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CLICK HERE – Pre-Teaching Vocabulary Guidance
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CLICK HERE – PTV Training PowerPoint
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CLICK HERE – PTV Resources (Pip St. John)
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CLICK HERE – PTV Resource Page (Blog)
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In the Words Up key messages, Be Careful With Questions, is one of the key messages which can support children’s language development through adult/child interaction.
Within the training practitioners explore the concept of balancing questions with comments to support interactions, enabling adults to model new language in context for children and provide the opportunity for children to respond to the comments which adults make.
As part of the Verbal Reasoning and Abstract Thinking resources, guidance has been created to support practitioners in ‘Making Comments‘.
Over the summer, the Handwriting – Foundations and Building Blocks guidance on the blog was developed. This includes information for early years practitioners and those in the early stages of school to support children’s movement and coordination skills through to early letter formation. When supporting children’s motor development, we recommend practitioners engage with this information and the resources included within.
Before children are explicitly taught how to form the letters of the alphabet, it is recommended that they develop the pencil control concepts which underpin handwriting. Teachers in early primary can assess children’s pencil control skills using the pencil control screen and plan for pencil control development using the ideas from the Pencil Control Concepts Toolkit.
At the first round of local networks in August and September we explored:
1. The Pencil Control Screen and Accompanying Picture/ Resource Book
At the networks practitioners shared how and when they feel they may use the pencil control screen. The pencil control screen has been developed between education and occupational therapy to provide an overview for practitioners of children’s strengths and areas for development in the seven pencil control concepts of: shape formation, shape manipulation, directionality, fluidity of movement, fine motor skills, pressure control and pencil grip. Some possible ways in which practitioners identified they may use the pencil control screen are:
The seven sections of the screen can be used independently. Teachers can use their professional judgement as to how best to use the screen to inform their short and medium term planning.
2. The Pencil Control Resource Toolkit
For each of the seven pencil control concepts there is a resource with suggested activities to support the development of the skill. This is done initially through thinking-looking-doing activities, and then further consolidated with a pencil. Practitioners identified different ways they may use the pencil control resource toolkit:
Pencil control concepts are the different aspects which underpin the way in which you hold and manoeuvre the pencil on the page in a purposeful manner. Before children are explicitly taught how to form the letters of the alphabet, it is recommended that they develop the pencil control concepts which underpin handwriting. Teachers in early primary can assess children’s pencil control skills using the pencil control screen and plan for pencil control development using the ideas from this Pencil Control Concepts Toolkit.|
CLICK HERE – Pencil Control Screen Accompanying Picture Book |
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The pencil control screen can be used with school aged children to identify strengths and gaps in pencil control skills. It is recommended this is completed by the child’s class teacher to help inform their planning of learning, teaching and assessment in pencil control development. |
The pencil control screen accompanying picture book should be used alongside the screen. |
The pencil control screening tracker can be used to input the information from the pencil control screen at a cohort level, supporting practitioners’ planning of learning, teaching and assessment in pencil control development. |
