Focus Time Reception

[Guest]

Hiya again...,you guys will be soon sick of me ha haha

 

Im just trying to get my head around running reception next yr. Myself Teacher and 1 Nursery Nurse with 30 chn.

Does this sound ok?

 

08:50 - 09:00: SElf REG & story to start the day

09:15 - 09:30: Jolly pHONICS split into 2 groups (Teacher & Nursery Nurse)

09:30 - 10:50: Child initiated play. During this time T or NN pull out small groups for a focus activity

10:50-11:10: Tidy up time and snack

11:10 - 11:30: PSRN - Divided into two groups[/b]

11:30 - 11:45: Music/circle time/

Lunch

13:00 - 13:10: Register and Story

13:10 - 13:30: Group work divided in two groups related to topic/chn's current interest

13:30 - 14:45: Child initiated Play (During this time guided reading/writing/Speaking and listening activity or what crops up with current day to day happenings)

14:45 15:00 Story/review time

15:00: Hometime

 

Any comments or anaything I have forgotton would be very much appareaciated.

 

One other thought with that many chn will it be esaier to do alternate days PSRN / CLL focus so not changing activities all the time. I have read a few posts where people have either made it a PSRN morning or CLL morning.

 

looking forward t hearing from you xxx

[Susan]

Popcorn, I'm going to move this into the reception/school area for you.

 

I think you may find you have too much time sitting at the start and end of your sessions. But you will soon know from how the children react!

[finleysmaid]

ok playing devils advocate ( and only because you asked for it!) why three stories a day? unless you are going to make these very different (puppet/head stories etc etc) then i would think this is a bit much. Most children wanting to get going in the morning so might not need that one.

what happens if a child doesn't want his snack at snack time but ravenous later.....

Personally i'm not fond of jolly phonics - but that may be a school thing (letters and sounds much more flexible and multi sensory IMO)

what happens if a child is deeply involved in an activity and then is told to tidy up?

when do the children decide what they are going to do/learn in the day?

Sorry just trying to get you to think a different way ignore me with pleasure

[Guest]

I think every reception class is so different and I changed my timetable at least 6 times in my first year teaching reception. You have to do what works for you and your children. I did a timetable quite similar to yours at first but found I had no time to actually support and observe the children in their play - actually much more beneficial to their learning in my opinion.

 

My timetable this year has gone something like this.

 

8.55 - 9.05 Chn self register, star of the day, go through visual timetable etc.

9.05 - 9.25 Chn in 2 grps for phonics (myself and TA)

9.25 - 10.10 Child Initiated time with adults supporting / observing play.

10.10 - 10.30 Adult - led / Focused activities (any of 6 areas)

10.30 - 10.45 Snack and Playtime with KS1 (not sure if I will continue 'playtime' next year can see pros and cons. Chn also free to access snack throughout the morning).

10.45 - 11.00 PSRN input (2 groups)

11.00 - 11.45 CI learning with adults supporting

11.45 - 12 Shared reading / singing etc

Lunch

Afternoons tend to be a little different each day. Assemblies, ICT or P.E, circle time, handwriting practice (motor skills) etc.

 

It worked for us. This september I have 32 children with 1 TA and am hoping to still have a similar routine. My adult directed activities will be initally focused on PSE and modelling behaviour in the areas - turn - taking etc.

 

Please feel free to ignore this advice

 

Good luck

 

Chickpea xx

[Guest]

Thanks for yor replies all, very much appreciated.

Chickpea, after your psrn input you have CI with adult supporting is that focussed around PSRN that you have just taught?

 

Finleysmaid, Im really thinking about what you wrote about tidy up time. You said a child might not want to tidy up then...I'm all for chn leading their own learning but at some point before lunch we need to clear away. Can yo elaborate on that one, loving the fact ou are makng me think in a different way. Y ou also mentioned 'when do chn decide what they are going to learn in the day?' I'm nt quite understanding that? Do I ask them all at the start of the day, what are you going to play/LEARn today. Really would like to develop this in Reception. Would appreciate some examples please.

 

Thanks loads for the replies

 

xxxx

[finleysmaid]

firstly just to say i'm pre-school (also the boss so i can decide what we do and when - no school restrictions!! - this is why i'm still pre-school after many years )

However we have some children who do their whole reception year with us on occassions.

do you have lunch in the classroom? if not then why do they have to tidy up? i'm not suggesting that everything is left out but if you see some fab learning going on - perhaps in the block area/with lego extension on painting etc then does this have to be stopped - i know one school in this area that allows projects to run their course , this may be 2 hours or 2 weeks! (cleaner had a nightmare ) when you do your child initiated play who decides what goes out ? you or the children? who plans for this? and makes decisions(with consequences!) as to what and what may not go out? i am assuming you do not have the space to put 30 different items out of course! could you having a planning session at the begining of the day ? so there are perhaps 4 areas that the children can plan for, what are they going to choose to do on them....would be good to do this visually and written to extend learning here too.

sorry lots of questions...can you tell thinking skills are a big thing in my pre-school? :wacko:

[Susan]

Some thoughts-

 

5 stories a day could be considered good practise if you are a Foundations of literacy devotee!

 

I think the more stories you can include the richer the language environment you are providing BUT I am not sure that a story followed by phonics is too long for the children to remain focused and attentive at the start of the year, in particular.

 

JP is an excellent way of introducing your phonics but you should have regard to your whole school approach. Are you following JP or using Letters and Sounds, which has no resources per se, and its teaching structure supported by JP?

 

If you are going to follow a plan, do, review structure you may find it beneficial to look at the High Scope approach for your ideas and rationale although you should bear in mind that this is a completely different way of working and needs all adults to be onboard.

 

Re tidying up --you may need to rum that past your HT!

Snack time may also be a whole school policy?

 

Good luck with whatever you decide, and dont be afraid to change what you are doing in response to the children.

[Guest]

Wow thats food for thought, I'm liking the idea of leaving things set out if its an ongoing project. New to early years and so many fab ideas already. I am also liking the idea of giving chn the choice on what gets put out. I spose this could be, ideas to support fine manipulative skills i.e tweezers, chopsticks, Gross motor, shape and space etc. So I'd give chn a visual clue of different possible activities and they decide what gets put out. Is that right?

 

Stories i feel are so important and really want to promote chn's language evelopment throuigh stories and speaking and listening.

 

I guess when i am actually in and running the reception class and tweak things when they are not working as intended then I'll find out fast what works and whats worth abandoning,.

 

 

Tgankyoiu so much for all your help and adbvice

 

xxx

[Marion]

As a Foundations of Literacy devotee I would argue for as many stories as possible in the day so found the 3 stories in the timetable a welcome addition. I'm not a fan of separate groups for phonics and prefer a whole class in put in reception as I think it can create a huge divide when children are working on different stages (my big bugbear with L&S phases is the way they have left some children floundering behind)

I would also say that tidy up time doesn't always mean put everything away but rather clear up the mess that isn't part of extended play (which can take as long as the child/ren show interest )

I struggle to marry Highscope with EYFS (but that's probably me) and prefer the idea of responsive, flexible staff who readily follow children's interests (at the drop of a hat) without the need for previous planning all the time

[finleysmaid]

it may be me when it comes to the stories i love them and would read loads but my current group have lots of additional languages and sen so concentration on something they may not understand is limited! hence my feeling on interactive stories etc. you will only know what works with your group when you have them. If you are a good story reader and able to get them ALL involved great....i've been on lots of school transition days recently and some of the stories would have sent me to sleep

[Marion]

it may be me when it comes to the stories i love them and would read loads but my current group have lots of additional languages and sen so concentration on something they may not understand is limited! hence my feeling on interactive stories etc. you will only know what works with your group when you have them. If you are a good story reader and able to get them ALL involved great....i've been on lots of school transition days recently and some of the stories would have sent me to sleep

 

 

I'm afraid in my experience children with EAL and SEN often benefit most from exposure to lots of stories and not always using books, storytelling is really important and a fantastic skill to impart to the children.

[finleysmaid]

hence my original comment on making them interactive Marion

[Marion]

hence my original comment on making them interactive Marion

 

I'm not saying make them interactive as sometimes the words get lost in the visuals. I'm sure you've encountered the child at storytime who always cries "I can't see" even when there isn't anything to see.

 

Having said that EAL children respond well to the Pie Corbett method of using actions when telling stories

[Guest]

I am really wanting to develop the Pie Corbett tory telling Marion. I have read up about it recently and it seems very very good of what i have read. And for chn with Language delys Im sure it can only enhance and develop chn's understanding. I won't have any chn in my class with EAL but a fair few with SEN so will defo be sing it. Any early suggestions, pointers, story to start with woud be great. I was thinking of just using one text a week & introduce the chn t different actions, parts of story etc, build on discussions etc. Making them interactive with plenty of scope to develop chn's vocabulary etc xx

 

xxx

[Guest]

Hi popcorn,

I am in Reception and have used the Pie Corbett method with fantastic results this year. We have followed the children's interests with regards to the stories used and carried on with them for as long as the children wanted. Particular favourites this year have been 'We're going on a bear hunt' and 'Peter Pan' - both of these lasted several weeks with work in all areas of the curriculum. They led to some wonderful role play, retelling stories and even written stories from some of the children. I have attached a document about story making that you might find useful.

Good luck in Reception!

Kathryn

story_making.pdf

[Susan]

The Bumper Book of Story Telling into Writing at Key Stage 1

 

is an excellent resource if you want to use talk for Writing and sits well alongside the doc that Kathyrn has linked to!

 

The approach also works well for poems and NF writing. And if you need to link it to the phases in the literacy units in KS1.

 

OUP have also just published some resources using "traditional" tales which are cross curricular and very expensive but the trial unit using "Dogger" really appealed to my children in year 1.

[Guest]

Thankyou all for that info, will look for that book Susan, and thatnks heaps for trhat PDF Kathryn. Do you think i ashould introduce pie Corbett style in the first half term or wait till they are on phase 2 which will be Autumn 2 I'm hoping.

 

xxx

[Guest]

I am going to start story making sometime during the first few weeks, although we will probably stick to the 'imitation' stage to start with. I work in Gloucestershire and there has been a lot of training on this here, lots of pre-school settings are using the ideas to help children learn the language patterns of stories without the actual writing. I will see what my new children are interested in, but I have thought that 'The Little Red Hen' might be a good one towards Harvest time, then we can also make bread, visit a farm etc (my school is in a very rural area). We also visit a Forest School once a fortnight so this might lead us onto 'We're going on a bear hunt' or maybe 'The Gruffalo'.... Once we get going you never know!! Last term my class performed one of the stories they had learnt to the rest of the school who couldn't believe how they remembered it. I'm sure you'll love using the ideas once you get going, it is so wonderful when you start hearing those language patterns the children have picked up coming out in their play. Good luck!

Kathryn

[Marion]

If Alistair is around he has some exciting ideas for Big Talk he may be able to share

[Guest]

Oh Alistair, where are you?

[Marion]

Oh Alistair, where are you?

 

you could contact him on abcdoes

[Susan]

Thankyou all for that info, will look for that book Susan, and thatnks heaps for trhat PDF Kathryn. Do you think i ashould introduce pie Corbett style in the first half term or wait till they are on phase 2 which will be Autumn 2 I'm hoping.

 

xxx

 

 

Popcorn, the phases within the literacy units are not the same as the phonic phases! Unfortunate use of the same terminology and also apparent within the new maths/ pattern document!

 

I would let your children settle and enjoy a variety of stories and then try to learn some with actions. If you can get hold of the book, Pie uses shorter versions of well known tales to learn with actions.

 

There is also a scholastic teachers resource book but I havent used that one!