Continuous Provision In Y2 - What Does It Look Like?

[Guest]

I'm moving to Y2 in Sept after 10 years in Foundation mixed with a bit of Y1 7 years ago. I've never taught Y2. My only experience is in my first year of teaching practise when I taught small groups. It's a bit scary bit very exciting too, especially as I'll be teaching last years class again. I'm keen to introduce some continuous provision and would be interested in hearing from people who have managed to do this in their school. Would anyone be willing to take some photos of their CP areas? Also has anyone got any tips for me in my move?

[Guest]

Wow sounds like a challenge, but what a good opportunity to bring CP into year 2!

 

I would recommend a more open role play. By which I mean a corner that can be made into anything depending on what the children feel like doing. Provide a bank of dressing up clothes/props/story telling chair lengths of material etc, rather than having a role play that is something specific like a shop. You will almost certainly have to teach the children to use it but after a while they'll start turning it into things themselves and using the story telling chair to narrate stories which their friends can act out using the clothes/props you have provided.

 

You might also want to takle a look at some of the threads about challenges in this section of the forum. They are a great way of bringing more focussed CI time to the children and encouraging independence and 'having a go' for slightly older children. I've used them with my year ones this year and they love them!

[Guest]

Open role play is brilliant for getting them to use their imagination and initiative but just keep an eye on what they're doin.

A colleague of mine had the same idea for her class and they came up with all sorts of fantastic ideas of what to do in there. Unfortunately, the hairdressers wasn't too popular with the parents!! 2 children had brand new haircuts before she realised what they were doin! (she was doing guided reading with a group and the TA had taken a child who was feeling ill to the first aider). In the children's defense though, they were doing a brilliant job, the receptionist had 3 more children booked in for appointments but unfortunately the hairdressers had to close down and so they never got their haircuts!!

[Guest]

Open role play is brilliant for getting them to use their imagination and initiative but just keep an eye on what they're doin.

A colleague of mine had the same idea for her class and they came up with all sorts of fantastic ideas of what to do in there. Unfortunately, the hairdressers wasn't too popular with the parents!! 2 children had brand new haircuts before she realised what they were doin! (she was doing guided reading with a group and the TA had taken a child who was feeling ill to the first aider). In the children's defense though, they were doing a brilliant job, the receptionist had 3 more children booked in for appointments but unfortunately the hairdressers had to close down and so they never got their haircuts!!

 

I'm currently in year one and run it very much like foundation stage - moving to year two next year and planning to do it exactly the same! I have all of the areas that I did when I was a reception teacher, all of which are in relation to the topic. For example when we did Africa last term I had an African village role-play where they had to act out the daily life of an African village, a safari role-play where they went on the safari jeep and used wow words to describe what they could see, an explorers corner with a boat were they spotted the different countries thay could see and plotted them on a map and an African market with a shop where they used lots of money. I also had a creative area where they could make whatever they wanted (but I encouraged them to make things for the African market using clay), a challenge area, water and sand with different phonics and number activities and a writing table (sometimes in relation to the topic and sometimes different.)

 

Our school is doing the thematic approach (as you can probably tell!) so I like everything in the classroom and all of the activities to reflect the topic. If you are coming out of reception you will find this very easy, everything just needs to challenge the children a bit more and have more of a focus!

 

In the infants we do integrated maths and literacy in the mornings with me teaching aspects throughout the morning by simple gathering children on the carpet. I set out five activities which are a mixture of maths and literacy and all in relation to the topic. I then let the children choose between the activities throughout the morning, including the continuous provision.

 

Hope that makes sense and is helful! Some people are dubious abour continuous provison in year two but I can't wait to start it and think it is so much more beneficial to children that sitting at their tables all day - they are only 7 after all!