vickymck Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 Hi all, Well planning has been really messy this year!! We have been trying to be spontaneous and plan around the children's interests, which has been succesful in some ways. We have found tho that we don't seem to cover all the areas of learning equally of effectively enough. I know this probably won't fit with the proposed changes for next year but I have been thinking of formally planning each area of learning alongside following the childs interests. So 6 areas of learning and 6 half terms would mean we could focus on one area of learning per half term to ensure curriculum coverage and still follow individual interests. We would start in September with PSED and plan the adult directed activities around promoting that area. So my question is has anyone done this !! Sometimes I think it is overcomplicated but we need a better system that is usable for all practitioners. If anyone has done this and would post an example of what there planning looks like I would be eternally grateful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louby loo Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 Well... We take one aspect of areas of development a week - which = 6 areas per half-term (plus an extra or two some terms) this actually works out very evenly over the 38 weeks (I think off-hand there are about 40 aspects in total) We then have this as 'background planning' (we are a pack-away) when we set up - this could be the basis of adult led activities- we plan this with our long term plan in mind, and is more or less the same each year. For example Festivals/Mothers/Fathers day ect - we may link the handwriting aspect Big Toddle/Sports week - link to aspect of PD (tired at mo- can't think of correct aspect without looking!!) It might simply mean that we put out a few extra number puzzles/games on set up when it's PSNR week. Sometimes it just gives us an opening/talking point for our interest table. We still do individual planning and the key-person does this... but it does mean when we have 'mind blanks' when setting up we have a focus! If this is the kind of thing you mean? If so, I can try and upload a copy of the LTP, but it's on a different comptuter. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickymck Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 Thanks louby lou - this sounds like what I am thinking about. We definately have blanks and need something to fall back on. I would love to see your LTP if its not too much trouble Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 I'd really like to see your LT plan as well please :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louby loo Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 (edited) We have four parts to our long term plan 1 - A3 Chart showing how we cover the Themes and Commtments of the EYFS - On Display 2 - A web chart showing when we cover the Learning/Development aspects - on Display, we highlight what term apects are covered. Attached 3. We have a folder that shows all that our continous provison covers - availble for parents to see. 4 Our 'Long Term Planning Sheet' Attached this is very much a working document and may change slightly throughout the year depending on events etc. A copy of this is on display - but if I'm honest it's not always up-to-date, but we do have a 'working copy' which is out with our short term (weekly) folder which the parents have access to daily - so they can see what activities etc are planned for the week. We keep this on our interest table. Sorry lots of spelling mistake in that!!!! No spell check on this lappy and i'm to tired/worn-out to double check. LTP_WEB.doc LTP_10_11.doc Edited July 19, 2011 by louby loo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickymck Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 Thank you so much, you have inspired me to carry on!! I will post my plans when (if!) complete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharonash Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Looby Lou Can I ask (as we have so many mixed messages about LTP) So youve picked these aspects - how do you cover these we particular adult led activity runing all week? Oce you have taken them from your LTP you write them on the web yes? Only we have been told not to have a ltp showing what we are covering as we will be covering this through our continious provision - We are fnding (when we are doing the end of year) there are so many aspect that we havent planned to cover although Im sure the hildren would have covered them through play - but I like the way we used to (and you do) pick an aspect and focus on it Do you have a MTP if so could you share it pls? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 just going to throw this out there A child's development changes over the year so how do you plot for DM if you only cover an area a term. All children are different so you could be covering KUW for one child but another is really interested in numbers. 'looking at spiders in the garden one child is interested in his web, what he eats and another is facinated by the number of legs he has because the octopus in his book has 8 legs but he has only 2' Are you going to ignore that learning because we are doing KUW during this part of the year. Any area within your setting can be linked to an area and an aspect in the eyfs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickymck Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 Child initiated always comes first! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickymck Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 (edited) Thought I would share what we have so far - Got a long term plan that focuses on a different aspect every week and from that a weekly sheet containg the DM matters statements and activities to support it. This will run alongside child initiated and continuous provision. Some of you may notice that not all PSED aspects are listed, this is because we have no issues with PSED but we do in other areas which have been repeated throughout theyear. Let me know what you think. Weekly_Plan_fsf.doc Weekly_Plan_fsf.doc ltp_fsf.doc Edited July 21, 2011 by vickymck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louby loo Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Looby Lou Can I ask (as we have so many mixed messages about LTP) So youve picked these aspects - how do you cover these we particular adult led activity runing all week? Oce you have taken them from your LTP you write them on the web yes? Only we have been told not to have a ltp showing what we are covering as we will be covering this through our continious provision - We are fnding (when we are doing the end of year) there are so many aspect that we havent planned to cover although Im sure the hildren would have covered them through play - but I like the way we used to (and you do) pick an aspect and focus on it Do you have a MTP if so could you share it pls? thanks This is only a very small part of our planning - and we only really use it for back-up/insurance that we have covered all areas/aspects over the course of a year. All staff do individual planning too for key-children, and this is based on interests and/or next steps. We are a 'pack-away' so we would use it more when setting up the room, perhaps adding extra enhancements to specific areas etc; which may in itself spark new interests for the children. If you look closely you'll see that we've tried to very much plan them to fit in with events/festivals/seasons so really many of the aspects would have been covered naturally anyway. For example lots of PSE at the start of terms, KUW at time we might be doing extra gardening etc. We have included things like colours/shapes for the interest table at the beginning of year, and we do this to encourage parent participation and to start getting them more involved, by the end of the year the interest table becomes it own focal point as various individual interest start arriving!!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buttercup Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 Vicky your long term plan is exactly what we do. I find it helps staff to focus on each area and that all areas are then thought about through out the year. I agree with others that alongside this which I am sure you do all activities then lend themselves to other areas of learning and we plan for indidual learning aswell. trying to get my head around how I will do this with new eyfs. What are you doing and have you done your plan yet. many thanks buttercup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufus Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 I know what you are saying about, ensuring coverage but i just find LTP's that detail what area to focus on too prescriptive, especially for children of such a young age with such transient learning. I have a skills based long term plan, so that each half term has a focus for each of the 6 areas of learning. For instance Autumn 1 is, painting, Gross motor and movement, Friendships, etc. However I only use this as a checklist, to ensure I cover everything. If children show interest for collage, I will do that instead, but make a note that I need to 'teach' painting skills at another time. The other LTP I have is a list of festivals. For my MTP, all I have is a list of maths skills, which again I tick off when I have 'taught' them to ensure coverage. Sometimes I will do capacity in Autumn 1, other times it will be covered in Spring 2, depending on the needs of the class and the interests that we follow and what we can plan into these interests. When I write 'teach' I am referring to teaching the skills in an adult led session, they are then always followed up throughout their play and more adult led/guided where needed, sometimes throughout the whole year for some children. I recall teaching a 1:1 counting session and withing a few weeks all children had mastered this, however for one child we were still addressing this in the Summer term. Surely, we know what we have and haven't covered and ensure we get a natural balance because that is what we do. Or am I wrong? And surely, the teaching should be equal across the 6 (or 7) areas in an ideal situation but in some situations, a child will need a heavier focus on one area and it is our job to recognise that and deliver it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamgirl Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Dear rufus. Would it be possible to see a copy of your long term plan a s from what you say, it sounds interesting and helpful. Ta x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 At my suitable persons interview OFSTED went right through my planning and the missing link was planning specifically around development matters aspects, as a result we now plan for these too! It is just one layer and we still base these around children's interests and stage of development. You can take any aspect and any child or group of children and find an activity that fits with both in my opinion. I quite like it as it gives a real structure to our planning and we don't get to the end of the year finding gaping holes in calculating, time etc! Nice and easy with the prior 6 areas, currently wrestling with making 7 fit nicely!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buttercup Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 As I said earlier I my long term plan was very similar to vicky easy when six terms. I have started a plan for september. We have 3-4yrs morning and all day and 2-3 years afternoon. Afternoons tend to be more relaxed with no adult led activities apart from craft. I am going to focus on 2-3 prime areas and 3-4 prime and specific. hope you can work out my code and i can upload forms. here goes. buttercup Long Term Plan.docx area of learning and development.docx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamgirl Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Thank you buttercup. Moo20 ......any chance of seeing your plan that you have just talked about? I know you have been very busy lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 (edited) I focus on a different aspect each week shown as enhancements on the CP, we are open 46 week in a year so taking out a couple of weeks here and there for settling in/ christmas activities etc leaves me 42 weeks to plan for so I will be covering each prime area aspect 3 times and each specific area aspect twice over the course of a school year. Sorted! I just wanted to add that CP also includes enhancements for all 7 areas but that the focus for evaluated activities will be on a rota system as mentioned above, I didn't want people to think that I was only going to look at at one area per week Edited August 5, 2012 by max321 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufus Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Dear rufus. Would it be possible to see a copy of your long term plan a s from what you say, it sounds interesting and helpful. Ta x Hi Dreamgirl Can only find my creative plan at the moment, also it's for the old curriculum, so it may not be fitting but this is what I have been using. Skills based LTP creative.doc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamgirl Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Hi Dreamgirl Can only find my creative plan at the moment, also it's for the old curriculum, so it may not be fitting but this is what I have been using. Thank you rufus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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