Children in the reception class Essay

The setting in which I am carrying out this assessment is a county infants school in the reception class. The school is located on the outskirts northwest of the town Ipswich. There are children altogether attending the school and there are twenty-eight children in the reception class. Inside the classroom there is space on the carpet for all the children to sit, there are tables and chairs but not enough for all of the children. They have regular use of a classroom (that will be used when the next year of children move up at Easter) and also the main hall. Outside there is a large playground with an adventure playground at one end containing climbing apparatus, there is also a medium sized field that is only used in good weather. The children in the school are all aged between four and seven years. The class I am focusing on has children in the age range of four and five. The class follows the Foundation Stage curriculum. Aim The aim of this assessment is to devise a medium term plan and to plan a range of activities and experiences that would benefit development for children aged between four and five years. The activities I will be planning will be closely linked to the six areas of learning from the Foundation Stage curriculum. Mind map-China this activity involves the whole class, they will all sit down in a large group and the teacher will sit at the front with a large piece of paper and a large pen. The teacher will ask for any ideas they know about the subject (in this case China) and write down any suggestions they have that are relevant to the subject. Rationale The curriculum plan I have designed is to be carried out over a six-week period. This plan is what’s called a medium term plan, which is in more detail than a long-term plan (often done over a one year period). A short-term plan is more detailed than the medium-term plan and is often based on a daily or weekly basis. I am preparing this curriculum plan in the best way possible to promote the development in all areas. I have discussed with my placement supervisor about the suitability of my activities and also to have an incite on a curriculum plan already in order. I believe that children benefit best from having a wide range of activities and experiences, keeping the day interesting and keeping the children’s minds active. All of these would prevent boredom, straying minds and lacked concentration. My plan will be arranged around the fact that all children have different, but they all need to be treated fairly. The plan will be relevant to the age range four to five years because all the activities are planned for children just starting school that are working on the Foundation Stage curriculum. I will be making sure that my plan is age and stage appropriate by researching developmental norms/milestones, curriculum planning information and current curriculum plans that are being carried out. This needs to be done because otherwise the children will be under stimulated or they will not fully understand what they are doing or being asked to do. I decided on my activities by choosing two areas (communication, language and literacy and mathematics) and noting from my placement what the most effective methods of learning are there, then devising my own activities and made resources that are relevant. I will be discussing with my placement supervisor whether there are any changes that can be made or whether anything will be dangerous, biased, discriminative or harmful to the children’s health or safety. My chosen topic for my six-week plan is China (in particular Chinese New Year). The children will hopefully learn about the traditions that they have, presents and gifts they give each other, how they decorate their houses, about Chinese writing and speech and the style their houses and belongings are. They will also be learning the story of the animals, why they were racing and what order they came in. they will learn a new song that is about a Chinese boy and girl (the children can pick their names) and how they greet the greet their family on Chinese New Year day. The children will also be listening to Chinese style music and playing certain bars on the pentatonic scale that resemble said music. I hope to improve my knowledge of the subject medium-term planning. I will gain an understanding of appropriate activities and experiences that can meet all children’s needs and encourage their development. I will understand how to plan and implement the activities and use suitable equipment and resources. I will also be improving myself as a childcare worker in these circumstances. I will understand how I can help children’s learning. I will also learn how to relate activities and experiences to the early learning goals (ELG) The following are brief descriptions of four of the activities out of my curriculum plan: Mind map- the main area of learning this links to is knowledge and understanding of the world. For this activity the whole class will be involved, it starts with a large piece of paper (maybe with a picture) and some chunky marker pens. The practitioner asks the children what they know about the subject (in this case China). All of the children’s relevant suggestions will be written down leaving space to elaborate at the end of the subject. The practitioner’s job is to encourage the children and to write down what they say. This activity is mostly done to see how much the children know so the practitioner should not interfere or influence their answers. The only resources required are a large piece of paper and chunky marker pens. All the children have a fair chance to put across what they know, if some of the children seem to be dominating the activity, the practitioner will ask the quieter children whether they have anything to say.