NQT EYFS/KS1 1st Interview- Help please!

[lauraann1991]

Hi Everyone, I am new to this forum and I am looking for some guidance for my 1st teaching interview, it is on Thursday coming. The post is a full time maternity cover for Early years (Nursery/Reception) and Year 1 and Year 2. It is a very small school 5 children within early years and 20 in total in years 1 and 2.

I received the details of my teaching activity today and it says " using a story of your choice, show how you would use that story to develop a short literacy lesson for Years 1 & 2 and Early Years. Expect to spend 20 mins with Years 1 and 2 and 10 minutes with Early Years. On this occasion you will not have teaching assistant support".

The teaching activity is due to start at 11.30 and finish and 12.00 then straight into dinner time, so cannot run over.

So within the timings it does not give time for introducing the story which i thought was strange?

My initial ideas were something around the Gruffalo but do not want it to be a 'safe' lesson plus the Gruffalo is quite along story and can't just assume all the children know this?

So I have now started looking around the idea of 'My Granny went to Market' it is a story about a grandma who flies around the world on her magic carpet buying different things and it also incorporates numbers throughout the story. Mathematics cross-curricular is one of the schools ofsted targets. I was thinking of bringing in a 'Magic Carpet' and getting the children to sit on? or around it? whilst i read the story. Then getting the children to think about their own Magic carpet journey

Have an activity set up for EYFS and the children are to create their own magic carpet using coloured rectangular card for 20 mins .Give the children a selection of paper shapes and strips
to decorate their magic carpet. They could add sequins and glitter too. And have written on the back “On my
magic carpet I will fly to”…….and get children to answer, completing the sentence (This to be done in the 10 mins EYFS input)

and for Yr1/2 to have different ability talk boxes with different places in them the children are to engage in a speaking and listening activity taking it in turns to chose a place out of the box and discuss what it would be like there? what would they see, hear, do, buy? and the children are to chose one of these places and to do a short piece of writing.
Plenary children to share their work as a class?


Sorry for writing so much and for it being a bit of a blab, i'm still in the initial thoughts process

Any help would be great.

Thanks,
Laura

[lauraann1991]

Any ideas? Anyone? please.
Would be a great help, i just need others opinions of what will work.

[Ferguson]

Hi Laura -

Only just seen yr 'post', so no time reply tonight, but will try and come back tomorrow.

[lauraann1991]

Thank you Ferguson!

[pollypocket123]

Get on TES primary forum! Loads of ideas there.
I think your ideas are lovely and relevant but you won't have long! I'd choose a story that'll take 5 mins max to read, discuss it, then get them to write qs to a character before sharing them/asking for possible responses etc. Good luck.

[Ferguson]

As 'pp123' says, you will probably be dismayed to find how quickly a half hour will go!

I think in a task such as this, it is not so much the 'educational' value of the lesson that is important, as the way you interact with, and control the group, keeping the children entertained and happy!

I didn't know the Granny story, but just looked it up. You might need to adapt it, to keep it as short as possible, and limit the number of places the carpet flies to, and the objects collected.

Young children sometimes don't have much concept of 'other countries'; anything outside their own town being considered foreign.

Using 'props' and objects is a great way to keep children engaged, so, Yes, sitting on the carpet should stimulate their ideas.

Watch out for the 'chatty madam' who wants to monopolize your lesson, and try to subdue her enthusiasm. Conversely, if there are shy, quiet ones try to coax something from them, but don't pressure them so that they dissolve in floods of tears!

[Thirty years ago, when I first helped in a primary school to coach children playing percussion for a Christmas production, I put a bit of pressure on a girl I KNEW could do what I was asking, but she wasn't producing. She cried, and of course, I felt awful. The rest of the group said: "Don't worry, she ALWAYS does that!]

[When our own child started school, I became a 'parent helper', supporting reading one morning a week. One of my first 'readers' turned up again seventeen years later, when she was in her final year of Teacher Training. Our roles were reversed, and SHE needed to direct ME in the classroom.]

I don't know if you can 'learn' the story, so you can tell it without reading, and thus keep an eye on the children. Have the book there, to show them pictures, and try to make sure they can all see them.

You may not have time for this, but I often suggest making a 'deliberate mistake'. Children love thinking they have caught an adult out, and you can act mock embarrassment.

A brilliant head teacher I once worked under, unexpectedly had to take a Reception class after their lunch break. The children were very restless, and without saying a word, she calmly sat there, and slowly tore up pieces of paper, dropping them on the floor, until she had all the children's attention and complete silence!

I assume you have worked with this age range before.

Try and relax, and ENJOY it; chances are, if you are enjoying it, the children will be too.

Come back it you need any clarification on anything.

[belle0712]

Hi Polly and Ferguson. Thank you for your advice, I feel a lot more confident now and I am going to act the story out using props:)

Thanks again,
Laura