KS1 Topic: Celebrations Block E: Saying Thank You
Start with the importance of saying thank you for all we are lucky to have, and for the people around us. Learn about festivals that say thank you: Thanksgiving in USA; Harvest Festival in UK and around the world; the Jewish festival Sukkot. Thanking family members (could include Mothering Sunday/Mother’s Day + Fathers’ Day). Choose something or somebody to be grateful for and express your thanks in art - make labels and a gallery; invite an audience in to view the work. Learn about special celebrations in the community and in the wider world. Through a series of exciting activities, discover the different ways we celebrate – and the many different things those celebrations can be about!
Block E: Saying Thank You[7 Sessions] / Main outcome: UW: Understanding of the world
Other outcomes: CL: Communication and Language development
PSED: Personal, social & emotional development
L: Literacy development EAD: Expressive arts and design
By the end of this block you will have achieved the following outcome / · UW ELG 13 P&C: Chn talk about past and present events in their own lives and in the lives of family members. They know that other chn do not always do the same things, and are sensitive to this. They know about similarities and differences between themselves and others, and among families, communities and traditions.
· CL ELG 1 L&A: Chn listen attentively in a range of situations. They listen to stories, accurately anticipating key events and respond to what they hear with relevant comments, questions or actions. They give their attention to what others say and respond appropriately, while engaged in another activity.
· ELG 2 Understanding: Chn follow instructions involving several ideas or actions. They answer ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions about their experiences and in response to stories or events.
· CL ELG 3 Speaking: Chn express themselves effectively, showing awareness of listeners’ needs. They use past, present and future forms accurately when talking about events that have happened or are to happen in the future. They develop their own narratives and explanations by connecting ideas or events.
· PSED ELG 6 SC&SA: Chn are confident to try new activities, and to say why they like some activities more than others. They are confident to speak in a familiar group, will talk about their ideas, and will choose the resources they need for their chosen activities. They say when they do or do not need help.
· PSED ELG 8 MR: Chn play cooperatively, taking turns with others. They take account of one another’s ideas about how to organise their activity; show sensitivity to others’ needs and feelings; form positive relationships with adults and other chn.
· L ELG 10 W: Chn use their phonic knowledge to write words in ways which match their spoken sounds. They also write some irregular common words. They write simple sentences which can be read by themselves and others. Some words are spelt correctly and others are phonetically plausible.
· EAD ELG 16 EUM&M Chn sing songs, make music and dance and experiment with ways of changing them. Chn safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function.
· EAD ELG 17 BI: Chn use what they have learnt about media and materials in original ways, thinking about uses and purposes. They represent their own ideas, thoughts and feelings through design and technology, art, music, dance, role play and stories.
Session 1 PSED/UW/CL/EAD
Thank you!
Chn share with class teacher the experience of being thanked; they practice saying thank you during the normal school day and begin to think about what and who they are thankful for. / Children will:
· Have an opportunity to talk about how being thanked makes them feel
· Realise the importance of the phrase ‘thank you’; that it is both being polite (good manners) and a feeling of thankfulness/gratitude
· Have opportunities to say thank you to peers and family members
Session 2 PSED/UW/CL/EAD
Thanksgiving in the USA
Learn about the first Pilgrims in North America and the difficulties they faced until helped by indigenous population. Different ways to say Thank You, including British sign language. Turkey craft activities! / Children will:
· Learn British sign language for ‘Thank You’ and to say ‘Thank You’ in other languages
· Engage in activities representing a traditional Thanksgiving Celebration as celebrated in USA; learn something of the significance of this traditional celebration and have opportunities to respond creatively, imaginatively and meaningfully
· Adapt songs about saying ‘Thank You
Session 3 PSED/UW/CL/EAD
Harvest Festival
Puddles the cat is back to share her experience of Harvest. Chn harvest common vegetables & experiment with potato and leaf printing. / Children will:
· Engage in activities representing a traditional Harvest Festival Celebration as celebrated in UK and learn something of the significance of this traditional celebration and have opportunities to respond creatively, imaginatively and meaningfully
· Ask and answer questions about religion and culture as they occur within these experiences
· Adapt ‘Thank You Lord for this New Day’ to include the vegetables they are grateful for
Session 4 EAD/PSED/UW/ CL
Harvest Festival Celebration
Bake bread and cut up vegetables to make soup. ‘Little red hen’ as told by Pie Corbett / Children will:
· Make vegetable soup and bread
· Adapt ‘Thank you lord for this new day’ to include the vegetables they are grateful for
Session 5 EAD/PSED/UW/ CL
Sukkot
Sammy Spider shares his experience of the Festival of Sukkot. Chn help to build a sukkah; make representative Lulav and Etrog to use with poem ‘Sukkot’ by Judith Nicholls. / Children will:
· Engage in activities representing a traditional Jewish Sukkot Festival and learn something of the significance of this traditional celebration and have opportunities to respond creatively, imaginatively and meaningfully
· Ask and answer questions about religion and culture as they occur within these experiences
Session 6 EAD/PSED/UW/CL
Celebrating Family
Incorporate experiences of chn’s families and all who we can be grateful for. / Children will:
· Grow in awareness that other chn do not always do the same things as their families do and develop in understanding that there are similarities and differences between themselves and others, and among families, communities and traditions
· Recognize opportunities to thank family members for all they do
Session 7 EAD/PSED/UW/CL
Thank You Gallery
Make 2D representation of favourite person or thing to say ‘thank you’ for. Arrange as an Art Gallery and invite an audience to view the work. / Children will:
· Create pictures inspired by the work of artist Henri Matisse
· Invite visitors to view and comment on their work
Abbreviations for Objectives Tables
Area of Learning and Development / Aspect / AbbreviationPrime Areas
Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED) / Making relationships
Self-confidence and self-awareness
Managing feelings and behaviour / MR
SC&SA
MF&B
Physical Development (PD) / Moving and handling
Health and self-care / M&H
H&SC
Communication and Language (CL) / Listening and attention
Understanding
Speaking / L&A
U
S
Specific Areas
Literacy (L) / Reading
Writing / R
W
Mathematics (M) / Numbers
Shape, space and measures / N
SS&M
Understanding the World (UW) / People and communities
The World
Technology / P&C
TW
T
Expressive Arts and Design (EAD) / Exploring and using media and materials
Being imaginative / EUM&M
BI
Early Learning Goals are matched withKS1 objectives from the National Curriculum
If you are unsure of any of the pronunciations of words used in this topic, YouTube™ contains a number of pronunciation guides – look at a few for confirmation and practice.
Resources
Session 1
Provided:
You will need: Real thank you card/letter from grateful participant from previous Blocks; Head teacher (HT) primed to enter room to share it with chn; Stickers; Class list for easier note taking during plenary; A1 sheet of stiff paper to start ‘Thank You’ poster.
Session 2
Provided: Information sheet covering List of useful weblinks;
You will need: ‘Thank you’ poster started in Session 1; Free standing globe; Map of the world; Post-it notes; Information books: Thanksgiving Day! Discover Thanksgiving History & Fun Holiday Traditions 2013 by Leanne Annett (available for Kindle); Thanksgiving A Special Celebration 2014 by Gary Dickinson; Resources for crafts (see weblinks); Role play items: large cardboard box (The Mayflower), long pinafores, pilgrim hats, trunk containing household items such as plates, cups, saucepan.
Session 3
Provided:
You will need: ‘Thank You’ poster started in Session 1; A Wet + Windy Harvest for Puddles by Gill Vaisey (Books@Press); Toy Puddles the cat; Christian artefacts and vestments for role play church; Small world farm; Information books about farms and farmers; Driving My Tractor by Jan Dobbins (Barefoot Books); Why is this day special? Harvest Festival by Jillian Powell (Franklin Watts).
Session 4
Provided: Information sheet covering Prayers and Blessings from different religions and cultures.
You will need: ‘Thank you’ poster started in Session 1; A Wet + Windy Harvest for Puddles by Gill Vaisey (Books@Press); Toy Puddles the cat; Christian artefacts and vestments for role play church; Knives, chopping boards, vegetables, peeler; A large saucepan to make vegetable soup; Ingredients for making bread.
Session 5
Provided: Information sheet with Sukkot poem by Judith Nicholls.
You will need: ‘Sammy Spider's First Sukkot’ by Sylvia A Rouss; Spider hand puppet; Materials to construct a sukkah (outside if possible); Fruit and veg to make observational paintings; Green crepe paper, long garden canes (for roof); 3 different types of twigs – date palm branch, myrtle, willow; yellow playdough; Stiff paper for Kippahs; healthy snacks and water.
Session 6
Provided: Information sheet with Thank you song for family members.
You will need: Books: ‘My Dad Is Brilliant’, ‘My Mum Is Fantastic’, ‘My Grandma Is Wonderful’, ‘My Grandpa is Amazing’ by Nick Butterworth; ‘My Mum’, ‘My dad’, My Brother’ by Antony Browne; ‘So Much’, ‘Full, full, full of love’ by Trish Cooke.
Session 7
Provided:
You will need: Examples of work by artist Henri Matisse: cut-outs – ‘Jazz’, ‘The Snail’ ‘Goldfish’ as well as his paintings of people; Coloured paper to cut and tear, scissors, glue, base paper, felt tip pens, black thick markers; Battery operated candle.
Additional Resources
Religious artefacts, clothes, information books and other materials can be obtained from various sources including:
http://www.articlesoffaith.co.uk/
http://www.tts-group.co.uk/primary/re/world-religions/
For Teacher information:
http://www.childseyemedia.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=33_91_82&products_id=195 Childs Eye view of Festivals 1 and Festivals 2
http://www.godlyplay.uk/ gives a thoughtful, interesting approach to chn’s learning, based on Montessori methods.
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