CURRICULUM PLANNING

TEMPLATES&

EXAMPLES

Long-term PlanningSiolta’s standards and the Aistear National Curriculum Framework guides our practice, through positive consultation with parents, family and the community, we aim to promote each child’s sense of identity and well-being. Through our knowledge and understanding of how children learn and develop, we facilitate each child to share and communicate their ideas, whilst they explore and problem-solve through meaningful play experiences.

Using the 4 themes of Aistear we encourage each child to be confident and competent learners:

1. Exploring & Thinking: Supporting children to make sense of things, places and the people in their world.

2. Communication: Supporting children to share their experiences, thoughts, ideas and feelings with others.

3. Well-being. Supporting children to be confident, happy and healthy individuals

4. Identity and Belonging: Supporting children to develop a positive sense of identity where each child feels valued and respected as part of a family and community.

Medium-term Planning

Age Group:

General Developmental Goals:

Festivals/ Celebrations:

Interest – based Projects:

Aistear is reflected in our weekly curriculum planning

State time period:

Daily Curriculum Plan

Time Activities Dev. Benefits Links with Aistear

Short-term Activity PlanningMonday ../../14 Tuesday ../../14 Wednesday ../../14 Thursday../../14 Friday ../../14

Schema/Interest observedBugs & Insects

Schema/Interest observedBugs & Insects

Schema/Interest observedBugs & Insects

Seasonal Celebration Getting ready for Easter

Seasonal CelebrationEaster Egg Hunt

Aistear Links: C, A 4, LG, 1 & 3

Aistear Links Aistear Links: Aistear Links: Aistear Links:

ActivityBugs & Insects: Looking at bugs and insects outside with the magnifying glass.

ActivityBugs & Insects: Outdoor and arts & crafts activity; building houses for the bugs & insects.

ActivityBugs & Insects: Finding out about the living habits of the spider, centipede & worm. Using videos, books, internet etc.

ActivityGetting ready for Easter Egg Hunt – preparing clues, map making, cutting out egg shapes etc…

Activity

Extension Ideas: Going outdoors and building house/huts for the bugs & insects using junk & natural material.

Extension IdeasResearch project: Finding out more about the s the spider, centipede & worm.

Extension Ideas;Group Learning Story;Putting together our learning story about bugs & insects – what we have learned?

Extension IdeasInclude an obstacle type course

Extension Ideas

Week No: Age group:

Weekly Project and Activity Plan (Short-term Planning)

What will we do this week?

Remember to include: Songs, Music, Movement, Constructive Play, Arts & Crafts, Pretend Play, Sensory Play, Physical Activity & Cooking

Wk 1: .09./.09./14…. Activity Learning Goals Link with Aistear Resources needed What could we do next?

MondayActivity/Project Idea:

All About Me

Looking in the mirror and talking about what we see. Drawing a self portrait

Self awareness, language, understanding differences and similarities in people.

Theme: Identity & Belonging.

Aim:Learning Goal:

Mirror, A picture of themselves: using sensory materials, wool, crayons, pasta etc.

Favourite ThingsWhat I like? What I don’t like?

TuesdayActivity/Project Idea:

All About Me

My favourite things to do and eat. What I don’t like… Cut out pictures from a magazine; Make a collage or Scrap Book.

WednesdayActivty/Project Idea:

All About MeThursdayActivity/Project Idea:

All About MeFridayActivity/Project Idea:

All About Me

Weekly Project and Activity Plan (Short-term Planning)

What will we do this week?

Remember to include: Songs, Music, Movement, Constructive Play, Arts & Crafts, Pretend Play, Sensory Play, Physical Activity & Cooking

Wk 1: ../../…. Activity Learning Goals Link with Aistear Resources needed What could we do next?

Monday

Activity/Project Idea:

. Theme: Aim:

Learning Goal:

Tuesday

Activity/Project Idea:

Wednesday

Activty/Project Idea:

Thursday

Activity/Project Idea:

Friday

Activity/Project Idea:

Short-term Activity Planning

Monday ../../.. Tuesday ../../.. Wednesday ../../.. Thursday ../../.. Friday ../../..

Interestbased/dev.goals/ seasonal celebration.

Interestbased/dev.goals/ seasonal celebration.

Interestbased/dev.goals/ seasonal celebration.

Interestbased/dev.goals/ seasonal celebration.

Interestbased/dev.goals/ seasonal celebration.

Aistear Links: Aistear Links Aistear Links: Aistear Links: Aistear Links:

Activity Activity Activity Activity Activity

Extension Ideas: Extension Ideas

Extension Ideas; Extension Ideas Extension Ideas

Week No: Age group:

Documenting and Displaying the Learning Process

Notes to remember: Take photographs of the activity. Observe and take brief notes detailing the children’s interest and conversations.

An example of how you could display the children’s work and learning

Activity: Being Constructive

“Digging & Building”

Aistear Links: ET, A 2, LG, 1 &4. C, A 2, LG, 3

What did we learn?

We used our fine motor skills to pick up objects and construct buildings.

We problem-solved – we visualised, planned and created.

We learned about how much our digger could carry.

We learned mathematical concepts: height, weight, size and composition.

We learned about different textures, using natural materials

Children’s Conversations & Observed Play:

Include comments the children made or observational notes about their play.

Children’ Conversations

“Look, the big truck doesn’t fit but the small truck fits on the digger”

Observations

The children really enjoyed transporting objects back and forth, especially when the natural materials were introduced.

Extension Ideas: What we could do next….

We could develop & extend the construction area in the playroom – add natural materials & miniatures (lollipop sticks, play dough, trailers, big & small bricks etc)

Photo:

Learning RecordChild’s Name:_________________ Date of observation: …../..…/..…

Signed:_______________________ Date: ___________________________.

Describe

What does it mean?

What could we do next to extend the learning?

The Role of the Adult

Listening, observing

Open-ended questions (“I wonder…What happens…..let the child have ownership over their ideas)

Descriptive language: extends their understanding, learning and language skills, inflection in voice - interested (Assimilation & Accommodation).

Encouragement & support

Enthusiasm (tone of voice)

Could you add something to extend the learning – suggest? – “I wonder”…

Remember some of the scaffolding stages (they will help – for example: simplify the task, reduce frustration (perhaps model a solution- demonstration – ask for help from the child) marking critical features.

Reflecting/Mirroring what the child is doing: make it meaningful (similar to parallel play.

“Encourage possibility thinking”