Case Study: Reception host a 'gratitude tea party'
This SLP comprises 10 distinct lessons. Additional resources are provided as a stimulus, which the teacher can use to introduce the topic and add depth and detail to pupils’ understanding. Guidance notes are included for teachers. The purpose of these pictures is to stimulate thought and discussion and provide an opportunity for the teacher to extend pupils’ learning by introducing them to new facts and concepts. Pupils learn about where tea comes from and how sharing tea is an important pastime for people all over the world.
These lessons are to be delivered in weekly sessions, although there are occasions when timing is crucial and some flexibility is required. In the lesson plans, this is indicated with a clock symbol eg. cakes need to be baked on or the day before the tea party takes place.
Lesson 1: Introduction
Pupils read Daddy Lion's Tea Party by Mark Sperring and Sarah Warburton as an introduction to the idea of tea parties. Pupils participate in a reflection exercise to think about who they would like to show gratitude to and then share their ideas with the class in a full sentence.
Download morning stimulus materials
Lesson 2: Researching invitation designs
Ask the class to work in pairs and give each pair an invitation from the resource pack. Pupils study the invitation and take turns to tell each other facts about it. Pupils should try to work out what type of event the invitation is for.
Have a whole class discussion about what information an invitation needs to have.
Download invitations resource
Lesson 3: Planning invitations
Pupils think about the person who is kind to them and they want to thank by inviting them to their tea party. What does that person like? What is their favourite colour? Pupils should use this to help them to design their invitations. Children tell their Perfect Partner in a full sentence who their invitation is for and how they will design it. Eg. ‘I am going to invite…and I am going to draw daisies because they are her favourite’. Then pupils draft their invitation design. Explain that taking care like this will help us to make something really special that will really show our guests our gratitude.
Lesson 4: Final design and presentation of the invitations
Pupils decorate the invitation with reference to their draft and write the name of the person they would like to invite and sign their own name.Each pupil should be given an envelope for their invitation. Discuss why we are going to put the invitations into envelopes – to protect them, to keep them safe. What might happen if we just put them in the bottom of our book bags? The teacher models looking a person in the eye and saying 'I would like to invite you to my tea party' and hading over the envelope with two hands. Pupils practise with their Perfect Partner.
Lesson 5: Role Play
The hosting cards resource show the different ways pupils can be good hosts. At the beginning of the lesson the teacher acts out each of these cards and pupils guess what they are. Having explained each of the cards, the class work in Perfect Partners and are given their own set of cards. Pupils take tuens to be the host and the visitr using the phrases they have been taught. Choose pupils to demonstrate this to the rest of the class.
Lesson 6: Decoration
Introduce pupils to the idea that they will decorate the room for the tea party. Pupils look again at the images of tea parties (from the stories or morning stimulus pack) With a Perfect Partner they talk about what colours and patterns they like. Pupils decorate a triangle with a pattern which can be threaded together to make bunting.
Home Learning – Pupils can be given another template to complete at home.
Lesson 7: Recipes
Pupils draw on the stories they have read and the pictures they have looked at to suggest what kind of food is served at a tea party. Talk about the fact that cakes and biscuits are made from ingredients that are all mixed together and then baked in the oven. In Perfect Partners pupils sort cards into two piles, deciding whether the food depicted is an ingredient needed for a cake or not. Tell pupils this will help the teachers to decide what ingredients they need to buy for next lesson.
Lesson 8: Baking
Pupils bake cakes for the tea party. Alternatively pupils can ice and decorate cakes which have already been baked.
Lesson 9: Tea Party
Before the tea party role model the phrases pupils need to use when they are hosting and allow some time for pupils to practise this. Pupils help to set up by putting out plates and napkins and hanging their bunting.
Pupils host the tea party.
Lesson 10: Newsletter
Project the photographs from the tea party onto the board for pupils to see. Explain that you are going to send a letter home about the work the class has been going and that you need the class to help you think of what to write. Pupils reflect on the following questions:
What did you learn by hosting the tea party?
What did you like best about hosting the tea party?
If other children were going to do this, what helpful information would you tell them?