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Help and advice for an outstanding literacy observation in nursery


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Hi, I was wondering if anyone could help?? Im due a nursery literacy observation next week and am desperate to achieve an outstanding! I just can't seem to budge from being 'good.' Im planning a lesson around the little red hen. This will follow on from a farm visit we are going on this week (with a little red hen workshop included). I thought that for the whole class activity we could do a whole class re-telling of the story (Pie Corbett style) using props to support it. We work to a high/scope timetable, so we then sit into two groups of 13 ( one group indoor with an adult, one group outdoor with an adult). Id like all the activities to link to the story. So thought inside we could make bread (small group teacher led activity) but independent activities could include: kneading bread dough (malleable table) sharing and eating bread (farmhouse role play) playing in a bakers shop (with breads from around the world) grinding corn into flour (in the builders tray) building a windmill (construction) making windmills (creative area). Then outside children can plant the corn ( nursery garden) practise cutting the wheat, transporting sacks of wheat on the trailer, pouring the loose corn down the slide into a bucket (role playing the milling process). At the end of the session at review time the children would then talk about their experiences. Sorry about the lengthy post!!!! But what does everyone think??

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It sounds lovely. Could you possibly have key words associated with your story and other activities printed and laminated alongside the picture or objects they are going to be exploring, for those interested in what text means.

Good luck, do let us know how you get on.:)

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Thank you- I didn't think of that! I was thinking of using lamenated cards with pictures of the little red hen doing the jobs with maybe speech bubbles asking the children to help? (I.e. will you help me make the bread) in all the different learning areas? Thanks for your advice and I'll let you know how it goes

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It is worth considering the expectations of the Ofsted framework around Outstanding - much relies of the effectiveness of the teaching in supporting literacy skills and ensuring children are developing the necessary skills needed, the role of all adults in supporting learning, the opportunities provided to apply literacy and mathematics etc etc...

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Thank you Susan and Catma, I will take all of this advice on board. Im going to hopefully upload my lesson plan on here when it's finished, to see what everyone thinks. Really appreciate all the posts!

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Guest Tamarinlion

Lumpty I have been advised to put a section on Observation planning detailing the cohort - for example 26children....12 new to nursery in last weeks, 6 EAL, 2 SEN. Majority of cohort working below ARE with significant speech delay.

THen frame you objectives in terms of all children, most children, few children to show differentiation.

I wouldn't give so much detail to assessors - gives you no room for manoeuvre if something throws you off track!

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My thoughts--

your activities can be related to these objectives and vice versa but are they demanding enough?

I think you need to indicate which group is which?

You talk about above and below expectations, do you not have a group working at the expected level then and when you name the groups to go to activities it is not clear who is who. How will your observer know if the support staff are targeting the children appropriately and what about your group--assuming you are Mrs P?

Do you normally write your plans in such detail? Should your planning for this not be similar to what you do everyday if this is more detailed?

Can you remember to do all that???

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Literacy Session Plan Little Red Hen FSF.docxHello again everyone!!! Okay I have taken all the advice on board for my lesson plan. I have cut it down to make it more specific (not including to much information for the assessors) and I have made it clear about ability groups and the progress that will be made. Also I've tried to make the objectives more challenging. I will upload the final plan and please let me know what you think. My lesson observation is on Tuesday so there will be time to change things on it if necessary! Thank you so much everyone for your continued support- you have been fantastic!!!!

 

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I love your plan, I am new to the forum and def not an expert but wondering if you should include what the children are learning, being specific,, ie we are learning to talk about our story?! or we are learning to talk about what we are doing.. making the learning clear to the children you will be able to assess clearly if they have been successful in their learning?!

Think your activities are really lovely with lots of talk and learning opportunities x

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Don't forget though that outstanding teaching and learning often goes beyond the plan and really relates to how effective adults are in picking up on "the teachable moment" so don't miss incidental teaching opportunities you may not have planned for!

Cx

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It's the lesson observation tomorrow and everything's ready!!! My nursery nurse is even bringing in her hen for the children to feed outside! Thank you so much for everyone's advice and support- wouldn't be feeling so ready without it! Im quite excited! Will let you know how it goes tomorrow x

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Hello everyone! Just to let you know- I got an outstanding for my lesson!!! So thank you so much for your advice, I took it all on board. I made sure I made the most of the spontaneous teacher moments and really extended my more able children with the baking activity by giving them 'golden words' that I wrote on post it's. if they used a golden word in their sentences they got a gold coin, then we counted them up at the end. The children were fantastic and during review time one girl explained in detail what the yeast does to the bread mixture. So thank you again everyone x x x

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Well done, I am really pleased for you, all your hard work got the result you wanted :)

 

Can I ask you, do you do that much planning for every session? I am also in a school based Nursery and although our planning works for us to be honest this level of planning frightens me a little! I have a KS1 background but have been in Nursery 4 years now. We have stripped our planning right back down to a weekly enhancements to the continuous provision sheet which includes a small box to hand write a daily focus either for an adult directed session or (and more usually the case) a focus for the adults when supporting C.I play and all the children have their own "Next Steps planning" identified and these next steps inform our choice of focus on the afore mentioned very loose enhancements plan.

I NEVER have a full lesson plan for a single aspect of a session (i.e. a literacy activity such as your lovely Little Red Hen session)

I am confident that our planning triangulates with the learning journeys and assessments to show progress and I know that since switching to this style of planning we have been far more inclined to follow the spontaneous interests of the children but from time to time I see a really detailed plan which reminds me of my KS1 days and it makes me wonder whether there is somewhere something that says I *should* plan in this way?

So my comment is definitely not a criticism, what you are doing obviously works for you, but more of a wondering how many people plan in this level of detail?

 

Going to hit submit now....!

Mel

x

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  • 3 months later...

Hi Mel,

 

Im so sorry Ive missed this comment- hope its not too late for an answer now!! I only do a lesson plan for a lesson observation! So don't worry I don't plan in this much detail for everything all the time! My head also tells me off for putting too much detail in! So don't worry. Planning is for the individual so do whatever helps you and your setting :-)

 

Lumpty x

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