Year Planning

[SmileyPR]

Hi!

 

I am sorry this is the 2nd time I post this in the forums, but I am not sure where to post it since it covers different age levels . I hope you excuse me. Okay?

 

I wanted to know your opinion based on your personal experiences.

 

In our school the idea of working as a 'unit' from BTTM to Reception seems to be coming, not completely as a real physical unit.. but in the planning. There is the idea of using the same topic for 3 years in a row... not only on special holidays like Welcome Back to School, Harvest, Christmas, Easter, Mother's Day or Father's Day... but also in themes like: Bears, Minibeasts, The Zoo, The Sea/Under the Sea, and the seasons.

 

My worry is the following: If the topics are used 3 years in a row... have you experienced that when they get to Reception they get tired of the topic? I have thought that, if we do work with the same topic for 3 years, that at least we should sit down together and see that the activities are different so that they don't repeat and loose interest at the end of the Foundation Stage/Reception. Would you use even the same books? Let's say: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Dear Zoo, The Rainbow Fish, several of the books of Eric Carle?

 

Thanks in advance,

a worried Reception/FS 2 Teacher

Edited May 14, 2005 by SmileyPR

[Guest]

Hi Smiley PR!

I am a Reception teacher, currently in my NQT year. The school where I work has been using a similar method with the topics as you describe. I found it really frustrating when I use certain texts and the children or TA (who worked in nursery last year) would sometimes tell me that they had read it before, or say 'We know what happens!'. I feel that children need different texts and activities which can build on and enhance their previous learning experiences - but do not simply repeat them. I have suggested that we plan to cover very similar topics (but in year R in more detail), and have a bank of resources available for each one and use these on a cycle so that they are not repeated during a child's time in Nursery/Reception.

 

Hope you get it sorted - I agree repeating gets boring (for us as well!).

 

Emma

[Guest]

Hi,

We do the same topics in Nursery and Reception and it does work well as we agree to do a totally different slant on the topic

e.g. growth and change Nursery focus on themselves and farm animals and Reception focus on butterflies and zoo animals.

For toys Nursery focus on their own toys now and as a baby and for Reception we focus more on the history and design technology angle.

 

It does involve close planning and discussion but when we re-vamped our Medium Term plans we did it as a Foundation Stage pooled together ideas, trawled through magazines and books to ensure progression, and new ideas for each year group. We also discussed particular big books and authors which would be particularly used in one year group.

 

I don't think though that sharing a story again is a problem as we share so many story books that is bound to happen and you can expect a more indepth discussion in Reception, especially if the stroy is familiar ... and sometimes it is just pleasurable to share an old favourie !

 

Best wishes

Galleon

[Guest]

Hi ya

 

We have a rolling 2 year programme so that reception and nursery cover the same topic at the same time - therefore will expereinece something different when they move but will have completed the 2 yr programme by end of FS!

 

I'm not sure tho if a rolling programme over 3 years would work or be manageable!

[SmileyPR]

That is the thing, Kavmar, that we are not only talking about 3-5 year olds (FS)... but starting from BTTM (Birth to Three Matters... although we only have 2-3 year olds in that programme).

 

At the beginning of this school year I was the only one with "The Zoo" topic and just know, in these past 2 weeks, the BTTM and the FS1 teacher have changed their topics and added "The Zoo".