Rec: How Are You Fitting It All In

[Guest]

Hio there everybody

For the past couple of weeks I have been coming away at the end of the day, ....still have not done any KUW, CD, PD focus work with the chn due to fitting in daily phonics, PSRN (where some chn need heaps of time to recognising numbers to 5 even)letter/number formation, tricky words etc etc. I'm loving being in reception, but i just feel so bad at the end of the day that no time has been put aside for other focus activities. Of course my areas change often for CD, PD, KUW,sO i KNOW THEY HAVE A BALANCED CURRICULUM. BUT ALL FOCUS ACTIVITIE WHICH ARE ADULT LED, BY MYSELF OR TA (0000ps caps on) or the academic stuff. Our termly topic is dinosaurs taken from chns choice and have hardly and i mean hardly touched on it, not because i dont want to, but because all the above are taking up so much time. please please help

 

Please anyone out there, i would love to know how you are doing it.

this is my time table:

 

08:45 - 09:00 self reg

09:00 - 09:15 keyworker time (pse, story, singing....)

09:15 - 10:50 child initiated play (during this time two phonics groups takes place, where myself and TA take a group alternatively)

10:50 - 1120 tidy up time, story and snack

11:20 - 11:40 PSRN adult led ta 1 grp T the other

1pm: reg

1:05 - 1:15 class split to learn weekly tricky words

1:15 - 2:30 Child initiated play (during ths time guided reading)

2:30 - 2:45 tidy up, snack

2:45-15:00 story then home

 

Any advice would be so appreciated, thankyou so very much

 

popcorn

 

xxxx

[emz321]

Have you tired free flow snack so children can have snack in child initiated when they want it? However i can't do it this way as my children can but snack from the hall at break time.

 

I do a 20 minute phonics session where everyone sits down for phonics together 1 group with teaching assistant and one group with teacher.

 

Remember everything in the EYFS has equal weighting so i don't do literacy and numeracy everyday (only do phonics/ guided reading everyday) so over the week I try and address every area in adult focus and whole class time or i have either a literacy or numeracy focus that week e.g. this week not done literacy because focusing on shape. Also pick up on childrens interests and use them to guide adult activities. I see adult activites as was to teach skills to the children that they are missing.

 

8:20-9:15 children arrive, self registration, listen to individual readers (tues-friday) and child initiated (on friday go to celebration assembly and on monday the children make playdough for the week)

9:15-9:30 whole class input

9:30-10:25 - child initiated with adult focus activity linked to input most of the time

10:25- 10:45 -phonics

10:45-11:00 -snack/ playtime

11:00 - 11:30 - child initiated and guided reading

11:30 - tidy up time

11:40 - 11:50 -handwriting (just started this this term as struggling in phonics as letter formation was lagging behind)

11:50-12:00 - get ready for lunch/ singing

* on a tuesday and thursday between 11:00-12:00 we have hall time so do physical activities in the hall or P.E.

12-1 lunch

1-1:15 whole class adult imput (on a wednesday have a music session with music teacher untill 1:30)

1:15- 2:15 -Child initiated and adult focus task, these tend to be more free and children choose if they wnat to do it (unless i feel they need to do it, while the morning adult input i tend to make children do)

2:15-2:25 - tidy up outside

2:30-2:35 - tidy up inside

2:35 - 2:50 - story or singing or circle time

2:50-3:00 - get things for home

 

either myself or my teching assistant wonders around making observations and joins in with childs play during child initiated time while the other is doing the adult lead activity.

 

These adult led activities are sometimes outside beacsue i allow free acess to outside all day but we always have to have a adult outside and their is only 2 of us.

 

i keep notes so i make sure every child is seen/ do a adult led activity and use profile to check where children have gaps. i don't know if this is right and it has taken a while to get it sorted but this way is working for me and my class at this moment. my children have very short attension spans so sometimes we spilt into smaller groups for whole class imput or cut them short depending on the day we are having. i also use whole class input to demonstarte someting then leave it out for chldren to access during child initiated. The free adult will them engage children in this activity if they need help.

 

hope that helps

Emma

[Guest]

That sounds great Emma, maybe i should cut back like you either do literact or numeracy on particular days and not both. otherwise its tough to fiit in music or pse and everything else.

Rolling snack i have tried bt the chn help themselves to two/three pieces of fruit. this was a while ago though, so might give it another go.

I'll keep working on it. Thankyou loads for that Emma

 

xx

[emz321]

oh i forgot to answer: tricky high frequency words is my friday phonics session. I also ask children to read word, then they can go wash their hands for dinner for example.

 

and do number formation when do a maths activity.

 

last term i also did lots of number songs while wiating for children to wash hands for dinner or at the end of day instead of reading a story.

 

i also have 2 special helpers a week they count the lunch boxes and then put then on the trolley so i can send in the dinner numbers ot the cook. they also count the self registration icons to check how many people are in today. I have started encouraging them to write this down on the board for me so i don't forget! depending on the ability i tell them which numbers to write.

[Rufus]

Hi

My week is very similar to Emma's

I have 4 phonics and 3 or 4 PSRN carpet sessions per week. For both of these subjects the class is split into 2 ability groups, my NN and I teach these carpet sessions at the same time.

Every day I have an adult led by one of us and the other floats and addresses next steps. If the focus is inside the the floater is out and vica versa.

I ensure that I get a balance of adult led across all curriculum areas by simply keeping track and king of rotating the focus.

With phonics and PSRN taking up 7 carpet sessions, that leaves me 7 more carpet sessions to teach Music, KUW, PSRN, shared reading/writing/P4C.

I don't do guided reading or writing yet as i feel the children need 1 to 1 with this but I will begin this in the summer term and it will take the place of one of my phonic sessions.

 

This works so well for me, I never feel the pressure to cover more or fit more in, I just work at the children's pace. If an adult led takes longer than planned then that is what happens and everything rolls on. Quality not quantity is the key for me.

[hali]

i wouldnt worry too much was at training today run by Bertram and Pascal and they have suggested that Claire tickell who is reviewing the EYFS would like to put a core cirriculum in consisting of PSED and CL (communiction and language). The other areas will be present but will have less of a focus. Evidently in the consulation only 11% of parents were interested in the 6 areas of learning all the others just wanted to know thier children were 'happy' and being cared for at nursery - good hey!!!!

[Cait]

Wow! that is good! fingers crossed eh!

[Guest]

Hi I do a 20 minute phonic session every day. I use the letters and sounds format so am able to fit in tricky words etc as well. My timetable is pretty full but I try and balance out the different areas.

 

Monday - all morning is KUW then in the afternoon P.E

Tues - am session CLL related activities but always related to a book / second am session PRSN related activities usually related to topic or theme. All afternoon it is Child initiated and CD (I do observations during this time). We also have music or circle time during the afternoon.

Wed - am same as Tues (except in the afternoon as our school offically closes but with enrichment clubs open to all children in school - we have sports coaches, drama, music, art etc on offer or the children can go home) No teachers teach during this time. We are very lucky with this as this is not PPA time we adjusted the timetable so we can support our work/life balance.

Thurs - Same as Tuesday

Fri - am sessions as before then P.E in the afternoon.

 

First thing in the morning the children self register then take part in free choice activities this lasts for about 15 mins. I carry out either guided reading or writing sessions every week during our CLL sessions (My TA and I take it in turns)

 

hope this is useful