Overview of learning 12

Example of mathematics planning and resourcing 12

What we want children to learn (Development matters)

Objectives in bold refer to Early Learning Goals.

Mathematics objectives

Use everyday words to describe position

Using and applying mathematics

Use developing mathematical ideas and methods to solve practical problems

Related Early Learning Goals

Interact with others, negotiating plans and activities and taking turns in conversation (CLL)
Find out about and identify the uses of everyday technology and use information and communication technology and programmable toys to support their learning (KUW)

Possible contexts

Use remote control vehicles or programmable toys in an outdoor roadway and car park.
Create a 'treasure hunt' by making up a parcel or use a soft toy and hide it in the outdoor area. Use positional words as clues. Extend the activity by drawing maps of where the treasure was found.
Use groups of children in a large space and encourage them to follow instructions that describe position, direction and movement.
Use 'small world' play, particularly in a house or farm context, for example using the room structure to describe where people or animals are located.
Resource an outdoor area with bricks and recycled boxes and encourage the children to build a town structure. Introduce 'small world' figures and discuss where they could be positioned. Develop the activity by introducing a 'position spinner' labelled 'under', 'over', 'next to', 'behind', 'in front', 'between' to decide where the figures should be put.
Exploit opportunities within the group. For example: who is sitting next to you, behind or in front of you?
Use the location of resources in the setting, for example 'on' the shelves, 'in' cupboards, the bricks go 'on top' of one another.
Use games which have mazes and tracks, possibly drawn in the outdoor space, for example a track around the outdoor play space.
Use stories, songs and rhymes such as Rosie's Walk, Bear Hunt and Where's Spot?.
Encourage children to make their own books or models with flaps or separate sections.
Role-play with large blocks and materials.

Example of adult-led activity

Context: Roadways

Help the children to make a path between blocks to create roadways for their remote control vehicles. Support their ideas and help them work collaboratively to develop the roadways. Suggest that there could be a car park at one end. Model the use of positional language. For example: shall I put this block on top of this one? Can you fit one behind to make it stronger? They may wish to add a local building or incorporate photographs from the local environment.

Ask the children if they can drive safely down the roads to the car park. In the car park, encourage their use of positional language. For example: can you park next to the blue car? There are so many cars, will any more fit behind, in front?

Ask the children to be the car park attendants helping people to park their cars. Support the children in giving instructions to each other to park their cars so that they all fit in the car park.

Adult role

Plan games with transport and outdoor equipment to support the use of positional language.
Model the use of positional language by using descriptions to help locate objects, for example: can you find the pens that are behind the blocks?
Use books, stories and rhymes to introduce language of position, and use appropriate questioning to encourage children to describe the position of objects.
Exploit opportunities for noticing position in the environment that happen spontaneously, for example where things are hidden in a sand pit, where to find outdoor equipment or where to see their friends or other members of staff.
Use photographs, pictures and patterns from magazines as stimulus and describe the language of position.
Set challenges such as encouraging children to describe to each other where things are located.
Model the use of appropriate language such as 'position', 'over', 'under', 'above', 'below', 'top', 'bottom', 'side', 'on', 'in', 'outside', 'inside', 'around', 'in front', 'behind', 'front', 'back', 'before', 'after', 'beside', 'next to', 'opposite', 'apart', 'between', 'middle', 'edge', 'corner', 'direction', 'left', 'right', 'up', 'down', 'forwards', 'backwards', 'sideways', 'across', 'close', 'far', 'near', 'along', 'through', 'to', 'from', 'towards', 'away from', 'movement', 'slide', 'roll', 'turn', 'stretch', 'bend'.

Opportunities for children to explore and apply

Be a robot and ask children to give you instructions to get to somewhere. Let them have a turn at being the robot for you to give instructions to.
Use positional language when creating scenes in software on the computer or on an interactive whiteboard. For example in designing a park: are you going to put the bench in front of the swings? Have you hidden the child behind the tree?
Use positional language in 'small world' play. For example using farm animals with small blocks: shall we hide the sheep inside the barn? Look it's on top of the roof. Cover your eyes and encourage the children to tell you where the animals are.
Hide an object and say that the children have to ask where it is without moving. For example: is it under the tree? Is it behind the shed? When a child gets it right they hide the object and everyone else guesses.

Adult role

Plan games with transport and outdoor equipment to support the use of positional language.
Model the use of positional language by using descriptions to help locate objects. For example: can you find the pens that are behind the blocks?
Use books, stories and rhymes to introduce language of position, and use appropriate questioning to encourage children to describe the position of objects.
Provide photographs and selections of pictures and patterns from magazines as a stimulus in the graphics area.
Provide mark-making equipment and large paper for children to draw maps and plans that represent their homes, their way to the setting or their position in the outdoor area.
Model the use of appropriate language such as 'position', 'over', 'under', 'above', 'below', 'top', 'bottom', 'side', 'on', 'in', 'outside', 'inside', 'around', 'in front', 'behind', 'front', 'back', 'before', 'after', 'beside', 'next to', 'opposite', 'apart', 'between', 'middle', 'edge', 'corner', 'direction', 'left', 'right', 'up', 'down', 'forwards', 'backwards', 'sideways', 'across', 'close', 'far', 'near', 'along', 'through', 'to', 'from', 'towards', 'away from', 'movement', 'slide', 'roll', 'turn', 'stretch', 'bend'.

Look, listen and note

How do children find items from positional or directional clues? For example: Bahar said to the practitioner, 'I came from my cousin's house today. We had to come round the park and past the shops.'

Assessment opportunities

During everyday activities, observe how children spontaneously use the language of position. For example: Harriet said, 'Our dog sleeps under the radiator.'
Note when a child uses the language of position in everyday play, for example 'the sheep is behind the cow.'
Are children able to follow instructions in physical activities? For example: can they find a place which is 'under'?
Through the use of programmable toys, can children demonstrate their understanding of position, direction and movement? For example: Danny is using the pixie and notices that it is going forward under the table.
Do the children use the language of position in everyday play? For example: the sheep is behind the cow.
Are children able to describe how thing are stored on shelves in the classroom or in a cupboard? For example: the felt pens are under/on top of/next to the books.
Can children describe position accurately, for example where the stapler is?
Can they respond successfully to questions such as 'Can you explain how you found it?' or 'Can you describe which way you went?'
Are they able to record their position or movement with practical equipment or drawings?