Planning Help Please!

[Guest]

Hi Everyone,

 

This is my first time on fsf so 'Hello i'm Rachel and I have been teaching Y2 for 5 years now.'

 

Anyway, please can someone help, I have been moved into our reception/year one class for September and really need some help with planning. The teacher I have taken over from left in april suffering from depression and I dont think she planned for the whole year so I have nothing to use as a base. If anyone can offer any advice or examples of planning templates for FS/y1 I would be most greatful.

 

Thanks

Rachel x

[mundia]

Hello Rachel, and welcome to the forum, please make yourself at home.

There are quite few members who teach r/year 1, although many may be on holiday just now. Have a good read around and you might find other conversations about this, whilst we are waiting for those with more experience to come back and share their stories.

[Gezabel]

HI

Sorry I am no help with your planning as I work in a pre-school but just wanted to wish you a very warm welcome to the forum

[HappyMaz]

Welcome aboard Rachel and congratulations on making your first post.

 

As mundia has said we have many lovely members who will no doubt be able to offer sage words of wisdom. In the meantime, have a good look round and make yourself at home!

[Guest]

Hello bless I know how you are feeling I am in the same position, but for nursery! Google search Hamilton trust. For a minimal fee can't remember exactly about 25 pound a year there is plans topic based for all six areas for the whole year, including ICT resources and printable resources. You can use this as your whole program. There is also links to abacus or heineman if you what more detailed numeracy planning. Also there is a website called phonicsplay.co.uk this has planning, assessmet and resources printable and I.board for the phonics programme letters and sound. I hope this is a help. Please just ask if I ca. Do anything else!

[bgfrancis]

Hi Rachel,

 

I completely understand where you are coming from as I spent my first two years teaching a mixed Reception/ Year 1 class. I was wondering whether you had all of the Year 1 children in your class or if you had a selection of them e.g. the youngest, those with lower profile points etc.

 

My last school kept the children we felt would benefit from remaining in a more practical, hands on environment where they would continue to mainly follow the early years curriculum before I began to incorporate some Year 1 teaching.

 

Beccy

[Froglet]

I've been meaning to get to reply to this for ages but have been really busy and not always at home.

 

I think firstly and the most important thing I would say is that the YR/1 mix is hard and don't, whatever you do, beat yourself up about it. I've taught it for a total of 3 years (not all together) have met and spoken to lots of people who teach this mix and not one of them has ever felt like they've 'got it'. You just do your best, remember that the children are all individuals and you provide the best learning you can for them.

 

It does make a difference whether the Y1s are all with you. I tend to find that when they're split the parents of those in with the Y2s worry that they're not getting enough play, the parents of those in with Reception worry that they're not getting 'pushed' enough. I've found that I've sometimes needed to do more parental support/communication/reassurance than I have with other classes.

 

OK, I've started on a little bit of a negative note so now for the lovely things about the mix! I love seeing at first hand what my reception 'littlies' move on to in Y1 and the progress they make. It's also wonderful having a chunk of the class who know your routines and expectations and who love being 'the big ones'. I also often find that my Y1s being that little bit older are brilliant at supporting the reception children in their play and developing their role play and construction ideas. They want to do more complex things and it's fantastic to see.

 

These links are a couple that might help you (I hope I've done it right - not tried before).

 

http://eyfs.info/forums/index.php?showtopi...0&hl=diwali - an older thread from FSF with some good reassuring ideas about the mix.

 

www.abcdoes.typepad.com - always full of great ideas but the most recent post is about cross phase planning.

 

As for what I do the following is an outline. I can't upload any examples I'm afraid because the hard drive I keep it all on has been corrupted and gone away to hopefully get the data back (yes, all my planning, documents, everything I've written ever is on there - was not a happy bunny today!)

 

Long term planning

I'm gradually building up continuous provision planning sheets for each area of the classroom. There are examples in the resources section on here.

 

Following a 'teaching a mixed YR/1 class' course run by some EY advisors I went on last year I now have a long term plan (2 year rolling programme) which allocates a topic to the first 4 weeks or so of each half term. The rest of the weeks are just down as 'Child interest'. The idea is that the topics ensure I cover all the National Curriculum objectives I have to but that the child interest bits give me scope for working in a much more EYFS friendly way.

 

Medium term planning

I produce separate plans for music, RE and PE because of the way I have to fit them into my timetable. For the other NC subjects I produce a 'topic plan'. There is an overview at the top with the NC and EYFS objectives I intend to cover in the lessons and a differentiated success criteria box. Then each lesson has a learning objective, success criteria, main input and independent activity.

 

On the whole rather than teaching say 1 hour of history, 1 hour of art in an afternoon I would do a whole afternoon of history. There will be one input which reception and Y1 will participate in (this is what is on the MTP) then an independent/group activity usually aimed at the Y1s. There is sometimes an adult focus activity aimed at reception too. Y1s work on this then when finished access the continuous provision then after a break I get the Y1s all back together again and follow up the activity - may be a discussion, writing a sentence to go with a picture anything which takes their understanding/learning on a little further. Some reception children choose to access this too but I don't make them.

 

Weekly planning

I do plans for phonics, maths and English. I currently aim to have 2 adult focus activities for maths a week and 2 for English (one each day). The fifth day is nominally 'handwriting' although actually it's whatever kind of fine motor control activity I feel is needed. Activities are differentiated on the planning as normal but if it's a maths activity day the reception groups activity on the English plan will say 'see maths plan'. I'm not sure that makes much sense.

 

Usually reception and Y1 are all together for the inputs to both maths and English. I did try having the opportunity for reception to access the continuous provision during this time but found it was too noisy and distracting for the Y1s. I just work on having short, snappy and engaging inputs and keep them all together for a minimal time. Depending on the focus for that day's lesson I may keep the Y1s a little longer to explain their activity in more detail.

 

I try to add enhancements to CP areas as needed although I do sometimes struggle with keeping up with this. This coming year I'm trying having a 'month to view' format where all the areas are down the left hand side of an A3 landscape piece of paper, 4 weeks across the top so I can make notes of what enhancements/changes I make as the month progresses.

 

I don't know if all this rambling is of any help at all. Before any of the EY experts on here get cross I will say that I do feel that the way I do it is aimed more towards the Y1s than an EY way of working. It's something I'm continually trying to improve - which is why I spend such a lot of time on here collecting ideas!

 

If you think I can help more please ask and I'll do my best!

[Guest]

I struggle with my timetable, have had numerous versions over last couple of years and always start off with good intentions and then it goes to pot. I am fortunate to have a TA but still find it difficult to fit everything in successfully and work with everyone and give the year ones everything they need etc!! feel guilty when they access child initiated stuff as they seem to always head for the play based stuff, whatever is planned, and I know in a full year one class they would have much more adult input- daily literacy and numeracy adult input . We can't have free flow because of where the outside area is and I have several year ones who can't concentrate at all with anything else going off in the classroom.

 

 

 

Does anyone have an example of their timetable they would be willing to share? We have to join in with whole school breaks, assembly and allocated PE slots.

 

Not looking forward to another year of feeling continually as though it's 'not quite right'.

 

bladette