This document summarizes a planned activity for a group of 8 mixed-ability children focusing on nocturnal animals. The activity will include reading a story about foxes, discussing nocturnal animals, identifying them and facts about examples like foxes and bats. Children will then do related creative activities like making collages, paintings, writing facts, and modeling animals. The teacher will differentiate support for different ability levels and assess learning throughout on children's engagement and growing knowledge of nocturnal animals.

1. Form 4: EYFS Focus Activity Plan
Date: 25.11.2015 Location /
Group:
Shared area – mixed
ability x8 children
Topic/Theme: Nocturnal animals
PRIME AREAS SPECIFIC AREAS
PSED PD CL L M UW EAD
Learning and Development The Unique Child
Initial Learning:
2 previous carpet inputs on nocturnal animals, looked at photos and facts with discussion.
1 carpet input on times of the day
EYFS Curriculum Reference:
30-50 moths – to listen to a story based upon nocturnal animals with increasing attention and recall
40-60+ months – to be able to listen carefully and respond to the ideas of others in the group through
discussion.
Differentiated learning intentions (if appropriate):
Alter questioning for different abilities
Low- list some nocturnal animals – probably require a lot of prompting
Middle- some may know what nocturnal animals are. All will be able to identify them – what does
nocturnal mean? Do they sleep through the day?
Top- clear definition of nocturnal animals and identify many included. What does nocturnal mean? No
other prompting necessary.
Key Concepts and Vocabulary
- Nocturnal animals
- Rhyme
- Daytime
- Night-time
Enabling Environments, Positive Relationships
Introduction
What will I do?
Read story, (fox on the box) recap over what
happened throughout. Relate to current in class
topic of nocturnal animals through questioning and
discussion.
What will children do?
Listen carefully to the story, discuss different
animals, which ones where nocturnal. What else do
they know about foxes? Where do they live? What
do they eat? Have a discussion with peers.
Development
What will I do?
Ask them is they know any other nocturnal animals. Prompt
the lower ability with photos. Ask for 5 facts on each animal
as a group
What will children do?
Firstly identify with person sitting beside them 3 nocturnal
animals. Then as individual choose one of them animals,
going round the circle, each child has to tell me one fact
about their animal. Low ability and some of middle may need
prompting. High ability, try and challenge their facts, pushing
them a little extra.
Conclusion
What will I do?
Set up the creative area, painting area, mark
making and modelling area to fit in with that
theme of nocturnal animals. Ask them to create
and reflect on the story and other knowledge in
each area.
What will children do?
Creative area- makes a collage using different
materials to create own nocturnal animal. Low
ability can have a template.
Painting area- paint a picture of a nocturnal
animal. High ability can write what animal they
have painted next to it.
Mark making area – write facts based on

2. nocturnal animals, low ability may only
recognise initial sounds, middle ability can list
different nocturnal animals, high ability can write
one fact/sentence.
Modelling area – model nocturnal animal.
Meeting Individual Need (what differentiation strategies will be used to support
specific individuals / groups of children/ extension activities)
High ability – challenge them more in their ideas. Do not give prompting. When on
mark making area, expect sentence rather than just animal name. When paintings
write what animal they have written.
Middle ability – expect consistency and confidence within their facts/ideas, as well
as challenging a few higher ones.
Low ability – use prompting to expand their understanding. When discussing
different animals, use photographs to help. When on creative table, may require
template. During mark making, so not expect them to write whole word due to
them not quite blending in phonics yet. Expect initial sound for all, and end sound
for some.
Resources (including Health and Safety considerations, human resources)
- Book (fox on the box)
- Photographs of nocturnal animals
- PowerPoint with nocturnal animal facts
- Card to create collage
- Selection of materials – appropriate colours
- Paint
- Paper
- Paint brushes
- Bordered paper
- Pencil
- Colouring pencils
- Play dough
Links to Enhanced Provision
After reading the book and group discussion, alter each area of provision so that it
fits in with the nocturnal animal theme.
Role play – nocturnal animal masks
Creative area- make a collage using different materials to create own nocturnal
animal.
Painting area- paint a picture of a nocturnal animal.
Mark making area – write facts based on nocturnal animals.
Modelling area – model nocturnal animal.
Look, listen and note opportunities (formative assessment opportunities)
- Throughout the rest of day monitor that each child in the group has accessed
each area of the curriculum whilst also focussing on the topic.
- Ensure that each child within group is being challenged for their own individual
ability.
- Make sure that each child has showed attention to the topic, recalled some
knowledge, and are therefore more knowledgeable to the topic than they were
before they started. For example, all the children should be able to name some
nocturnal animals, some should be able to define what a nocturnal animal is and
few will be able to identify facts on some nocturnal animals.

3. Evaluation:
Characteristics of Learning : Playing and Exploring, Active Learning and Creating, and Thinking Critically
Children’s Achievements:
All of the low ability were able to name some nocturnal animals, and by the end of
the task when asked ‘what is special about foxes?’ all could say they were
nocturnal.
All of the middle ability were confident on their knowledge, with the majority being
able to define ‘nocturnal’ with examples.
The majority of high ability and some of the middle ability could identify some
facts on nocturnal animals, mostly foxes and bats. With some of them writing their
facts in the mark making area.
Feed-Forward Issues:
All objectives were met during this task.
Could recap with the lowers whilst helping them with their writing skills and
confidence levels.
All of the high ability noticed the link with synthetic phonics within the story due to
the rhyming. Could lead onto a future lesson in phonics for rhyming.