Birch
Overarching Themes and Topics Birch Class
The themes below are suggested for the year; however, they may change dependent on the children’s interests which we consider based on information from parents and observations in school. Due to the nature of the EYFS provision, children engage with a range of learning opportunities; one activity can move a child’s learning on in more than one Birth to Five Matters Aspect, for example a painting activity can support the development of social skills, sensory exploration, and fine motor skills. Regular and accurate observations of the children determine short-term planning and a broad and balanced range of learning opportunities are planned for in order to inspire and challenge all children, including through whole-class teaching, 1:1 work, small-group work, child-led play and teacher-directed learning.
Birch CLASS Rotation 2 |
Autumn 1 Me and My Family |
Autumn 2 Fairy tales and Superheroes
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Spring 1 Over the Rainbow |
Spring 2 Mini beasts and Explorers
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Summer 1 People Who Help Us |
Summer 2 I do like to be beside the Seaside! |
PRIME
Personal, Social, Emotional Development |
Making relationships with staff and new children.
Sense of Self: Responding to their name. Making choices. Family photos and books.
Understanding Emotions including explicit teaching of Zones of Regulation. Learning class rules and behaviour expectations. |
Making relationships: Developing friendships.
Sense of Self: Responding to their name. Making choices. Similarities and differences. Sharing our favourite stories.
Understanding Emotions including explicit teaching of Zones of Regulation. |
Making relationships: Developing friendships.
Sense of Self: Joining in with class jobs.
Understanding Emotions including explicit teaching of Zones of Regulation. Colours in the environment and what they mean (traffic lights, stop signs).
Diversity |
Making relationships: Similarities and differences.
Sense of Self: Joining in with class jobs.
Understanding Emotions including explicit teaching of Zones of Regulation
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Making relationships: explores wider range of activities.
Sense of Self: Joining in with class jobs.
Understanding Emotions including explicit teaching of Zones of Regulation. Safety. Visit from fire engine/emergency services.
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Making relationships: sense of belonging to the school. Preparations for transitions.
Sense of Self: Accepting of change and new pupils visiting.
Understanding Emotions including explicit teaching of Zones of Regulation.
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PRIME
Communication and Language |
· Listening and Attention · Understanding · Speaking Total communication approach at universal level: Makaton, sing and sign sessions, choice boards, PECS, intensive interaction, visual timetables/posters, now and next boards, reduced language where appropriate, in-task schedules, Attention Autism - daily sessions beginning with Stages 1 and 2, increasing to Stage3 and possibly Stage 4 by the end of the year. |
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Role Play: Home corner |
Role Play: Castle Enchanted Wood |
Role Play: Rainbow/coloured area/sensory |
Role Play: Jungle Science lab |
Role Play: Hospital Fire station |
Role Play: Beach Ice cream Parlour |
PRIME
Physical Development |
· Moving and Handling Ball skills Balance Climbing Riding trikes and ride-in cars Weekly Dance session Weekly PE Session · Health and Self-Care, including oral health. Individual toileting programmes through the year as appropriate. · Sensory integration including sensory diets throughout the day as appropriate, Sensory circuits Crossing the midline Proprioceptive activities · Fine motor activities in mark making, handwriting groups. |
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P.E: Exploring movement Warm-up (alerting) Organising Calming |
P:E: Exploring the equipment Warm-up (alerting) Organising Calming |
P.E: Exploring movement (big and small) Warm-up (alerting) Organising Calming |
P.E: Exploring movement (animal walks – jumping, hopping, skipping) Warm-up (alerting) Organising Calming |
P.E: Ball games Warm-up (alerting) Organising Calming
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P:E: Spatial awareness and negotiating space – Chasing games Warm-up (alerting) Organising Calming |
SPECIFIC
Literacy |
Reading and sharing key texts linked to topic
Daily Quiet Time to include sharing books
Vocabulary Cards linked to topic
Fine motor skills and handwriting sessions
Sensory story sessions
Range of books, print and mark-making resources available through continuous provision
Read, Write Inc introduced as appropriate
See and Learn reading scheme used with specific children when developmentally appropriate |
Reading and sharing key texts linked to topic
Daily Quiet Time to include sharing books
Vocabulary Cards linked to topic
Fine motor skills and handwriting sessions
Sensory story sessions
Range of books, print and mark-making resources available through continuous provision
Read, Write Inc introduced as appropriate
See and Learn reading scheme used with specific children when developmentally appropriate |
Reading and sharing key texts linked to topic
Daily Quiet Time to include sharing books
Vocabulary Cards linked to topic
Fine motor skills and handwriting sessions
Sensory story sessions
Range of books, print and mark-making resources available through continuous provision
Read, Write Inc introduced as appropriate
See and Learn reading scheme used with specific children when developmentally appropriate |
Reading and sharing key texts linked to topic
Daily Quiet Time to include sharing books
Vocabulary Cards linked to topic
Fine motor skills and handwriting sessions
Sensory story sessions
Range of books, print and mark-making resources available through continuous provision
Read, Write Inc introduced as appropriate
See and Learn reading scheme used with specific children when developmentally appropriate |
Reading and sharing key texts linked to topic
Daily Quiet Time to include sharing books
Vocabulary Cards linked to topic
Fine motor skills and handwriting sessions
Sensory story sessions
Range of books, print and mark-making resources available through continuous provision
Read, Write Inc introduced as appropriate
See and Learn reading scheme used with specific children when developmentally appropriate |
Reading and sharing key texts linked to topic
Daily Quiet Time to include sharing books
Vocabulary Cards linked to topic
Fine motor skills and handwriting sessions
Sensory story sessions
Range of books, print and mark-making resources available through continuous provision
Read, Write Inc introduced as appropriate
See and Learn reading scheme used with specific children when developmentally appropriate |
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Key Texts: Things I Like
I like bees, but I don’t like honey
Peppa’s First Pet
Pip and Posy – The Super Scooter
Peace at Last
One of those days! |
Key Texts: Supertato
The Gingerbread Man
Goldilocks and the three bears
The Foggy, foggy forest
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Key Texts:
The Colour Monster
Love our Earth
Baby goes to Market
Rosie’s Hat
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Key Texts: Mad about Mini-beasts
Jasper’s Beanstalk
We’re going on a Bear Hunt
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Key Texts:
Percy the Park Keeper – The Rescue Party
Non-fiction books – dentist, police, firefighters
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Key Texts: Sharing a shell
Commotion in the Ocean
Look what I Found at the Seaside
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SPECIFIC Mathematics |
Number: Explore simple composition of number through rhymes. Object permanence. Opportunities to join in with counting out loud/ on fingers/ supported by visuals.
Patterns: Repeated actions in songs and number rhymes. Timetable.
Spatial awareness: Exploring the classroom and buildings, PE, sensory circuits.
Shape and Measures: Explore 2D shapes and mathematical language. Daily routine. |
Number: Explore simple composition of number through rhymes. Object permanence. Opportunities to join in with counting out loud/ on fingers/ supported by visuals.
Patterns: Repeated actions in songs and number rhymes. Patterns in the environment.
Spatial awareness: Forest School, PE, sensory circuits.
Shape and Measures: Explore 2D shapes and mathematical language. Size. Daily routine.
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Number: Number rhymes. Opportunities to join in with counting out loud/ on fingers/ supported by visuals. Counting small number of objects. Numerals.
Patterns: Repeated actions in songs and number rhymes. Simple repeating patterns.
Spatial awareness: Forest School, PE, sensory circuits. Spatial and positional language.
Shape and Measures: Explore 2D shapes and mathematical language. Size and weight.
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Number: Number rhymes. Opportunities to join in with counting out loud/ on fingers/ supported by visuals. Counting small number of objects. Numerals.
Patterns: Repeated actions in songs and number rhymes. Simple repeating patterns.
Spatial awareness: Forest School, PE, sensory circuits. Spatial and positional language.
Shape and Measures: Explore 2D and 3D shapes and mathematical language. Size and weight.
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Number: Counting objects and matching with numeral. Practical problem solving.
Patterns: Repeated actions in songs and number rhymes. Creating own patterns.
Spatial awareness: Forest School, PE, sensory circuits. Spatial and positional language.
Shape and Measures: Explore 2D and 3D shapes and mathematical language. Size, length, weight, capacity.
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Number: Counting objects and matching with numeral. Practical problem solving.
Patterns: Repeated actions in songs and number rhymes. Creating own patterns.
Spatial awareness: Forest School, PE, sensory circuits. Spatial and positional language. Simple maps.
Shape and Measures: Explore 2D and 3D shapes and mathematical language. Size, length, weight, capacity. |
SPECIFIC Understanding the World |
· People and Communities · The World · Technology iPad apps, interactive whiteboard, coding & bee-bots. Labelling our Body parts and learning about what they do. Labelling and identifying the different emotions we feel and how they affect our bodies. Construction and houses – building our houses, building local buildings. Maps and local area. |
· People and Communities · The World · Technology iPad apps, interactive whiteboard, coding & bee-bots. Local castles, woods, and areas from fairy tales – what are they like etc. Magic and spells. Junk modelling Fairy tales characters and personalities – favourites Different superheroes/superheroes in the community. Xmas celebrations. |
· People and Communities · The World · Technology iPad apps, interactive whiteboard, coding & bee-bots. Colours – favourite colours, different objects of colours, patterns. Colours in the environment and what they mean (traffic lights, stop signs) Weather – looking at different types of weather, what do we wear in different weathers? Different materials to keep us warm/dry. |
· People and Communities · The World · Technology iPad apps, interactive whiteboard, coding & bee-bots. Making bug hotels/houses Looking at how mini-beasts grow, caterpillars-butterflies. Exploring the outside area for any mini-beasts, using magnifying classes Labelling parts of mini-beasts – legs, wings, head |
· People and Communities · The World · Technology iPad apps, interactive whiteboard, coding & bee-bots. Trusted people and safety – why do these people help us, how can we keep safe? Labelling emergency vehicles – engines, wings, rudders, mast, and steering wheel. Uniforms and equipment. What it’s like to work for the…police/NHS/fire brigade Oral health |
· People and Communities · The World · Technology iPad apps, interactive whiteboard, coding & bee-bots. Collecting shells Looking at different types of fish/and animals that live in the sea What do you need on the beach? Umbrella, sandals, towel Ice-creams and favourite flavours, how we make ice-cream. Features of the beach – sand, sea, piers, flags |
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Cooking: Key skills: washing hands Sensory cooking, exploring textures, trying different foods eg. Sweet, savoury Likes and dislikes. |
Cooking: Key skills: scooping and pouring Salt dough Decorating biscuits Cloud dough |
Cooking: Key skills: using a spoon and knife Fun with food colours Fruit kebabs Fruity yoghurt |
Cooking: Key skills: using equipment safely using a toaster, blender, microwave
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Cooking: Key skills: following a recipe
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Cooking: Putting it all together! Plan and make a picnic for the beach. Jelly Ice cream sundaes Milkshakes and smoothies
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Forest School: Key Skills: Getting ready for forest school Transitions to different area. Participating in games. Sharing turn taking.
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Forest School: Key skills: transitions Playing games/singing Planting bulbs Planting winter veg Listening to stories. Going for walks around our school. Large scale construction. |
Forest School: Key skills: Use simple tools safely. Singing songs Make a home for an animal. Making dens Bird watching with “big birdwatch” Make bird food. |
Forest School: Key skills: Make a small world farm area. Plant seeds/veg |
Forest School: Key skills Bug hunt Make bug hotel. Outdoor Art Make simple wand |
Forest School: Make a pirate flag. Go pond dipping. Make and go on a pirate treasure hunt. |
SPECIFIC Expressive Arts and Design |
· Creating with Materials · Being Imaginative and Expressive -large scale group art (e.g. designing and building a rocket, train and castle), Jackson Pollock, Matisse -learning to use art tools appropriately -planning, composing and performing topic related sound stories -exploring and playing un-tuned & tuned instruments -role play related to topic -role play to learn life skills |
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Dance: Action songs
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Dance: Action songs Nativity practice |
Dance: Responding to music eg. Freeze, sit down |
Dance: Responding to music eg. Freeze, sit down
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Dance: Dancing with props eg ribbons, instruments
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Dance: Expressive movement |
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Music: Listening & Responding Exploring & Creating with our voices and musical instruments Singing – rhymes and action songs Sharing & performing |
Music: Listening & Responding Exploring & Creating with our voices and musical instruments Singing – rhymes and action songs Sharing & performing |
Music: Listening & Responding Exploring & Creating with our voices and musical instruments Singing – rhymes and action songs Sharing & performing Music from other cultures |
Music: Listening & Responding Exploring & Creating with our voices and musical instruments Singing – rhymes and action songs Sharing & performing |
Music: Listening & Responding Exploring & Creating with our voices and musical instruments Singing – rhymes and action songs Sharing & performing |
Music: Listening & Responding Exploring & Creating with our voices and musical instruments Singing – rhymes and action songs Sharing & performing |
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Sensory Art: Exploring different textures, sensations, colour. |
Sensory Art: Exploring different textures, sensations, colour. |
Sensory Art: Recognising different colours and choosing colours for a purpose. Colour mixing. Exploring and responding to textures and sensations. |
Sensory Art: Recognising different colours and choosing colours for a purpose. Exploring and responding to textures and sensations.
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Sensory Art: Choosing materials for a purpose. Making marks and constructing with a purpose. |
Sensory Art: Choosing materials for a purpose. Making marks and constructing with a purpose.
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The Characteristics of Effective Learning
Playing and Exploring
- finding out and exploring
- playing with what they know
- being willing to have a go
Active Learning
- being involved and concentrating
- keeping on trying
- enjoying achieving what they set out to do
Thinking Creatively and Critically
- having their own ideas
- making links
- working with ideas