Help! I'm Having A Panic...planning/assessment/observations ?

[Guest]

Hello everyone,

 

I am new to the forum and new to teaching. I am an NQT with a job in Reception starting in September. Although I did the 4 year University teaching course I feel like now I need to put everything into practice I have forgotten it all. I'm hoping it will come back once I actually begin but I am starting to panic about September and I am just looking for some help/guidance. I have most probably put this post in the wrong discussion (Sorry).

 

What would everyone say are the essential things I need to have done for September/ things that will help in the long run? Also the nursery teacher has said that we can plan together but she is on holiday and I feel like I need to be doing something. I've done a topic web for 'Bears' which is the topic we are hoping to do but i'm not sure where to go next.

 

I know this is quite a pointless post but I'm just hoping you can suggest some things I could be doing to ease the workload (a tiny bit) in September.

 

Thanks in advance

[Guest]

Hi daisychain7. Welcome to the forum. Like you I am recently new to the forum and have spent many hours looking through the topics on here. All of them have helped me develop what I need to have in place for September (my first time in Reception) but adapted to suit my class. If you look through the many topics you will find plenty of advice.

 

I too will be doing Bears basing the theme around Goldilocks, Going on a Bear Hunt and a non-fiction text-but I will be starting this after the first 2 weeks of settling in where I will be doing a loose topic around My family.

[jennac]

hmmmm.... I cant find my planning for bears otherwise I would of shared it on here! Its on my laptop at school. I can remember a few things though that we did:

We made bear masks

We discussed the story of Going On a Bear Hunt- suggesting different endings of the story- this led onto circle time activites of feelings, behaviour.

We measured bears, sorting by size and colours using compare bears.

We made porridge.

We looked at pictures of bears looking through books and internet, learning different facts about them.

Children brought in their bears from home and we had a teddy bear picnic.

 

Hope this helps.

[currycraver]

Hi Daisychain7,

welcome to the forum and congrats on your qualifiaction and job. I would say (though I am not a teacher) the most important thing is to enjoy your job. All your learning will then flow and the children will lean through your enthusiasm. It is good to get a head start though.I would add bear paw prints and sizing and measuring own prints (hands as an extension of what jennac has suggested. Good luck

[Froglet]

Hello and welcome!

 

First I won't panic - all will work out and it becomes amazingly familiar very quickly. Second, focus on getting to know the children - the benefits it pays later in all sorts of ways are worth it!

 

Think about what those children are going to do first when they arrive in their classroom - hang coats up, put water bottles somewhere etc? Do you know the answers to those questions? Do they need peg labels?

[Guest tinkerbell]

Hi Daisychain 7 welcome

I have taught Reception/yr1 for many years and no matter how much planning and prep you do before the new start things change!

 

As Helen says get your room ready ,label pegs,work out your places for water bottles,places for book bags? do they have a drawer? label it.

I have made 4 labels for each child with their name and the same sticker,these labels will go on their coat peg,their water bottle ,their book bag and their learning journal so those who can't read their name can identify their things easily.

 

Plan your first day around settling the children in make up simple classroom rules withthe children to refer to ,eg looking after resources,being kind,quiet inside voices etc perhaps just 5? I find the first week before they find their feet they are keen to listen and do the right thing ,maximise this!

 

I use the first week to let the children use the areas in the classroom and work alongside them finding out what their interests are and whatthe class dynamics are.Time is needed to explain all the new routines eg register are you having a self registration system?, fruit,playtime (if you have one, I tend not to join the rest of the school for the first half term)lunch time routines,toilet washing hands etc...

 

I would stop the children at certain points and prasie what I could see referring to our rules eg well done the group who are sharing in the sand...

I would also gather them and do stories or rhymes as a group/class ,your stories on bears would be good here to give them an introduction to the topic...

After the first day /few days you will be exhausted but have a better idea of what the children will need.

Relax and enjoy

Tinkerbell

[Froglet]

Everything Tinkerbell said!

 

A couple of other things I do: prepare a class ticklist - not for anything specific, just always handy to have around. I also make a set of names which can be cut out to name any pictures they do that you display. I usually get parent helpers to do all the mounting and it helps to have these ready made.

 

Remember they (and you) get exhausted, keep smiling and enjoy them - so much fun!

 

Allow lots of time to explain routines and for them to carry them out - even the simplest of them. Stops you getting stressed and therefore snappy because you need to get them out the door for lunch!

 

Don't make any assumptions about what they know - making a line might seem an obvious phrase to us but it isn't always to them!

[Guest]

I am in the same boat as you and I'm so pleased you posted - it's made me feel a bit better. Thank you also for all the advice everyone else has posted. although I have lots of experience in early years, I feel that this year is the first year I am going to be on my own (reception in a single entry school, no nursery, EYFS leader on mat leave) and I just can't seem to think through the basics at the moment.

[Froglet]

Holly - my second job was maternity cover for a YR/1 class in a 1-form entry school and the person whose maternity leave it was was the only person in school who knew anything about EYFS.

[Guest]

That's not far off where I am! I'm sure someone else must know something about the EYFS but it's not the impression they have given me so far.

[Guest tinkerbell]

Holly it may be worth getting in touch with a school near to you and sharing ideas with another early years reception teacher.This is what is happening in my area,last half term i contacted local schools and we had our first eyfs meeting ,discussed the new EYFS and offered advice to each other,our next meeting next half term will focus on assessment.I also suggested we visited each others settings in our PPA time ....we just need to get on with supporting each other our local LEA is becoming a skeleton crew!

[Guest]

Wow thanks everyone, so much support and guidance. I'm trying to relax a little but as Holly said, its just how I have always been accompanied and now I feel very much on my own. I just don't want to do anything wrong.

 

I'm planning on doing photos and names on their pegs so that is a first day job. Thank you so much for the tips on the first week, I really appreciate your support

[Guest]

Tinkerbell, we do have something similar in our LA. I'm just feeling a bit isolated during the summer I think. I'm all too aware that not everyone is as obsessed as me and won't be spending all summer thinking about work and planning things - present company excepted !