flammable materials, fireextinguishers, firebuckets, fire escapes etc?? Ask children to draw out evacuation routes??

[Guest]

Sounds very detailed poppetsam - not sure I could attempt half of that with my present crew! Love eyfs1966's idea for passing buckets along. Perhaps a group could play an adaptation of duck, duck, goose - smoke, smoke fire? Mine like making model fire engines using mobilo - some just make their own design, others use a workcard which illustrates the pieces needed and how to put them together. There's a lovely video clip on the qcda website which shows a group of children working together to put out a pretend fire and rescue a trapped person.

 

Good luck with the observation.

Harricroft xx

[Guest]

just needed to say your plans sound FAB and i wish I was a child working in your class! We have just done firefighters and my lot spent a lot of time outside transforming the crates and tyres into fire engines and finding suitable materials to use as hoses etc.

[Freefaller]

Kent Ngfl has got a game making passports/ID cards for people who help us.

http://www.kented.org.uk/ngfl/games/helpMeID_v4g.html