I always find that saying goodbye to my students at the end of the year is bittersweet. While it is exciting to see how much they've grown and learned throughout the year, it is also sad to say goodbye to our classroom community. We become our own little family throughout the school year, and it is difficult to leave that behind!
Fortunately, next year, most of my students will be together in the same pre-k class. They will be surrounded by familiar faces on the first day of school, and will continue to develop and solidify their friendships with familiar peers. Additionally, I have had the opportunity to collaborate with their future teacher. We discussed all of my goals and plans from the year, what my students learned in relation to those goals, and what types of goals would be ambitious and feasible for them to achieve in their second year of pre-k.
Armed with this information, their new teacher will be better able to plan her classroom to meet the individual needs of each student. She will be able to build on what they have already learned, and continue to foster their social/emotional, physical, cognitive, and language development.
So while I am sad to say goodbye to my students, I am reassured to know that they will be in a a supportive classroom tailored to their needs as individuals and a group. I can hardly wait to see what they will accomplish during the upcoming school year!
As our school year draws to a close, I've asked my students to reflect on what they have learned in pre-kindergarten by drawing a picture and commenting on their illustrated accomplishment. Their thoughts, both insightful and accurate, depict the tremendous growth that they have made over the past nine months. Here are some of their most memorable observations:
Mayala: "I learned to do math like a kindergartener!"
Following her exclamation, Mayala wrote and solved simple addition problems all over her paper.
Jose: "I learned to play."
Jose drew a picture of himself playing with blocks.
Makiera: "I Lt to RTE my nem." [I learned to write my name]
Makiera then wrote her first and last name and drew a picture of herself with very large hands.
Suniah: "I learned to read. I like to read with Makiera on the pillows."
Suniah drew a picture of herself and Makiera sprawled out on pillows holding books in their hands. And on a side note, Suniah really did learn how to read! She is currently reading at an end of first grade/beginning of second grade level.
Ruby: "I LR to Ruby." [I learned to "Ruby" or I learned to write Ruby.]
Ruby wrote her name and drew rainbows all over her paper.
When I look at photographs, student work, and assessments from the beginning of the year, I can see concrete evidence that my students' reflections are true. I am so proud and excited by their collective progress, and am eager to see what they will accomplish in the years to come.
What difference collaboration makes! This year our program was able to offer two sections of our School Readiness class. Not only are we serving twice as many students and families, but I finally have another well trained educator to collaborate with! It is amazing some of the great ideas that come together during our planning meetings. We collaborate with one another on the individual needs of our students, lesson planning and skills building opportunities, as well as how best to support our families.
School Readiness is a partially state funded program that targets children with little to no school experience. In our two classes you will find that although most students are new to school, some have had other early learning experiences. Through our conversations and sharing of tactics, we help one another identify the individual needs of our most struggling students. For example, we both have a lot of English language learners in our classes. I helped her develop storyboards and books that prompt students visually. It is a skill I used when working with autistic children, but it applies for every learner, in particular English Language Learners. In both of our classes we use story boards to help us explain “sit down,” “please keep your mouth quiet,” and “please use a tissue,” just to name a few.
This year we have committed to trying a new style of lesson planning. Since we only have our students for two hours each day, our small group activities focus on a different academic topic each day: Monday is Social Studies, Tuesday is Math and Science, Wednesday is Literacy, and Thursday is Large Muscle. This allows us to be very intentional in our plans. We reference the state standards and try to link our material to meaningful and relevant topics for our students. In addition, we have a daily large group time and free choice time where students can experience a multitude of hands on learning opportunities.
It is great to collaborate with my colleague as we try to determine how best to support our families. There are many needs within our program. Several of our families are recent immigrants to the U.S., some work the second or third shift, and others live below the federal poverty level. Living conditions such as these put great strain on even the closest of families. As we get to know each family and their needs better, my colleague and I are able to suggest specific resources that can help ease some of the stress. Just today I helped a family understand why special education testing could be a real benefit to their child. Their child will be able to learn in a smaller class size with more one on one support. They will have an opportunity to practice social interaction on a smaller scale and work with speech therapist. The family was thrilled to know that this will help their child eventually assimilate back into the mainstream classroom setting. Because of our great working relationships, all of our teachers talk to each other and support one another as difficult, yet necessary decisions are made.
I am thankful everyday for the opportunity to grow with other teachers who are so passionate and thoughtful in their work.
At the beginning of the school year, I am very intentional about introducing all of our centers and classroom materials to my students. We started the first week of school by opening two centers - first toys and games, then art - and have been introducing approximately one new center per week. Each time we introduce a new center, we do a "guided discovery" of the center and its materials. The guided discovery allows students to: generate ideas about what to do in the center, practice executing their ideas, and discuss how they used the materials. I find it to be an extremely helpful technique because it encourages students to be creative and take ownership of their ideas. Plus, they are eager to try out their ideas in the center and it encourages them to use the materials appropriately!
This week, we introduced sand into our "Sand and Water" center. As part of our discussion during the guided discovery, we generated a list of ideas about how to use the sand. Here are the ideas that my students came up with:
At sand and water I can...
Pick up the sand (Stephen)
Pick it up high (Suniah)
Build a big house (Aaliyah)
Make it big (Jose)
Make a castle (Mayala)
Put it in your fingers (Julia)
I drew a small picture to represent each idea next to the words, and included the contributing student's name next to their idea. We then hung the poster in the sand and water center, and I modeled how to reference it for ideas during center time. Soon I heard Makiera say, "Look, I can pick it up high!" as she pointed to the poster. And later that afternoon, when one student started spilling sand on the floor, Mayala said, "Don't put it on the floor! You can build a castle!"
This method of writing with students -- especially when used in conjunction with a guided discovery -- is an easy way to incorporate functional print into the classroom. Students begin to learn that people write for a purpose, and they develop an understanding of how people can use print in their daily lives. Rereading the writing also reinforces print directionality and the differences between letters, words, and sentences. All of these concepts represent important early literacy skills that will prepare my students to become excellent readers and writers!
Last week was our first full week of school! It was so exciting to see all of
my students and get started on a new year. I have nine "veteran" students --
students who I taught last year that are too young to move on to four-year-old
pre-k -- which is fabulous. It is amazing how easily they fell back into our
routines, solved problems independently, and worked together. Who would have
thought the skills that took months to acquire a year ago could come back in a
matter of hours? I heard Aaliyah ask Carlos, "What can I do to make you feel
better?" when she accidentally bumped into him, and Stephen asked Julia, "Can I
have a turn?" when he wanted to help her put together a puzzle. They remembered
how to move between centers and requested that we sing their favorite songs
throughout the day. Part of me felt like it was June all over again!
But watching my new students interact in the classroom
reminded me that it was, indeed, September. Malik was completely content to
play by himself during recess today, and only fleetingly engaged with Suniah
when she invited him to play. Anna was flipping through books upside down and
backwards and not paying attention to the pictures and words. And all of my new
students needed explanations and frequent reminders about routines, appropriate
behaviors, and the
language that we use in school. Most of my new students have never been
asked to "line up," and they don't know what it means to go to "P.E." It's
always important to remember to break down these seemingly simple phrases for
students at the beginning of the year!
Given the varrying
experiences of each of my students, I was extremely impressed by how eager the
veterans were to help their new friends. Aaliyah took Emily's hand and showed
her how to pick a book and sit in the library, and when Malik started singing
during nap time, Makiera calmly explained why he needed to be quiet. I am eager
to see how our classroom community grows and develops throughout the year, and
excited to witness how much each of my students will grow!
Bridges to Kindergarten, my summer school class, has finished week one of three! We are already on the road to a seamless transition from pre-kindergarten to Kindergarten.
In our summer class we are introducing key components of the Kindergarten curriculum in small ways. Monday and Wednesday are devoted to Reader’s Workshop. This week we discussed how we care for our books and what good readers do. My coordinating teacher presented a mini lesson on book care. She encouraged students to notice what her body looks like, sounds like and feels like when she is reading a book. They also discussed where the books are stored in our classroom and why. I love watching four and five year olds really take on responsibility of themselves and our classroom materials. On Wednesday I posted a question to our class: “What do good readers do?” Our list was plentiful.
Good readers:
read because they like to
read because they want to learn something
read because they like books
read when they want to rest
read when they want to laugh
read because they wrote it
read because their mom and dad do
read because there are boxes of books
read because there are Sponge Bob books
Each student spent 15 minutes reading. They are allowed to read as many books as they would like as many times as they would like but they “keep reading until we stop!” It is fun to watch some students get a slow start, but then not want to put their books away! After our free reading time students are invited to share their favorite book with the class. This non-threatening sharing opportunity helps students become comfortable with sharing their work with others – an important social and academic skill.
Writer’s Workshop is another key component to our district’s kindergarten curriculum. Look for more information about Writer’s Workshop in my next post.
My friend and mentor Bill Ferriter tagged me a while ago before I came to Inside Pre-K to participate in a blog MEME. He asked me to write a post based on the National Public Radioseries “This I Believe” where individuals share essays they have written that enumerate their philosophies.
I thought this would be a great chance for folks to get to know me a little better. So, here is my contribution.
This I Believe...
Education is the thread
that creates the tapestry of America. Teachers spin the strong yarn of
many colors, shades, and tones of America’s people by pulling,
stretching, and expanding students’ minds. The lives of America’s
people, woven together, are varied and bright, and when seen from afar,
create a tapestry that shows the most important philosophy of the
American experiment: possibility. The tapestries of
countries without a strong educational system are pictures of what has
always been. Poor farmers’ children grow up to be poor farmers, factory
workers’ children grow up to be factory workers. Because of teachers,
these children can grow up to be inventors, scientists, or teachers.
But most importantly, no matter where the children come from, they are
able to pursue happiness through gainful work that contributes to
society.
I
have seen the truth of this philosophy in the community where I teach.
My former pre-k student Zasheen’s mother came from a family that did not value
education. She works in a low wage job that she does not value, because
when she was a teenager, she saw a lack of possibility in the pursuit
of education. But, Zasheen’s mother chose to emphasize the importance of
education as a means to a brighter future by enrolling Zasheen and his
brother in pre-k. Now Zasheen’s thread is strong--each new teacher
contributing to its strength--but it can be broken by any teacher along
the way, especially in the early years. The importance of a high
quality education to the thread of Zasheen’s life, as it is passed from
teacher to teacher, is part of his mother’s dream.
Because
of the American right to education for all, teachers can expand our
horizons to the wider world. Pre-k is a part of that right, the right
to choose what is best for our children. We are not bound by our
personal histories or those of our families and our communities.
Because of education, we are able to see past what we have always
known. The tapestry of education shows us what can be. In every child,
America’s teachers spin as strong a yarn as they know how. Each teacher
in a child’s educational career adds their personal strength to the
yarn that will become a child’s future. It is up to the child to
determine where he or she will fit in the tapestry of America, but it
is teachers who make it possible to have a choice.
Some of you out there don't know a meme from a hole in the ground but that's ok. I'll bring you up to speed.
The short definition
is "a unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or
idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind
to another."
However, that definition is incomplete as it relates to an Internet meme
which "occurs when something relatively unknown becomes increasingly
popular, often quite suddenly, through the mass propagation of media
content made feasible by the Internet" technology.
Here is the challenge: A Pre-K Now Mini-MEME. Please leave a one sentence comment about what you believe. It could be about Pre-K,
teaching, learning, family, children, or life. It can be a long
sentence or a short sentence. You could even make it really hard and
write just six words like the members of the Teacher Leaders Network did for Teacher Magazine recently.
Pre-K Now is a public
education and advocacy organization that advances high-quality, voluntary
pre-kindergarten for all three and four year olds.
Visit Pre-K Now >
