LEARNING CENTRE PLAN: Pre Primary
EYLF Principles (2):
5. Ongoing and reflective practice
1. Secure, respectful and reciprocal relationships
DESCRIBE THE CENTRE:
Teddy’s birthday corner will be taken
place in the home corner. The centre
is to celebrate the classroom mascots
birthday (Teddy). The play centre will
be open freely for the whole class.
Students in the classroom know that
there should only ever be 6 friends in
a home corner at a time. The home
corner will be divided into 3 aspects.
The birthday corner will be set up with
birthday bunting, and balloons,
students birthdays will also be
laminated onto balloons. Each table
will have a large sign, labelling which
part of the centre it is. Although there
are 3 sections, the focus is on literacy
at the make a card section. Make a
card (focus station): The table will be
set with stationary and arts and crafts.
Students will be asked to make sure
they make a card for Teddy over the
next weeks so that the cards can be
placed around the classroom for
Teddy. Students will be given ‘sight
word’ cards and the example of the
card the whole class worked on from
the mat session so students can look
and use it as a guide. The teacher will
explain to students that they can
decide what they want to write to
Teddy. Students will also have the
choice and freedom to decorate their
card in any way they choose to. The
aim of this section: exploration of
EYLF Practices (2): Outcomes:
Learning through play Outcome 5.1, 5.2
Intentional teaching Outcome 1 openly express their feelings and ideas in interactions
Pre Primary Content descriptions: RESOURCES/MATERIALS:
Produce some lower case and upper case letters using learned letter Birthday bunting, Birthday candles
formations (ACELY1653) Cooking utensils (measuring cups,
Recognize how capital letters are used for names, and that capital letters and full stops spoons, oven mitts, aprons, patty
signal the beginning and end of sentences (ACELA1432) pans)
EYLF outcomes: Manipulatives: (stones, sequins)
Balloons
Begin to understand key literacy and numeracy concepts and processes, such as the
Paper/card, envelopes
sounds of language, letter-sound relationships, concepts of print and the ways that texts
Arts & Crafts
are structured
Pencils, textas, glue
Convey and construct messages with purpose and confidence, building on home/family and
Wrapping paper, sticky tape, ribbon
community literacies
Empty cardboard boxes
Exchange ideas, feelings and understandings using language and representations in play
Sight/tricky word cards (love, dear,
Objectives: from, happy birthday)
Signs to label the centre (Bake a
Objective 1: Construct a card using appropriate writing by showing at least cake, Card writing, Present wrapping)
one of the following: using capital letters, lower case letters, full stops and CONVERSATIONS TO SUPPORT
finger spacing. PLAY:
Objective 2: Construct and communicate student ideas and feelings into a What are some nice things we can
say to Teddy?
written message for Teddy. Have you ever written a birthday card
Mat Session (pre or post play): before, what did you write in that
 Students will gather to the mat; teacher will facilitate a quick discussion card?
Has someone given you a card
with students about birthdays and cards before the modelled writing before? What did that card say?
procedure. Teacher will ask students what they do for birthdays, and if When we are writing, what do we
they have written a card before. What are somethings we do when we always need to remember at the
have a birthday? (eat cake, sing the song, buy presents, write a card) What beginning of sentences and end?
do we write cards for? Have you written a card before? Does anyone know If there is a word we want to write,
and we can’t remember how to write
what we say at the beginning and end of a card?
it, what can we do?
 Teacher will use a modelled writing procedure to explicitly teach the card
When we sound out, we want to listen
format, but to reinforce students’ prior knowledge on writing (capital letters, to the first sound and the last sound.
full stops and finger spacing). What do you think Teddy might like to
 When we write our card, where do we start writing? hear?
Teacher will ask students if they know how to start off writing a card? What do we write cards for?
Do you remember what capital letters
We start with Dear, it is the first word in the sentence, what do we need to
and full stops are you used for?
remember to use at the beginning of a sentence, a capital letter. Before we
What do you do for birthdays at your
write who the card is for, we need to remember our two finger spacing, so I house?
need to put my finger down. We need to write the name of who the card is for,
the different literacy components such
as capital letters, full stops, reading
and writing as they express their ideas
by constructing a birthday message.
Students will be able to experiment
with the card format to construct a
message for Teddy, while expanding
and encouraging literacy and
language behaviours. As children
actively participate in the card writing,
it facilitates an opportunity for
creativity and imagination as students
are encouraged to write a card that is
specially made and written from them.
Baking station: The table will be set
up with an indoor sandpit on the table,
within the sandpit it will have ‘cooking
materials’. Students will be able to
experiment and construct their own
‘sand cake’ using manipulatives and
concrete materials which are
contextual to the theme. Wrapping
station: The table will be set up with
birthday wrapping paper, ribbon and
empty boxes. Students will also have
materials where they are able to make
Teddy a present, and put it in a box.
This section provides students with
mathematical opportunities as they
explore proportions, weight and
measurement as they wrap ‘their
presents’.
All three activities provide students
with an opportunity to strengthen
their fine motor skills.
it’s for Teddy, and when write someone’s name we always need to remember JUSTIFICATION:
a capital letter at the front.
From the observations of the
Starting a new sentence, so I sweep under that line and start on the left
side again. This is where we start writing a message. running record, the play centre
I am going to write Happy Birthday. The beginning of a new sentence, I know I has been built from the shared
need a capital letter. Happy, that starts with a ‘H’ sound. Now I remember my interaction between Jane and
finger spacing, Teddy is a name so we need a capital letter. Kate about their enjoyments of
This is the end of my sentence, so I will remember a full stop. birthdays. I have chosen to bring
 Next sentence, teacher will write ‘I hope you have a very good day’. the element of card writing and
The letter I, I bring my pencil to start up on top, I bring the tall man down. I present wrapping into the centre
remembered my capital letter, I will put a finger space now. to extend the ideas of the social
Question students, now it’s the end of the sentence, what do we need to practices and rules that occur
remember? Full stop. through the birthday ritual. The
 When you are writing Teddy your card, I want you to think of some special learning centre will continue to
messages, or something nice you think Teddy will like to hear. extend the students learning by
I am writing my new sentence so I start with a capital letter, I love your hugs. focusing on card writing to
That was the end of my sentence so I need to remember my full stop. develop students’ literacy
 When we finish off a card, we need to write, love from. knowledge. The concept of card
Starting with a capital letter, Love.. Teacher will sound out / from/ you need to writing is to encourage students
write your name so Teddy know who it’s from, I know I’m writing my name so I to engage in literacy and
will need a capital letter. It’s the end of my sentence so I need to put a full language concepts such as
stop. writing using letter and
 Explain to students that the teacher will leave the card up so punctuation knowledge and
students can look to help them. concepts of print. The card
 Explain to students that over the next few weeks the teacher wants every writing activity will also facilitate
student to write a card for Teddy. an opportunity for students to
Over the next few weeks Pre Primary’s I want you to go into the birthday corner explore creativity through
and make sure you write a card for Teddy, so Teddy will get a card from everyone. construction and expressing
When you finish writing your card, put it in an envelope and put it on the present their feelings and ideas using
table, so I can keep them safe for our surprise party for Teddy. When you write language. The birthday corner
your card I want you to remember your capital letters, your finger spacing and will also facilitate a space where
your full stops. children are able to collaborate
and work together socially as
they are able to interact about
the ritual, and share the
materials in the centre.

Assessment Strategy to Record Play/Learning: The teacher will be able to assess the process of the card writing, by choosing (5) focus students that the teacher
will sit in, observe and listen to the literacy behaviours demonstrated by the children. The teacher will be able to observe the child’s writing, how they form letters,
their pencil grip and also if the child uses the sight word cards and sounds out any tricky words. The teacher will also ask the EA to make anecdotal on the literacy
behaviours of any other students. The card writing activity will end with a final product. The final product will allow the teacher to assess the students letter
formations, capital letters, full stops and finger spacing. The teacher will use a checklist to record how the students are progressing with their writing. The teacher
or EA will speak to each child about their written card and make a note in the checklist if students have written a message and what they have written. The
checklist will include: Capital letters, letter formations, finger spacing, full stops, constructed a message, what was students message.