Managing Reception And Year 1

[Guest]

Hi everyone,

I've just done a term with a R/Y1 class (15 of each) and am still struggling to know how best to manage the 2 year groups. How do you have quality input time for the year 1's with restless reception children? How do you organise independent activities for Reception and still keep Year 1 on task? Can anyone out there offer any words of wisdom? I'd love to hear from you.

[Guest tinkerbell]

Hi Flossie

I also teach R/Yr1 but have a 15 R 6yr1 so i am in an easier situation than you, although past years have had larger numbers of yr1.Do you have any help? I have an excellent TA.

I work in a small school that likes me to follow a literacy and maths morning so I do start them all with phonic starter on the carpet in front of the iwb.Then do shared sentence or read big book then yr1 group to me or TA and 1 group of R to me or TA that leaves 2 groups of R independent so tell them wht there options are (could use visual timetable here but havent got any place to put one!) I also have 2 SEN support assistants 1 is glued to a severely needey child so dont count her in the equation the other works a group, could be in role play outdoors etc.All the children would roll through the lit activity, I try to keep the yr1 on task with 2 different tasks in the time before I let them choose eg writing with me then sound Bingo game.This is when last yearI would move to the other yr1 group...I know where you are coming from Flossie I am constantly changing things to try and cover all the children.My head was quite happy for me to put myself with the yr1 last year and my TA with R....I didnt feel like I knew the children doing that.

Then of course there is the planning how are you doing that Flossie?

Keep smiling Tinkerbell

Edited December 6, 2005 by tinkerbell

[Guest]

I have 15 Y1, 12R - 2 statemented with full time support in Year 1, 2 nearly 3 statemented in R (4 mornings suport a week to share between them) and a ull time TA- loads of adults to manage, but it makes group work easier to manage. I've been trying lots of different things so far!

We also have the luxury of an extra work space where we can fit 20 or so children at tables. This term, the Y1s have split into 3 groups (because of the TA help) first thing and follow through word level/PiPs activities in the spare room, while I do a JP input with R in class(and recently involving a few Y1 strugglers too). R then do follow up activities with TA- handwriting/ letters in paint/playdough, etc. followed by child initiated, whilst I then do text/sentence input with Y1. They then go onto group work, either in classroom or a couple of groups in spare room. If they finish early, I get the Y1 to choose from a more selected range of literacy activities.

After play/assembly, I take the Y1 into spare room for a maths mental/oral session while R have snack time with TA (and SEN TA for support). After 10 minutes I bring Y1 back in and we do a differentiated class session - then group work for Y1 and completely practical group work/maths focussed child initiated activities for R.

Today, after children had finished an activity, the R could choose from everything in the classroom, whereas Y1 chose from the 'maths shelves' - various games/ geoboards.

My problem is that the classroom isn't really big enough to have sace for all the foundation stage type activities and also for the times when we want more activities at tables so we are trying to work our way round that one.

Marie

[Guest]

Thanks for you replies Marie67uk and Tinkerbell. I only have my TA helping me - she is brilliant but with only 2 adults and 30 children it makes group work quite difficult. We tend to split Y1 and R, but as you say Tinkerbell, I feel as though I dont get to know the reception very well.

I think I am going to have to think through some more Maths/ literacy activities where they can really be independent. I find they never stick at games unless they have an adult with them.

As for planning, I have inherited planning which is based on POS for Key Stage 1 with ELGs added. We have a 2 year topic cycle. Again it doesnt feel very satisfactory. Do you have any weekly planning sheets which work for combining the year groups?

[Guest]

I used the NNS Reception/year 1 plans for medium term plans. I don't tend to do a weekly plan as I look at the medium term plan for the week, go from the their previous work attained, and plan on a daily basis depending on how well they do.

http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/numeracy/...2844/?version=1

[Guest]

You can find some YR/Y1 planning on the Hamilton web site too - www.Hamilton-trust.org.uk (I think)

[Guest tinkerbell]

Hi Flossie

The Cleo website (cumbria) do a google. does a mixed aged maths plan for all the year groups starting with R/yr1 they do them for each half term,you can see at a glance the differentiation and progression on them.I think the lancashire ed web site does some useful literacy.

I used to work from the nat curriculum year 1 and plan from there for the reception but now I am planning from the foundation up. The Norfolk education web site has six topics that cover all areas of the foundation curriculum.Ive been working from them and adding my own bits.We do have a two year rolling programme and I have been adapying them to suit the children, trying to be more flexible and go with their ideas on the general topics we introduce.

Am I being of any use? I honestly think it is the rickiest mixed aged class, as we have the two curriculums to follow.

Chin up Tinkerbell

[Guest]

thanks everyone,

the Norfolk website material looks really good. I couldnt find R/Y1 on Hamilton trust website. There are probably no easy answers to planning these 2 year groups but it does help to talk to people in similar situations. I think planning from foundation stage up might be a good idea.

Flossie

[Guest]

thanks everyone,

  the Norfolk website material looks really good. I couldnt find R/Y1 on Hamilton trust website. There are probably no easy answers to planning these 2 year groups but it does help to talk to people in similar situations. I think planning from foundation stage up might be a good idea.

    Flossie

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Try here for Hamilton plans, but I agree planning from FS up makes sense