Help! Mark Making And Role Play Dissertation.

[Guest]

I am looking at boys mark making in the role play area for my BEd dissertation

I am making it a case study of boys because boys have consistently achieve lower than girls in ‘writing’ at the end of the foundation stage.

I want to look at the practitioner’s role in the role play area, including setting it up, arranging visits, being involved in the play etc.

Has anyone else done anything like this?

Also any ideas about how I can look at the mark making the boys do and how this can be included in my research and questions?

Thanks

[Guest]

Sounds interesting. I am sure there have been recent articles about this, maybe in EYE?

 

To summarise - Basically boys will write if they are engaged, and role play can be a good way. It sounds stereotypical, but set up a building site and put out clipboards and they can draw architects plans, order screws, make safety signs etc.

 

And not just role play - providing opportunities for mark making outdoors on a large scale - eg in water with fat brushes, in mud, on the walls etc.

 

And not at tables but sprawled out on the floor.

[AnonyMouse_11396]

Hi we are working wih 2.5 to 5 year olds in our sessional setting and we have certainly noticed the boys accessing the mark making tools more since we offered it in all areas of the setting both indoors and out. Instead of just at the mark making table, creative table.

We have clip boards, envelopes, cards, large and small paper, lined paper, tracing paper, chalks, pens, pencils, felt-tips and crayons, magna doodles, chalk boards available for them to choose from all stored in carry tidies. The boys like to make lists, make plans, maps and diagrams.They also like to use brushes of all sizes, sand toys, digging tools in the mud which all aide their fine motor skills.

They have recently enjoyed drawing on large rolls of lining paper around each other and then looking in a mirror to look at their unique features, hair, eye colour and colouring them in. We also roll out wallpaper and let them draw lying on the floor.

I will look at this thread with interest as its something i am very keen to expand on with any new ideas.

[Guest]

SOme of our boys love drawing maps for a treasure hunt before they know it they are writing/mark making too...we have rolls of wallpaper for them to unwind and make their maps...also they have recently been using the themed paper that they would normally steer clear off....superhero paper, pirate paper etc...anything to draw their attention really, they love the dinosaur paper, just paper with a few dinosaurs put on the paper and photocopied...

Edited October 28, 2010 by Guest

[AnonyMouse_2418]

Did this as my Practitioner based Enquiry for my Foundation degree - assume you have a copy of the 'Mark Making Matters' EYFS booklet - I found that really useful, and also the 'Confident, Capable , Achieving ' one about boys in Early Years settings. I really enjoyed my PBE and it made a real difference to the ways the boys mark make in my setting, the range of resources as listed aboove are what we use now and yes the boys love maps , lists, even registers - they tend to mark make for a purpose rather than just 'drawing' like the girls tend to do more often .

[AnonyMouse_19782]

All as above - we have been putting wallpaper on the walls lately and they have been drawing on that. Also we lay quite narrow paper on the floor and the boys draw train tracks or roads on the floor. Mud and sticks outside. small trays of glitter or sand indoors has been popular with the boys too.

[Guest]

Thanks everyone, some great ideas. Have finalised my questions today, now for the lit review!