I have the honour of working in a school that embraces play. Including play in the school day is beneficial to all. It adds joy to the classroom and can relieve stress. Playful learning makes the practice of a skill or strategy delightful. Playful hands-on learning increases engagement and interest throughout the school day.
My students are working on building foundational skills in both literacy and numeracy. I intentionally include activities and learning opportunities that focus on these two areas throughout our day. I also integrate the outcomes of our science, social, arts and health curriculums through our whole group meetings through read-alouds and discussion.
Current Playful Learning Schedule – Morning
My school operates on a modified time schedule. This is our current schedule and I will change as needed throughout the school year.
8:45 to 9:20 Breakfast and Outside Play (this is optional for families – school officially starts at 9:20)
9:20 to 10:00 ABC/123 Time Children select from various literacy and numeracy activities. This time is free-flowing and children complete an activity and then select another. Some children will repeat the activity and others will do it once. Some activities are designed to be played by one child and others can have two children working at the same time. During this time, I touch base with children and work with individuals or small groups on targeted skills.
10:00 Whole Class Meeting Time This is our first literacy block. Minilessons include Phonological Awareness Activities, Phonics, Shared Reading and a Morning Message
10:15 Small Group Learning Time Children are grouped according to strengths and areas of growth. They work through a series of playful literacy activities with an adult leader.
10:35 Transition to Play and Learn Time Children meet back in whole group for a quick review of a literacy concept and then transition to play and learn time. Play and learn time is a free-choice time of the various centres and activities in the classroom such as blocks, dramatic play, small world play, creating and painting. As children play, I engage and integrate literacy and numeracy learning into the play for example, during the creation of a store – I support students in making signs and labels for the items.
11:10 Whole Class Meeting Time This is our numeracy block. Children’s literature and/or a minilesson are used to introduce / practice and consolidate a numeracy topic. Follow up activities might include an individual task, small group task or whole group activity.
11:30 Transition to Play and Learn Time
Afternoon Schedule
12:00 Outside Recess Break
12:15 to 12:45 Lunch (school provided or children may bring their own lunch)
12:45 to 1:45 Specialist led Classes for Days 1 to 4 (Indigenous Education, Wellness and Physcial Education). Day 5 The children are with me and we do a deep dive into a science, social or health topic.
1:45 to 2:30 School provided snack break and Transition to Play and Learn Time
2:30 to 3:00 Whole Class Literacy Meeting and Small Group Learning Time Similar to our morning literacy block, we will have a ten minute targeted mini-lesson followed by differentiated groups led by adult leaders. I am fortunate to have push in teacher support during two blocks of our day that allow the children to receive targeted literacy intervention.
3:00 ABC / 123 Time Children select from literacy and numeracy activities
3:15 Last Whole Group Meeting – Read-aloud story and closing circle
3:25 Dismissal
Our days are busy and the children are engaged in many hands-on playful learning opportunities. Joyful learning throughout our day.
Happy Learning,
Lynda
