Language Development for Science

Circle Time Sessions to Improve Language Skills

Marion Nash, Jackie Lowe

• Publisher: David Fulton Publishers
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781317855019
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

This book is the first of its kind to help practitioners specifically develop children's language skills in Science. The book incudes:

• guidelines to help teachers set up, run and assess circle-time sessions
• ideas for promoting children's thinking skills and emotional literacy
• downloadable resources containing explanation and demonstration of the programme and its implementation, with comments from staff who have used it.

Session 1

Materials

• Picture of nose.

• Two small covered containers (e.g. one containing bath salts, the other orange peel).

• Smooth material such as a silk scarf.

• Feely bag containing smooth and rough/coarse materials.

• Safety hand mirror.

Opening song

(Sitting)

Sit in a circle with the children. Say that you are all going to sing a new song and you will help them with the words.

Ask the group to find with their hands and touch:

I can touch my ears (clap twice)

I can touch my nose (clap twice)

I can touch my eyes (clap twice)

I can touch my mouth (clap twice)

And I can touch my hands (spread out fingers and wiggle them) (clap twice)

Super senses – Smell

(Sitting)

Sit down and place the picture of a nose on the carpet in the middle of the circle. Say, ‘can do something with my nose.’ Model sniffing something. Ask the children to think about what they can do with their noses. Tell them to talk to someone next to them about it.

After a minute or so bring the focus back to the circle and share their answers. If children don’t give an answer say, ‘You had a good think.’ Finally say, ‘What can I do with my nose?’ Repeat the answer: ‘Yes I can smell with my nose. Let’s use our sense of smell to find out things.’

Lay out two small covered containers containing two different scents (e.g. bath salts and orange peel). Say, ‘Let’s use our sense of smell to find what is in the pots.’ Model smelling the pots and your reaction to it.

Pass the first pot around the circle, commenting as each child smells it and reacts (e.g.‘Jenny is smelling the pot to find out what is in it. She looks as if she likes the smell’).

Next, pass the second pot around and repeat the same procedure. Now ask, ‘What can we use to find out what is in the pots? Talk to the person next to you’ (for half a minute).

Focus back in the circle and listen to answers (you may find that the children say what is in the pot rather than what they can use to find out what is in the pot. Focus them by repeating, ‘What can we use to find out if you are right?’).

use pondering take your time

Either combine the answers or develop them and say, ‘We can use our nose to smell but we need to use our eyes to see as well.’ Uncover each pot and pass it around.

Smooth surfaces

(Sitting then standing)

In the circle lay out a piece of material which is smooth (e.g. a silk scarf). Encourage the children to get up and touch the material. Say that it is smooth. Then pass it around the circle, encouraging each person to say, ‘It is smooth’ by asking the question ‘Is it smooth?’ Give several turns so that each child has the opportunity to choose and feel.

Encourage the children to use the words ‘touch/feel’ and ‘rough/smooth/surface’. If a child says ‘soft’, say, ‘yes, soft and smooth.’

Smooth and not smooth

(Sitting)

Pass around a feely bag which contains smooth and rough/coarse materials. Each person takes out a piece of material and says whether it is smooth or not smooth. Encourage the use of the word ‘smooth’, and accept the answers the children give.

Closing round – Pass a smile in the mirror

(Standing in a circle)

Hold a mirror in front of you and smile while looking into it. Pass the mirror to the next person to do the same and so on around the circle.

Session 2

Materials

• Two pots with different scents in each.

• Safety hand mirror.

• Tray of magnetic shapes.

Opening Song

(Sitting/standing)

Sit in a circle. Explain that you will be singing your new song today. Practise singing together with actions:

I can touch my ears (clap twice)

I can touch my nose (clap twice)

I can touch my eyes (clap twice)

I can touch my mouth (clap twice)

And I can touch my hands (spread out fingers and wiggle them) (clap twice).

Praise the children for precise clapping (i.e. for clapping only twice).

All stand. Say, ‘We are going to sing a song about ourselves.’

Sing the song with actions:

Heads and shoulders knees and toes, knees and toes.

Heads and shoulders knees and toes, knees and toes.

Eyes and...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Other Titles in the Series
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Dedication
• Acknowledgements
• Video CD and training
• Introduction
• Materials that need preparation prior to sessions
• Session notes
• Teaching notes
• Language introduced in this book
• Sessions 1-36
• Appendix: photocopiables