4 year-oldsUnit 4: The Jumble Sale
EVALUATION RESULTS(99/00)
1- Were the activities suitable for them? If not, Why?
Yes (48.38%)Quite a lot (40.32%)So-so (5.64%)
2- Which has been the most motivating activity? Why?
Toy shop (46.77%): They enjoy buying things, using money ..., they play a “real”
game.(2) They liked it a lot because they wanted to take part in the game and to buy a lot of toys. They wanted to bring something home. Because they wanted to buy the toy the first day. They liked playing (buying) and using the money. They take active part and have different roles. They practise several activities: cut, stick…They liked to use money. The liked to choose toys, stick them. They liked buying a toy and taking it home. They also loved to have foreign money. They loved going to the shop handling money, having something to take at the end. They really enjoyed playing with money and deciding how much each toy was.
Games (45.96%): They liked the mask, changing the place for the session and because they like playing. It’s fun. They had a really good time playing them. They loved the games and being out of the classroom. They like movement and these games require a lot of it. Because they like to participate actively.
Bubbles (33.06%): They appear so excited. They liked it a lot. It’s fun.Because they didn’t expect it. They found it very enjoyable. Children enjoy pretending and playing with bubbles. They loved touching the bubbles with different parts of the body.
Craft (30.64%):They like taking it at home (2) They like doing things. It´s different from the other activities. The mouse was very funny for them. They liked it a lot. Because the children saw the mouse when they learnt the song and all of them wanted to make one. Because it was easy to make. They like producing things and taking them home. They were happy with the results.
Jack in the box (20.96%):Very active, different ways to take part. They enjoyed playing with the big box.
It’s very funny and easy to learn. They wanted to do one for themselves. Because
it is something that appears and disappears and they can take part actively using
a big box.
Rhyme mouse (13.70%) : They like to sing those songs and do all the gestures. They liked to hide the
mouse under the jumper, behind their heads and make it appear. It is a really
sweet activity with the mouse coming out of somewhere in your body to say
“Hello!”
3- And the least one? Why?
Nothing (33.06%): All the activities can be motivating if you show them properly, but
sometimes it is no easy.
Toy graph (12.90%):It gets too long with groups of 25 students. They are large groups
and it took too long to complete the activity so that they felt a
little bit bored by the end. Everybody had everything and we had to write down long lists of names. They got bored. Each st had more than one toy at home, so the activity lasted too long. It was quite long and I think some of them didn’t understand the question. They didn’t understand the situation.
Toy shop (10.48%): They can’t do it in one session and they are making mice while the other students are buying the objects. They didn’t understand why they were doing that. I suppose it’s because they never did it before. Because it was difficult to go one by one, they were fighting to get the best toys. It’s complicated with so many sts.
Craft (9.67%): Because it was too difficult for them. Children need a lot of help
and it becomes stressing for the teacher. Because some of them are not very good at it. Too difficult. A mess. Too much time.
4-Was the material used in the unit (for the teacher) useful /complicated to use?
Useful : Yes (75.80%)Quite a lot (16.12%) So-so (4.83%) No (2.41%)
-Because most of them motivated children a lot.
-Because everything was well explained and the graphs of the mouse and “Jack in the box” were clear to be done.
-Useful and attractive though it takes time to prepare things.
-With the material of the diskettes I had less work. It’s a good idea to have all the songs recorded in a tape.
-Very good material, but so many activities that sessions are not real in timing.
-We have learnt new activities and songs that can be used in other levels.
-Because it helped the children get into the topic.
-Well prepared, it has the usual difficulty of a new activity.
-It was very useful, many handcrafts to take home.
-Because I have been able to use it with no difficulty.
-It was easy to prepare.
Complicated : Yes (1.16%) Quite a lot (8.87%) So-so (15.32) No (25.80%)
-Some sts found it difficult to cut the mouse’s ears and the teacher had to prepare
everything while doing it.
-We needed too much time to prepare it.
-With 23 sts we have to go to the playground for the games.
-Building a toy shop with 24 children has been very difficult. I like the games we played but it is difficult to find a place big enough to play them.
-Some problems with silhouettes and booklets.
-Making a shop takes time, making two is even more time-consuming, of course.
5-
Did the students participate actively?
All of them (38.70%)Most of them (54.03%)Some of them (0.80%)
6-
Which of the activities has supposed a challenge for the students?
Toy shop (31.45%): Having to use “here you are” in another context (a shop). Some of them used it
instantly realising very fast that it was a proper context to use it. Using the
dialogue in the shop in general, but they wanted to get their toy and it challenged them. Before shopping they decided how much each toy was and it supposed a lot of work for them. When they were shopping they had to think how much was £ 15, I mean £10 and £5. The elder ones (4-5) acted out the shop assistant role and they had to think about the money to give back to the customer. Because they had to repeat the questions.
Craft (24.19%):Fine motor skills are developed. It was a little bit difficult to fold the paper. It was difficult for them. They needed a lot of help. The sts couldn’t fold and cut the mouse.
Shopping (13.70%):They had to choose one among all the toys and then they had to think about how much it cost. They buy only one (they have to choose) and they have to think about how much it is. They didn’t know how to use the money and they didn’t know all the names of the toys. They realised that they needed money to buy the toys and everybody asked for it, we talked about Euros too.
Toy graph (8.06%)
No answer (6.45%)
7-Other comments
-In general it has been a very successful unit in which they have had a lot of fun.
-“The cat chases the mouse” is not an easy game at the beginning because sts of 4 or 3 don’t understand very well that the sts that are at home can run towards the cat while this is saying the rhyme and that they have to stop when “it” turns round. And if they have been seen moving, they must go back “home”. After playing it 3 or 4 times they managed quite well and enjoyed it. Even the 3 year-olds were able to learn the game’s rhyme.
-Maybe this has been the unit where the story and the activities were best suited to the children so far.
-A lot of activities to do that takes too much time.
-Nice unit.
-They´ve enjoyed a lot working in corners. They´ve worked in 4 different corners (during 4 sessions): ART, make a toy-mouse; PLASTICINE, make a toy; DRAWING, colour & cut a toy from the story; BLACKBOARD/GAMES/READING corner.
-I don´t know how the TOY SHOP worked
-Making a toy (I finished a little bit fed up making so many mice with the students).
-They loved buying in the TOY SHOP . I repeated it twice; during 2 sessions they bought toys.
-I think that activities should be finished in one day. I didn´t like preparing the shop at all; it´s too much job for so few results. At the end I got noise and pupils everywhere or playing or kicking because I had to stay in the shop with the helper and the buyer telling them the dialogue.
-The activity buying toys with 4 year-old children has been difficult because they won´t be a long time without taking part in the activity waiting for other child to do it. It has been difficult to do it one by one.
-I think the craft “mouse” is not a very suitable activity for them (2).
-Very successful UNIT.
-They have been very motivated because of the toys. Some of them brought some toys to the classroom and we made a “real” toy shop.
-I made the mouse nose with plasticine.
-They were very surprised when we went to the playground.
-I was afraid about “bubbles” day but it was OK.
-No puedo contar con el apoyo de las tutoras para nada.
-I like the activities but I feel as if I am stirring up the children giving them too many things to interiorize. I would like to create a relaxing atmosphere and sometimes I feel overwhelming by the activities I have to make in such short sessions (they are not really half an hour sessions, children have to put on the overall, come in late from the break time etc.).
-There is a great difference in the way they work, between 4 and 5 years old children.
-The crafts (Jack in the box and plasticine toys) were very difficult for them. Toys are something close to them. They liked also using real toys.
-The activity “catch the bubbles” was a bit messy and dangerous because the children got very excited and they began pushing each other, bumping into each other, standing on them…so we decided to make it shorter.
-The games were really successful.
-It has been a little bit complicated to prepare the toy shop.
-I think this unit has been the most enjoyable for students.
-Money concepts are difficult for them; for example, to explain about price cards because they didn´t understand and they were not able to write the numbers in right position.
-It takes longer than expected when I work on sessions. I think I need to work on some of the tasks (songs, rhymes, dialogues) so that sts get them.
-This unit is perfect for just after Christmas or even before.
-I think it is quite complicated to do some activities with some children.
-When buying in the toy shop, if the group is very big it takes a lot of time and some pupils get bored.
-There was a lot of free time while I was doing the mice with the different groups.
-Maybe this has been the most motivating unit because all the activities, rhymes, story… were very attractive.
-The craft was very difficult for 4 year-olds.
-It has been nicer than the others because I haven’t been colouring flashcards.
-Shopping was difficult at first but at the end they liked it a lot.
-The craft was a good activity but too complicated for them.
-I did the craft in only one session. I prepared the square with lines to fold and cut in advance.
-Difficult to control afternoon sessions. I hardly have time to learn the rhymes and songs by heart.
-I don’t know if some of the sts understood these activities: the toy shop, the game “the cat chases the mouse”, the toy graph. Anyway, all of them participated in the 3 activities. The activity “Let’s make a toy” is very difficult for 4 year-olds.
-About buying things at the toy shop: they don’t understand the real meaning of money.
-En general ha sido una unidad que les ha gustado mucho.
-They all learnt very well the “One little cheeky mouse” song.
-Very bad time of the year to get a toy catalogue.
-All the children wanted to be the shop assistant. On the other hand with the game “the cat chases the mouse” they felt a bit lost. One session wasn’t enough to get into the dynamics. Furthermore, in the “toy graph” activity it wasn’t possible to write their names and we used the stickers instead.
1
Eusko Jaurlaritza. Hezkuntza Saila. Ingelesaren Sarrera Goiztiarra. Haur Hezkuntzako 2. Ziklorako materialak.