Next project??????

I know that I am probably not alone in this thought that there is always an area of the classroom that will need revision/ updating or a complete overhaul. I have two at the moment- the art area and the language shelves.

The art area is always a thorn in my side- I change it and then decide that I want it even better BUT what I want to change is out of my control so, I guess I should accept that and stop wishing for what can't be (for the time being anyway).

Now for the Language shelves. About a year ago I changed the way in which the language materials, in particular the Sand Paper Letters were presented to the children. When I took over the running of my classroom all of the letters were taught one after the other without any specific order. I don't know about the children but I found this exceptionally tedious and never felt like the children were getting anywhere. Then due to my training I was taught how to group the sounds for maximum learning and progression.

In 2007 the DFES introduced Letters and Sounds, which is resource used by Primary Schools to teach and develop children's speaking, listening and reading skills using phonics. Now, I know what you are thinking- if it was introduced in 2007, how come I am only changing things now? Well, I only heard about this resource from another teacher visiting my setting last year and she recommended having a look to see if there were any games that I could make use of. To be completely honest I didn't even look into it for quite some time as the method we were using worked beautifully for us and as they say- if it isn't broke, then why fix it?

Why have I changed my mind?
I want what is best for the children and what will give them the best chance of success when they leave for school. If they are going to be taught with this method in their Reception year and I can make use of it now then, in the long run they will be more successful. Thankfully it will not mean a great deal of change to how we do things at present, especially as being phonic based it works along the same principles as the Montessori Method.

What do I need to do?
There are a few things that I will need to do and some things that I would like to do.
1) The groups of letters will need to be rearranged into smaller groups.
2) There will need to be more more games both pre-language and phonic based.
3) I would like to find more objects to be used with games such as I spy and with the Large Moveable Alphabet.
4) To purchase a reading scheme that has the appropriate level of progression for the children. The ones we have at present are old, incomplete sets and don't really match with what the children are being taught.

There are probably more things that I would like to do as I start making changes but I think this is enough to get me started at the moment, especially as it all has to be done in my own time.