S E S S I O N 4

ABC ACADEMYCURRICULUM COURSE

PLANNING GROUP TIMES

• Small and large group times are adult initiated• They are planned and set in motion by the adult

• Present an opportunity to introduce various concepts, activities, and materials to children

• Group times also offer special social opportunities• During the child-initiated parts of the routine, children can

choose how solitary or sociable they wish to be working…

• By themselves

• With a friend or adult

• Or with a group

• Children who usually chose to play alone during other parts of the day are able to work alongside others during group times

SMALL GROUP TIME

• Guiding principles for planning successful small

group times• As you choose learning materials for small group experiences,

consider what you know about the interests and developing

abilities of the children in your classroom

• To accommodate the needs and interests of children in your

small group, choose materials that may be used in a variety of

ways

• Have back-up materials ready

SMALL GROUP TIME

• Use the setting of small group time as an opportunity to

introduce new materials or to revisit old materials the children

appear to have lost interest in

• During children’s explorations observe to see what their actions

tell you about the value of the materials and how you might

later use them in the classroom

• As you plan particular small group activities, consider the time of

year, how long the children have been together as a group,

and the experiences they’ve already had with the materials you

would be providing

SMALL GROUP TIME

• Sources of ideas for small group times

• Planning around children’s interests

• Planning around new materials

• Planning around the HighScope Key Developmental

Indicators

• Planning around the COR items & data

• Planning around community experiences

SMALL GROUP TIME

• The mechanics:

• Choose a consistent time and place for your small group to

gather

• Keep the membership of your group constant for a period

of several months of time

• Have materials ready before the group begins, and keep

your introduction to these materials brief

• Think beforehand about the individual children in your

group and how they may react to the materials

• Have available a safe and consistent alternative activity for

children who do not want to participate in small group time

• Focus your energies on maintaining an active learning

experience for all children

SMALL GROUP TIME

• Supporting children during their small group

explorations

• Stay on the children’s physical level

• Observe the things that children do with the materials

• Carefully listen to what children say

• Give attention to each child

• Do the same things children do

SMALL GROUP TIME

• Have conversations with children, being sure to let them lead the way

• Resist the urge to do things for children

• Ask questions sparingly

• Stay flexible as you conduct small group activities, allowing children to explore materials in their own ways and following their cures about the direction of the activity (be sure to establish safe and reasonable limits for their behaviors and actions

• Help children make the transition from the end of small group time to the beginning of the next part of your daily routine

LARGE GROUP TIME

• Large group times provide• Common experiences

• A sense of community

• Group membership/leadership opportunities

• Occasions for group problem solving

• Opportunities to introduce new experiences and materials

LARGE GROUP TIME

• Sources of ideas for large group time• Planning around children’s interests

• Planning around new materials

• Planning around the HighScope KDI’s

• Planning around the COR items & data

• Planning around community experiences

LARGE GROUP TIME

• Types of large group activities

• Singing songs, doing finger plays, saying chants and poems

• Stoytelling and reenacting stories and nursery rhymes

• Movement activities with or without music or objects

• Cooperative games or projects

LARGE GROUP TIME

• Mechanics of large group time• Choose a consistent time and place for your large group to

gather

• Have materials ready before the group begins, and keep your

introduction to these materials brief

• Think beforehand about the individual children in your group

and how they may react to the materials

• Have available a safe and consistent alternative activity for

children who do not want to participate in large group time

• Focus your energies on maintaining an active learning

experience for all children

LARGE GROUP TIME

• Supporting children during their large group explorations• Stay on the children’s physical level

• Observe the things that children do with the materials

• Carefully listen to what children say

• Do the same things children do

• Have conversations with children, being sure to let them lead the way

LARGE GROUP TIME

• Resist the urge to do things for children

• Ask questions sparingly

• Stay flexible as you conduct large group activities, allowing children to explore materials in their own ways and following their cues about the direction of the activity (be sure to establish safe and reasonable limits for their behaviors and actions)

• Help children make the transition from the end of large group time to the beginning of the next part of your daily routine

RESOURCES AVAILABLE

• 100 Small Group Time Activities

• 100 Large Group Time Activities

• 30 Days of Lesson Planning

• Planning Around Children’s Interests

EXAMPLES OF GROUP TIMES

• Please refer to your handouts

• Use one blank Group Time Planning Form to take notes

while watching the video examples

EXAMPLES OF SMALL GROUP TIME

EXAMPLES OF SMALL GROUP TIME

EXAMPLES OF SMALL GROUP TIME

EXAMPLES OF SMALL GROUP TIME

EXAMPLES OF LARGE GROUP TIME

EXAMPLES OF LARGE GROUP TIME

EXAMPLES OF LARGE GROUP TIME

EXAMPLES OF LARGE GROUP TIME

TRY IT OUT

• As a small group at your center, complete another

blank lesson plan form based on one of the video

examples we just watched

• Share with the whole group

• Use the 3rd blank form to in the next week to plan a

small or large group time

• Be prepared to share the outcomes with the group

the next time we meet

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

• Lightbulb Moments

• Which concepts or ideas were new or suddenly made more

sense?

• Big Plans

• What will you do this week to take the next step with the

COR and/or the ASQ?

• Timeline

• What steps will you take to complete and facilitate your plan?

QUESTIONS

WRAP UP

• Evaluation

• Completion Record

• Next two weeks

• 3/25 – aides only

• 4/1 – spring break

• 4/8 – adult child interactions part 1 (everyone)