Focusing on areas of learning

[AnonyMouse_37042]

Can I ask do you

 

Pick an aspect from each area of learning to focus on each week?

 

If so do you get these from the focus childrens needs or choose based on a mini theme or can you explain?

 

Do you then cover these in group/adult led times or just by adding things to the continious provision or?

 

Thanks for your help in anticpation!

[AnonyMouse_4177]

I'd be interested in people's answers too as I'm never convinced I'm doing this in the best way. At the moment we plan for individuals and small groups in continuous provision areas and focus activities and I plan for aspects that need to be introduced/promoted for whole group times -e.g. introducing matching shapes to shapes in the environment would be a game find this shape/ match the rectangle to this object type stuff. Then we include this in continuous provision for chdn to explore on their own -that's when we observe as well. Next term I'm aware that I need to look at growth and decay and I will use group time as a starting point . Group time by the way is about 12-15 chdn as my chdn attend different days (which is another story for planning). Hope this makes sense. I look forward to ideas from others.

[Guest]

No, I don't do that - I used to, but found that there just wasn't time to fit in blanket focused assessments. We now each plan for our own key children using our knowledge and tracking sheets - we look at where they are and where they need to be, then plan from there. Each week I put a blank PLODs sheet on the staff board. As a team, we add to the PLODs sheet on a daily basis, noting what children were doing/saying; from this sheet, I plan for the following week - however, some (preferably many ) of the PLODs will already have been actioned. Toward the end of the week, we each add two 'Focused Assessments' for the following week alongside the child or group of children we intend to work with. It is up to the key person to teach the skills to support the children and then to assess. This works for our group - we are a small maintained nursery unit with 1 teacher, NN and TA. We have a maximum of 30 children per session (though we could take 36 but the Head is realistic!) and currently have 36 on roll. Hope that helps! :1b

[AnonyMouse_37042]

Thanks for your replies so far

Ive taken over the preschool room within a nursery

I have 7 PLUS pieces of weekly planning sheets to complete for next week this is ridiculous

• Adult led sheet-- which includes mini circle time with a cl and maths focus , singing, story
  
• a keyperson sheet with a different activity am and pm for the focus children
  
• an enhancement plan (as we have continious prov) to say how we are enhancingthe workshop areas
  
• Focus activity sheets x 5 one for each activity each day
  
• Child initiated plan with what we will put out for the children based on ob for last week
  

 

PLEASE HELP SOMEONE I DONT KNOW WHERE TO START! Can anyone share their next weeks planning

Can anyone tell me where to start (apart from throwing it all up in the air or lighting the fire with it)

[Guest]

I don't know what to suggest to you - I have not yet completed my planning for the first week back - but it would be NO USE to you if I had! I can send you some planning so that you can see another example, but it wouldn't help you. Do you have any previous planning that you could use? I do feel for you, but just don't know how to help . Do you have a topic? Are you able to make changes to what you do? Can you call on other staff to help you? Don't give up, I'm sure you'll come through it. :rolleyes:

[Guest]

we pick an aspect each week and put in activities as part of the continuous provision. Alongside this each keyworker plans for 2 of their children to meet next steps and we also add any activities or resources linked to childrens interests from the previous week, add to this IEP time, SEAL activities, cookery club (this cohort love cooking so we plan a cooking activity each week), letters and sounds,spanish lesson, zumba and yoga and the plans fill themselves up very easily

Edited April 4, 2013 by max321

[AnonyMouse_37042]

Thanks I know it will get better just seems a bit daunting

When you say each keyworker plans - can you explain in depth how they do this ie how many next steps, 1 under each area and then how do they cover it - plan focus activities, in group times or adding things to prov ??

 

with your activities zumba etc do you write out focus activity sheets?

 

with adult initiated activites do you - write what your adding and why ie

 

Small world area - farm animals and hay -- to engage in imaginary play

 

sorry to ask so many questions

[AnonyMouse_7120]

That does seem like a lot of planning sheets RBear, we have one planning sheet (A4) that each kw adds a focus child's next step to

( maybe from an ob, LJ, or judgement,interest) they add what the activity/resource planned is in the eyfs area, and whether its going to be AL or CP, but not DM statement they want to achieve, the kw needs to know that and observe/assess at sometime during week, other kw,s add any initials to each focus child that would also benefit from/enjoy that activity and each kw that has added KC also need to observe /assess ( though they may be looking to achieve a completly diff DM statement using same resource/activity), when observed they evaluate on back of same sheet, we also have an interest/would like sheet up which gets included on planning, maybe something as easy as get resource out after lunch for...... Or need more prep and not got added for a week or two, when that sheet is full another one goes up but not necessarily weekly. It works in my head but prob sounds confusing to you.

[AnonyMouse_37042]

Mouse63 sorry to sound thick!

So your weekly planning sheet is under areas of learning ?

ours has days of the week across the top and workshop areas down the side - i think this is why its so confusing to fill in? they found they have to put days sue to different staff being in and the areas werent getting set up!

so do you have the same activity resource out for the week? they seem to be changing this daily?

[AnonyMouse_30128]

hi RBear....have you tried searching for info on planning here? you'll find that it is a subject that comes up often!!! alsoif you have a look in the resources section you may find pro-formas that might give you some ideas too.

The problem i find with planning is that each setting is so different that their planning has to match.....what works for one may not work for others but their are lots of examples out there.

 

I have to say i think for a pre-school room you're doing far too much but then i'm not your boss and i don't know how much they expect from you.

good luck

[AnonyMouse_7120]

hi, yes RBear we have 7 areas down side and days of week across, all our areas are up as continuous provision sheets around the room. We don't feel we have to fill in every box, for instance if no kw has anything to cover Numeracy as a focus that just gets cp in box or maybe an Ecp for enhanced with a couple of words saying what, but it rarely happens that something adult led isn't up for each area of learning. As finleysmaid said there are a lot of planning templates on here, you may find something you like and can adapt to your setting.

 

How do things get added to resource library, can you add your own things ? as searching for planning I could only find pre new eyfs formats, and lots have been added to threads....or maybe I'm not looking in right place

Edited April 6, 2013 by mouse63

[AnonyMouse_37042]

I am still at it!! Wondering whether we have too much stopping and starting and trying to do too much resulting in too much planning time. Unfortunately we do have quite a few part time staff or new so we do find oursleves needing to write a lot down.- which is frustrating for the people who dont need it I know!

845 circle time with a mini activity CL and Maths focus (on a planning sheet)

9.00 snack and free flow inside and out with an activity in each room creative room, outside and main playroom (activity sheet for each room linked to focus childrens learning)

11 KeyPerson time- activity to meet focus childrens learning (planning sheet)

11.30 singing before lunch (written on weekly plan a list of sings to introudce might be theme related)

1230 story and quiet (Box of books based on themes or interests)

1 home time and free flow again while waiting for pm children

 

Too much?

[Guest]

heres our day - 9.30 freeflow play (CP activities already put out before chidlren arrive)

10 am choosing time ie combination of keyworker group activites for focus children or letters and sounds or focus aspect activity - this only last 15 minutes max before children can freeflow again and those children who do not want to join the choosing activities can carry on free flow with the member of staff who is allocated 'floating'. 10.30am snack cafe is open but again the children are still in freeflow and access snack as they want (or don't want as the case maybe) 12.15pm pack away and then group time (story/singing/drama etc) 12.30 morning finish. For the children staying all day it is then lunchtime til 1pm and then the afternoon is a mirror of the morning with different CP activities and choosing time

[AnonyMouse_44288]

heres our day - 9.30 freeflow play (CP activities already put out before chidlren arrive)

10 am choosing time ie combination of keyworker group activites for focus children or letters and sounds or focus aspect activity - this only last 15 minutes max before children can freeflow again and those children who do not want to join the choosing activities can carry on free flow with the member of staff who is allocated 'floating'. 10.30am snack cafe is open but again the children are still in freeflow and access snack as they want (or don't want as the case maybe) 12.15pm pack away and then group time (story/singing/drama etc) 12.30 morning finish. For the children staying all day it is then lunchtime til 1pm and then the afternoon is a mirror of the morning with different CP activities and choosing time

Hi Max 321

This sounds similar to the way we structure out day. However!

 

I'm very interested in ensuring that the children are getting what 'ofsted' think is the correct way of time management....therefore can I ask when you last had OFSTED and what your outcome was?

 

Thank you

[Guest]

didn't know ofsted had an idea of 'time management'. We haven't been inspected under the new format yet but we got 'good' with 4 outstandings last time