Year 1 Help

[Guest]

I have just started a year 1 class after teaching Reception and i am finding it very hard.We have to do an hour of lit and numeracy everyday straight after one another. There is no time to set up after each activity and i do not have a full time assistant. Today i spent most of it on my own.What concerns me is when i do group work, i can only be with one group at a time, but the other groups need some direction as well. Please could someone advise me. Thanks.

[Susan]

Hi Rocket, this is the hard bit of year 1 for you and the children! Is it possible for you to to implement your hour (and remember the numeracy hour was only ever 45 mins!) in a more FS way. I would try to have some activities for the children to work at independently and one for you to work with and rotate the children so that they work with you and at each independent activity during your session. Initially, it will seem that you are establishing a routine rather than teaching anything so keep your activities short and attainable to facilitate this, You will eventually be able to to increase the complexity of the activity and the time spent at it. You will also need to involve the children in the setting up process, perhaps you could have literacy and numeracy baskets or something to aid this?

 

The "Smooth transitions" book may help and also the new "making year 1 work" book, both written by Sally Featherstone and the current (october) edition of EYE has an article about transition although Ive only just bought mine and havent read it yet!!

 

Good Luck.

[Marion]

Am I wrong in saying there is no compulsion to do a literacy or numeracy hour anymore?

[Guest]

I don't think so - there is more a push on there being a continous curriculum. How my school have set up in yr 1 this time is to have areas set up and a num and lit table. For literacy, they will have a short input where all are sat (but if it is too difficult for some they will eventually be allowed to access the areas while the children that are 'ready' are encouraged to sit through a longer focus). Anyway, they then have the grouping system - I think there are four or five groups. Only one teacher in room and one part time nursery nurse. The teacher directs three groups to different areas to do literacy linked work i.e writing area can they write certain stuff etc. She works with one specific group on an activity. Same for Numeracy. If she has additional person they act as facilitator i.e. going round making sure kids are on task and providing stimulus in forms of probing questions etc.

 

She says that she cannot believe that she has ever worked any other way. She is seeing the benefit for the kids - they are learning all the time, but at the same time, accessing play at their own level.

 

Hope that helps.

 

x

[catma]

The strategies have never been compulsory/statutory,but if your school policy expects you to work to the NLS/NNS frameworks then you can't really act as a maverick and say you're not doing it! That would probably lead to a disciplinary hearing!! However the way it can be implemented in Y1 is possibly within your discretion, but it would be prudent to discuss alternatives with coordinators and the like to work out ways that work for your children but still have a sense of progression and challenge for the more able and so on and so forth. The pack "continuing the learning journey" might be useful to share with your leadership team as it looks at issues relating to teaching styles for Y1. Your daily maths lessn would be 45 -50 minutes as Susan says so timetable that accordingly.

Cx

[Susan]

Agreed Catma, I would never advocate someone going against their school policy but there are ways of making the whole curriculum more user friendly for children (and teachers) in year 1.

[Guest]

I was in year 1 last year, you will soon get into the swing of things, have 1 focused group and let the others work on their own, they will still come to you if you need help. I had 1 hour a week class support, you soon get used to getting things ready yourself, it is hard work but possible. My less able group last year had a lot of specific learning difficulties so they were hard, and i had a lot of behaviour problems. Good luck

[catma]

Oh, Susan, I wasn't referring to your post!! I was just expanding on your suggestion in getting the school to discuss ways so it's not just one teacher on their own trying to make it work better... Cx

[mundia]

Hi Rocket, do you have any support at all. If not is there any way you can negotiate these first few weeks as establishing routines time and be flexibe about the lit and num? It may be then that the children themeselves can help you with the setting up if they know where things can be found and they are accessible?

 

Have you talked to SMT about the style of lit and num you are having to teach? I know this sounds daft but we went thorugh this experience last year and it was the teachers themselves who were under the impression that that had to teach very formally when in fact the head was all for a more play based FS style year one. Sometimes we think we know a head's take on something but when we actually sit down and talk it through with them, we dont...

 

Could you go to your Head with the 'continuing the learning jounery' and wave it under their nose? Explain that you would like to build on your FS experience to make for a better transition into year one? See how they react?

[Guest]

Can i download continuing the learning journey?

[mundia]

Im not sure you can download but I do believe that schools should have bens ent a copy? Its flouresesnt pink so hardly missable if your Head has squirreled it it away somwhere.

Otherwise you can order it from QCA..perhaps the clever member amongst us could put in the link?

[Tigger]

The DFES in their wisdom only funded a certain amount of copies of The Learning Journey, so if you haven't already got a copy you may be out of luck, the acompaning DVD is particularly good with examples of good practice. In Suffolk we have a key practitioner scheme whereby visits can be made to settings where a practitioner has a particular strength outdoor provision, transition etc is this available in your area? It may be worth enquiring with your early years advisor.

 

Sharon

[Guest]

I know i am going on again but could you give me an example of how you plan for year 1 and some tips on story writing. I cannot get used to such a formal approach after working in Foundation for so long.

[Marion]

The DFES in their wisdom only funded a certain amount of copies of The Learning Journey, so if you haven't already got a copy you may be out of luck, the acompaning DVD is particularly good with examples of good practice. In Suffolk we have a key practitioner scheme whereby visits can be made to settings where a practitioner has a particular strength outdoor provision, transition etc is this available in your area? It may be worth enquiring with your early years advisor.

 

Sharon

37739[/snapback]

 

Don't know about only being a certain number of copies. I've been sent 3!

[Guest]

"Continuing the Learning Journey " was indeed sent to all schools and stakeholders (LAs / TTA institutions etc) last term; so they are there somewhere in the staff room! There was a surplus number which until recently were orderable through the QCA orderline. However, this is not possible at the moment but you can order a copy by emailing FSPlink@naa.org.uk with the document name and your address details. As there are a limited number this is a short-term solution. There are plans to put the documentation on the QCA website shortly; though obviously this will not include the DVD. However, there is no copyright on this so it is perfectly legal to make copies of it. Alternatively you could try Ebay. (joke)

[catma]

our new consultant coincidentally tried to order one today to be told that there are none and as there is no more funding there will be none. Try but be prepared for no result!

[Marion]

Can i download continuing the learning journey?

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There was a downloadable version i think but all schools should have a copy if you check.

Edited September 13, 2005 by MARl0N

[surfer]

Hi all. I was going to put a general moan on the site just to get something off my chest but it does seem to fit into this topic. I work in a Foundation Unit which myself and another teacher set up and started from last September. We have a great team and we have worked very hard to get the unit to where it is today. Our head is fully supportive and very happy with how it's all going. We also had Ofsted last year and came out as a strength of the school. So what's the problem? I hear you asking. Well last years reception are now year 1 and there have been quite a few moans about the children's behaviour. "They are not gelling as a class" "they are fighting", "the parents are not happy" and other similar comments. The solution to this problem according to several members of staff is to do some work with the present reception children (?) to get them "to gel better". They all seem to be ignoring the fact that the children's behaviour is almost certainly as a result of the fact that

 

1,they are in a room that is far too small for 26 children,

 

2,they are being taught very formally as the teacher has limited classroom support (mainly whole carpet or sitting at tables)

 

3, there are hardly any resources in the room which are appropriate for their age,

 

4, the parents are not made to feel welcome by the staff in Key Stage 1 - they have been coming in every morning to bring their children in to their classroom in the FU and they are now not spoken to unless their child has had a problem.

 

 

I have tried passing on information about transition to the Key stage 1 staff about courses as well as the stuff from Ros Bayley but nothing has happened. The Head recognises that the room is too small and wants to extend it but this won't happen for some time. I'm not sure what the solution is going to be but I needed to get this off my chest as myself and the other teacher in the unit are very upset by the comments being made.

 

 

I am going to do a twilight session for the staff about the Foundation stage and think I will now slip in some of the stuff from the Continuing the learning journey pack too.

 

I still don't see that the problem is going to be solved by looking at the existing reception class and taking them out of the unit to work with them separately.

 

Help!!!!

 

Moral support needed!

 

Sue

[Guest]

Poor you how disheartening. It does look as if you have identified the root of the problem, though, and I'm sure your INSET will be a step in the right direction. Could you perhaps lend some resources to the Y1 class and maybe offer the Y1 teacher the chance to come in and see your unit in operation? (It is possible that your colleague just lacks the confidence to stray from the formal KS1 approach).

Good luck

[Sue R]

Hi,

 

That sounds like good advice there, from fox. With that approach as well as your plan for the twilight session you can at least start your response off strongly. I find that people in general like to see such challenges as arising from previous situations, rather than looking at 'now' and what can be done.

 

good luck

 

Sue

[Susan]

Dont give up! I know how demoralising those sort of remarks can be but you know that the provision you have is good. I am sure that you have identified the problems but also that the children will settle down, its still very early days, especially if you can work with your year one colleague as has been suggested.

Good luck.

[surfer]

Thanks for your comments. I am a bit calmer today after having a good time doing home visits. We are going to get on and sort the Inset session out and take things from there. We have decided to just keep our heads down and continue focusing on our new intake and the things that we want to do.

Thanks again,

Sue