Discovering the Possibilities of Large-Group Time (LGT)

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Discovering the Possibilities of Large-Group
Time (LGT)
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A.M. Objectives

• Participants will be able to
• Describe how to share control with children
  during LGT
• Identify ways to incorporate active learning into
  LGTs
• Identify the strategies for beginning a LGT

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Large-Group-Time BasicsImportance of LGT

• Large-group time
• Gives all children a repertoire of common
  experiences
• Builds a sense of classroom community
• Encourages all children to be members of the
  group
• Provides opportunities for children to take
  child-sized leadership roles

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Large-Group-Time BasicsCharacteristics of LGT

• Active learning in a whole-group setting
• All children and all adults participating
  together
• Length of about 10 to 15 minutes
• Enjoyable, shared experiences for everyone

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So why is large-group time often reported to be
the most challenging part of the day???
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Does this look familiar?
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Which ends up like this?
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Shared Control The Secret to Success

• Shared control is the mutual give-and-take
  between teachers and children.
• Both children and teachers take turns being the
  leader and follower the speaker and the
  listener.
• Teachers plan activities that allow for
  childrens input, choices, and ideas.

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Shared ControlTeachers and Children Together

• Teachers make adult-sized decisions
• planning to move to music with the children.
• Children make child-sized choices
• how to move their bodies to that music.

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Strategies for Sharing Control

• Plan ways to build in choices for children.
  Children are more likely to become interested and
  engaged in the activity when they can contribute
  ideas.

When planning, this means you should consciously
think through each activity, asking yourself,
How can I build in opportunities for choices?
At LGT

• Take cues from children. Following childrens
  cues gives them opportunities to express their
  own ideas.

Children might suggest movements to songs, ideas
for verses, ways to move to music and we
shouldnt expect them to all do the same thing!
At LGT

• Participate with children as partners. As
  partners, adults can share in childrens
  interests, delights, and creativity.

• This means that sometimes you will copy what
  children are doing, trying out their ideas for
  yourself.

At LGT
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With shared control, there is another way
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With better results!
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Discussion Point

• During large-group time, how does one balance an
  adults need for control and childrens needs for
  action???

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Active Learning A Must at Large-Group Time

• Along with shared control, the five ingredients
  of active learning must be present during your
  large-group time.
• Materials
• Manipulation
• Choice
• Child language and thought
• Adult scaffolding

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Five Ingredients of Active Learning at LGT

• Materials These can include props, as well as
  childrens bodies and voices.
• Manipulation Children use their bodies, voices,
  or props in ways that make sense to them.
• Choice Children choose how to move, what to
  sing, when to participate, or what ideas to
  offer.
• Child language and thought Children express
  their choices, share ideas, and figure out how to
  respond to music or movement suggestions.
• Adult scaffolding Adults use nonverbal and
  verbal communication to support childrens
  intentions.

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In this large-group time, Allie has decided to
balance her shaker on her head, instead of
shaking it with her hands! Which of the
ingredients of active learning can you identify
in this photo?
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Do you see the excitement and joy on Allies
face? When active learning and shared control
are present, children become enthusiastically
engaged eliminating most behavior problems!
Allie has her own shaker (material) and has
choices about how to manipulate it in ways that
make sense to her. She can share her ideas
(child thought and language) about what shes
doing, and sees her teacher supporting her ideas
(adult scaffolding).
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Identifying Active Learning and Shared Control at
LGT

• In table groups, read through each scenario.
  Decide if shared control and active learning are
  present in each.
• If you decide they are absent, write down your
  ideas for what the teachers could do to share
  control and incorporate active learning.

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Lets Take a Closer Look
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Strategies toWatch for

• Plan ways to build in choices for children.
• Take cues from children.
• Participate with children as partners.

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Parts of Large-Group Time
Large-Group Time
Beginning
Middle
End
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Getting Ready For LGT

• Prepare for LGT before the children arrive for
  the day
• Have materials ready and handy.
• Cue up the music.
• Gather any props.
• Have song book ready.

Why do you think its important to be ready ahead
of time?
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Parts of Large-Group Time
Large-Group Time
Beginning
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Beginning Getting LGT Started

• Draw children to the group with a simple,
  easy-to-join activity.
• Begin immediately with the children who have
  gathered, even if others are still transitioning.

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BeginningEasy-to-Join Activities

• Use easy-to-join activities that
• Have few or no directions
• Are active
• Include frequent opportunities for children to
  add their ideas

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Sing Everybody Do This Just Like Me
using childrens ideas on how to move.
Try a fitness routine, doing simple movements to
the beat of lively, instrumental music, like
Yankee Doodle.
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Discussion Point

• Why do we start large-group times with an
  easy-to-join activity?

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Parts of Large-Group Time
Large-Group Time
Beginning
Middle
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The MiddleThe Meat of LGT

• Once all the children gather, give a brief
  opening statement designed to catch the
  childrens attention.
• Im going to put on some music. Listen to the
  music and then you can move your body the way the
  music sounds.

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The MiddleThe Meat of LGT

• Participate with the children.
• Watch what they do.
• Listen to children.
• Try out the ways they interpret the activity.
• Im going to try walking backward, like Arnie.

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The MiddleThe Meat of LGT

• Participate on childrens physical level.
• Keena says she is crawling through the jungle
  like a snake. Im going to see if I can move like
  a snake too!

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The MiddleThe Meat of LGT

• Turn the props and materials over to the
  children.
• Get the streamers, beanbags, bells, shakers,
  etc., into the childrens hands as quickly as
  possible.
• Children rapidly lose interest if this takes too
  long, and even more so if the adult is the only
  one with a prop!

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The MiddleThe Meat of LGT

• Depending on the activity length, you may plan
  just one longer activity for the middle, or two
  shorter activities.
• For example?
• Just play red light, green light
• Sing two songs, then move streamers to the beat
  of the music

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P.M. Objectives

• Participants will be able to
• Describe the parts of a LGT
• Identify the five types of LGT activities
• Explain how to separate, simplify, and facilitate
• Identify the sources of ideas for planning a LGT
• Plan a LGT using the LGT planning form

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LGT Activities

• Easy-to-join
• Songs, fingerplays, chants, poems
• Storytelling and reenacting stories and nursery
  rhymes
• Movement activities
• Cooperative games

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Songs, Fingerplays, Chants, and Poems

• Remember to slow down your tempo.
• Keep hand motions simple.
• Build in choices.
• Use a song book.

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Our kids love to say and act out the poem, The
Sitter from Shel Silversteins A Light in the
Attic
Once children know Row, Row Row Your Boat, you
might try having children row facing each other
and taking each others hands In twos, or even
threes.
Learn the words to call-and-response
chants,and then use them with the children (and
dont use the recording!). Did You Feed My
Cow is an example of this.
Sing all the old favorites, such as Old
McDonald, Eensy, Weensy Spider, and Wheels
on the Bus!
Singing a song from the song book
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Storytelling and Reenacting Stories and Nursery
Rhymes

• Make up simple stories based on childrens
  interests.
• Reenact simple stories and nursery rhymes.
• Have only a few roles or one role that all
  children can act out.
• Keep it simple!

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Our childrens favorite story is a simple one
that the teacher made up of little kittens who
wake up, lick their paws, drink their milk, go
out to play, come in when their mother meows for
them, and take a nap. All the children pretend to
be the kittens doing the various things described
in the story.
Simple props like three long blocks for oars, and
name cards for butcher, baker, and
candlestick maker help to bring Rub-a-Dub-Dub
to life as children take turns enacting the three
roles.
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Movement ActivitiesWith or Without Music or
Objects

• Give children the opportunity to move their
  bodies and develop coordination skills.
• Keep it simple! Explore moving with an object
  first and then layer on the music.
• Sometimes you may want to be specific when asking
  children for their ideas
• How else can we move our arms?
• What other ways can we walk?

Always use instrumental music so children can
hear the beat and arent distracted by the words!
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Try just exploring action words. Here, children
are exploring swing. One child suggested
swinging her arms. All the children are now
trying it out.
Lengths of ribbon tied on to plastic bracelets
make great ribbon wands that are easy to hang on
to. Added bonus no poking each other!
Carpet squares work well to define personal
space as children are learning about LGT at the
beginning of the school year.
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Cooperative Games

• No winners, no losers the fun is playing the
  game!
• Have reasonable expectations
• Children will respond according to their level of
  development.
• Be flexible games with few or no rules work
  best.
• Remember to build in choices.

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Use a parachute and sponge balls
Play musical chairs (and do not remove any chairs)
Play duck, duck, goose. For older children, let
them choose the two words (i.e. table, table,
dinosaur)
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Recap of LGT Activities

• Easy-to-join
• Songs, fingerplays, chants, poems
• Storytelling and reenacting stories and nursery
  rhymes
• Movement activities
• Cooperative games

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The End Bringing LGT to a Close
Large-Group Time
Beginning
Middle
End
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The End Bringing LGT to a Close

• As you finish your last activity, include a
  planned transition to the next part of your day.
• Im going to put the Popcorn music on one last
  time. This time, move like popping popcorn to
  your cubbies so we can put on our coats for
  outside time.
• Put away any props or materials as part of the
  transition activity.
• Sue and Emily asked the children to toss their
  sponge balls into the basket as they moved to
  planning time.

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This time, the train will stop at our cubbies.
Put your coats on and well go outside.
Choose an animal and walk like that animal to
your small-group table.
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Parts of Large-Group Time
Large-Group Time
Beginning
Middle
End
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Make Activities More Child-Centered

• You can make your LGTs more child
• centered by using these strategies
• Separate
• Simplify
• Facilitate

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Separate
Hint If you find this is hard for you, try
keeping your hands in your pockets.

• Separate the words from the actions
• Say or Do
• Show the movements OR describe the movements.
• Dont talk and show at the same time!
• For a song or fingerplay, introduce the movements
  first, then layer on the song or words.

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Simplify

• Simplify the words and/or actions
• If the song or activity involves a movement
  sequence, present each motion individually before
  putting the sequence together.
• Use words the children understand.
• Say one hand then the other hand rather than
  right or left.
• Use actions that children can do.
• Rather than snapping fingers, try wriggling them
  or patting knees.

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Facilitate

• Support childrens choices, actions and language.
• Comment on what you see children doing.
• Imitate childrens actions and use their words.

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List all the materials youll need for this LGT,
including props and/or recordings.
Describe your easy-to-join activity.
Describe the activity that youll do for the
middle, or main part of LGT.
Where did you get your idea from?
Document the choices youll have for children.
Record the main KDI/COR items.
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Describe the activity that youll do for the
middle, or main part of LGT
Where did you get your idea from?
Document the choices youll have for children.
Record the main KDI/COR items.
ONLY IF NEEDED, describe the second activity that
youll do for the middle, or main part of LGT.
Where did you get your idea from?
Document the choices youll have for children.
Record the main KDI/COR items.
What is your planned transition from the last
activity to the next part of your routine?
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Sources of Ideas for Planning LGT

1. Childrens interests and development
2. KDIs and COR items
3. The five types of LGT activities
4. Events currently meaningful to the children

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1. Childrens Interests and Development

• Watch how children like to move.
• Listen to what they enjoy singing.
• Note play experiences that lend themselves to a
  LGT activity.

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2. Plan Around the KDIs and COR Items

• These topics in particular can be a rich source
  of LGT ideas
• Creative arts
• Physical development
• Language and literacy
• Mathematics

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3. Plan Around the Five Types of LGT Activities

• Easy-to-join
• Songs, fingerplays, chants, poems
• Storytelling and reenacting stories and nursery
  rhymes
• Movement activities
• Cooperative games

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4. Plan Around Events Currently Meaningful to the
Children

• Seasonal holidays or special events
• Field trips
• Local traditions

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Create Your Own LGT!

• In your group, create a LGT that you could use
  with your children.
• Use the LGT planning form on page 23 to record
  your ideas.
• As a group, also write out your plan on a piece
  of chart paper to share with the others.
• Be prepared to demonstrate one of your LGT
  activities.

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The PQA and LGT

• Look at PQA items II-H andIII-H (row 2 only).
• Is there anything about your own LGT that you
  might change or modify based on these indicators
  of quality?

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Revisiting Your LGT Issue or Concern

• Go back to your issue or concern on page 4 of
  your training booklet.
• Given what youve learned today, what are your
  ideas for addressing these?
• What ideas do you want to start using in your own
  LGT? Record your thoughts on page 26.

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