Kindergarten Today

Weekly Progress Report

Nine weeks is an eternity in kindergarten, so I send home a weekly progress report to keep my parents informed of their child’s progress in classroom behavior, work habits, and academic skills between report cards. I created the form several years ago using a simple “table” format and I’ve changed it a few times to reflect changes in schools and schedules. I’ve even made a couple of separate forms for individual students who are working on specific skills not needed by the other students. However, the basics have remained the same because my expectations for classroom behavior have stayed the same.

I thought you might like to see what is included on my report. The format isn’t important, it just has boxes after each listing, and I insert a letter label: O=outstanding, S=satisfactory, and N= needs more effort. At the beginning of the year I also use W=working on skill.

Weekly Progress Report:

Classroom/School Behavior-

1. Listens respectfully to teacher during circle time, lessons, etc.
2. Listens respectfully when classmates are speaking during circle time.
3. Follows playground rules and plays cooperatively with others.
4. Follows rules in halls and restroom.
5. Behaves politely during meals and does not disturb others.
6. Listens to teachers during rotation classes (music, art, library).
7. Keeps hands to self and uses polite speech.

Work Habits-

1. Cooperates with others during table work and does not distract others from working.
2. Cleans up after projects and center time.
3. Follows directions and completes tasks without asking excessive questions.
4. Stays on task and completes work within a reasonable time.
5. Controls talking and excess noises (humming, whistling, growling, etc.).
6. Works independently and does not copy the work of others.
7. Does his/her best work. Uses good handwriting and colors carefully.

Academic skills-

This area of the report is “blank” until I type in what I want for the week. I may include a few brief comments about phonics or math. I may include a particular skill we are working on that week. I may include a checklist like this one that went home before the Thanksgiving break:

I recognize the following letters-

I recognize the following numbers-

I can count to twenty. ___yes ___no

I know these sight words-

I know my word families- ___an, ___at,___op

I also have a couple of discipline forms I like. I’ll include those in a future post.

Kindergarten Play

There has been a lot of controversy in recent years about play time in school, especially in kindergarten and first grade. Many schools have changed from two daily recess periods to one. Some schools have done away with recess in favor of more structured P.E. classes. Others skip recess altogether in order to have more classroom time.

Many kindergarten classrooms no longer contain traditional centers such as dramatic play (home, kitchen, whatever you want to call them), blocks, art, sand and water, science, etc. The excuse is that the students who play in centers are “too noisy and rowdy” and that center time takes away from more important activities such as small group reading instruction.

I’ve also heard teachers say that they no longer let students use basic art supplies such as paint, chalk, or markers because of the mess. The use of glue is closely monitored and many classrooms use only glue sticks. Play dough is a “no-no”. I’ve even heard bad words about puzzles. Come on, folks, what are we trying to do?

My parents and colleagues consider me to be a very disciplined, structured, organized, “academic” teacher. I am obsessive about control and I’ll be the first to admit it. I want my students on task and quiet when I ask them to be on task and quiet. I also have high expectations for my students. I want them to learn to read by March. I want them to know how to add and subtract before they leave my classroom. I want them to be able to work neatly, follow instructions, listen to a story and tell me what it was about, behave well with others, and be respectful. I have a list of one hundred words I want them to recognize. I could go on…

Thursday, at the end of our horrible day, I told my students we “will NOT have center time tomorrow!” Friday they were on task and quiet during handwriting and phonics. They were great during our math lesson. They were wonderful during Thanksgiving lunch with their parents. When we returned from lunch I let them go straight to centers. After about five minutes one of my bright little girls smiled and said “Mrs. Maurer, I thought you said no centers today.” “I’m a softie," I replied. She beamed. “I love this class, don’t you?”

My point is that these are five and six year old children! They need play. They need flexibility. They need understanding. They need someone to cut them a little slack once in a while. I think we’ve forgotten that.

My children play at recess at least once a day, twice if the morning weather is nice and we can get our act together. Sometimes math lesson runs long and we do miss part of the morning recess. And I have some health issues in my class this year that make it safer if we don’t venture out on really cold days. But we’ll go out in the afternoon, even if we just run around the playground once and return. (On rainy days we play with balls in the gym.) Recess gives my students a chance to interact with the other two kindergarten classes and make more friends. It gives them a chance to be as loud as they want, and of course gives them the opportunity to run, jump, swing, and play games. It also gives me a chance to see them being totally natural. I watch them play. I pay attention to their choice of playmates. I listen to conversations. Recess gives me insight into their personality and home life that I would never get during lessons.

“Hey! I said get me a beer!” About four years ago I was listening to a conversation in our “home center” and that was the command I heard from one of my little boys. Of course we had to have a little discussion about polite requests and things we don’t talk about at school, etc. But that one statement, and the way it was uttered, told me a lot about the relationship of his parents and the dynamics of his home. I’m not saying that I would ever judge my parents by one statement from their kid. I always tell them “If you’ll only believe half of what they say about me, I’ll only believe half of what they say about you!”LOL However, the point is the student didn’t say anything about his parents. He modeled how things are done in his home! When I combined that with conversations with his parents, observations of his actions, and his performance in class, it gave me much more of the “big picture” of his life.

That statement and others would never be a part of reading or math or science. Things like that only occur in the relaxed atmosphere of free-choice center time. Here are some other things that have happened:

1. One of my boys made an elaborate paper robot in art center.
2. A boy and a girl worked together in block center to make a building with over fifty blocks. The balance and symmetry was wonderful.
3. One of my girls showed me how she felt about her baby brother by demonstrating with our doll. She put it on the kitchen table, hit it, and then threw it on the floor. We talked for days about that, and I talked with her parents and our counselor about it. We were able to help her work through some fear and anger that might not have been noticed without that play time action.
4. Two of my students used our puppets to act out Sleeping Beauty and others watched the performance. That told me they knew the story, enjoyed it, and could retell it quite accurately.
5. One of my students from a previous class could work a puzzle upside down, sideways, or even turned over. He had an amazing understanding of spatial relationships and an eye for details. I learned that by watching him during center time.
6. A previous student, whose mother died just before the beginning of school, didn’t speak for months. But he drew elaborate, dark pictures with his markers each and every day. Sometimes he would make as many as four copies of the same picture. I truly believe that as he drew he was working through his grief.

Play is an essential part of life. Whether we are six or sixty, we need some time that is our very own. We need some time to do what we want and think what we want, without structure and plans and purpose. If I had to be in my classroom 24/7 or even inside 24/7, I’d be a basket case. I need to be in my garden. I need to feed the birds. I need to take photographs. I need to draw and paint. I need to write. I need to walk aimlessly across the yard and look at the water move across the pond. That serves no purpose whatsoever, except that it makes me feel good!

We can’t do away with play, in life, or in the classroom. Kindergarten children need time to be relaxed, creative, interactive, and energetic. And if we give them that, they will be on task and quiet when we ask them to do so. At least most of the time…LOL

*Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day...

When I first started teaching children in 1980 I thought that each day would be a wonderful educational experience. I thought my students would listen attentively while I spoke. I thought they would always do wonderful work. I thought they would behave well if I treated them with kindness and respect. Blah! Blah! Blah! That lasted about two days before reality set in. I remember having these two cousins in class who got off the bus each morning punching each other. I learned quickly. I adapted. I got control. I became a much better, more realistic teacher. It only took me...okay, still working on it.

Yesterday was a "Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" in Mrs. Maurer's class!  I'll be the first to admit it. My worst students were being their worst, and a couple of my so-so students went over to the dark side a couple of times. We had a "lock down" (stranger on campus) drill that went pretty well, but left all the kids very excited. I was agitated and disappointed by the behavior of my students. Let me just be clear here- one tried to make a "snow angel" on the floor. One of my boys punched a girl. Two of my better students did a project totally wrong because they were talking during instructions and then just copied off of the closest student to them, one who never follows directions. One refused to do his handwriting- even hid it and tried to do something else. One tore a book. One called another a bad word. One turned his chair over. I could go on................................................... Maybe you can understand why I didn't use my nice voice all day. I don't yell. But I do have a not-so-nice voice.

I also sat my students down in a circle on the rug and told them I was very disappointed and angry. Then I told them why. That's what I do. I try to be honest with my students. I want them to know that I'm human. I also want them to know that I can be angry, talk about it, and go on to something positive, because that's what I want them to learn to do. We read "If You're Angry and You Know It" and sing the song because it gives students ideas about what to do...other than hurt someone. And I want them to understand that there are adults in their life who can be angry with them and still love them and care for them and give them another chance to do well.

That's one of the great things about kindergarten students. They don't hold a grudge, and I don't either. We will start the day today as though it is going to be the best day of the year. And even if it turns out to be "not so good", we will also begin the next day with a smile and high hopes.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving! I'll be on break next week, but I plan to post a few management tips and some examples of weekly reports and such that I have created.

*That's the title of a great book by the way. The author is Judith Viorst.

Desks

Through a process that has taken nearly a year, we came to a momentous event Monday. Two of the kindergarten classes changed from tables to desks. However, because of some scheduling issues I didn't change my classroom. You should have heard my class!! LOL "Mrs. Maurer, Mrs. Maurer, did you see Mrs. C's class? They have desks!!" "Mrs. Maurer, Mrs. Maurer, why didn't we get desks?" It was pandemonium for a few minutes until I showed my class our desks in the storage room down the hall and assured them that by Tuesday we would have our own desks. I worked late Monday to keep my promise!

I kept my reading table and my art table and put sixteen desks into my room. This is the first time in my teaching career that I've been in a classroom with more desk seating than table seating. The most I've ever had before was four desks. I used them for students who willingly, or for my sanity, needed to sit alone. One year I had a student who cried if anyone touched anything that belonged to him. I kept him in his own desk until he was comfortable enough to ask to be at a table.

I can tell, after only one day, that this is going to be a love-hate situation. Most of the desks are close enough so that the students are essentially in the same places as before, but with more personal storage space. Others are far enough away from the rest of the group to hopefully be less distracted. I moved our "abundance" of supplies to the art table so that concept still works. However, I've had to slightly change our table center and reading group procedures.

Some of the students have already learned how to be annoying by scooting or shaking their desks. Two have figured out how to raise their desks up and balance two of the legs on the tops of their shoes! One has discovered the joy of writing inside his desk. Another has already tried to hide his unfinished work in his desk.

Desks! It's a whole new world...

Kindergarten Homework

Several people have asked if I give homework to my students and the answer is “yes”. I do this for a number of reasons.

First of all, the children actually like and expect it, especially if they have older siblings. Doing homework makes them feel like real students. And doing homework in kindergarten lays the foundation for all those years ahead. It helps parents establish good routines.

Doing homework reinforces the idea that parents must work with me to educate their child. It is not enough to just send your child off to school and hope for the best. I want my parents to observe what their child can do, be aware of current and potential problems, and be part of the solutions.

I also give homework because it is necessary for individual progress. I don’t give everyone the same homework- I give each student what they need to practice. If Susie can’t write letter “a” and everyone else can, then she needs to practice at home until she can do it. I’ll include it in my individual work with her, and make sure she is using the right procedure to make the letter, but the practice part needs to be done at home. I don’t want her to miss doing something else in class in order to work on a skill that is merely a matter of repetition.

I give homework because I simply don’t have time in class to repeat, repeat, repeat- nor is it necessary for every student. I don’t want to spend three weeks on writing number words if half the class can do it after the first week. I’ll continue to give homework to those who need more practice and I’ll review each Friday to make sure we maintain the skill.

I don’t give a lot of homework. I don’t think kindergarten students need to spend more than fifteen minutes on paperwork each night. I want my parents to spend at least another twenty minutes reading to or with their child. Reading is the most important homework you can do with your child! Children need to hear new words and hear the rhythm of our language. They need to understand stories and make up their own.

So, like it or not, if your child is in my class there will be homework.

Note to parents: Please don’t DO your child’s homework. I really can tell the difference between your handwriting and theirs, especially if you do it in cursive. LOL

Parent Involvement

I like to feel that I am a partner with the parents of my students and that we are working together to give their child a good education. I ask parents to help with homework, visit our classroom, and volunteer as much as they can for parties, field trips, and projects. Two of our most enjoyable collaborations are "guest reader" and the turkey feather project.

Many of my parents take time from their work day to come in and read a book to our class. The children enjoy it so much! And it impresses them that other adults can read. LOL

Last week I sent home turkey "feathers" (construction paper) to be decorated at home and returned for our wall display. Each year I am amazed by the creativity shown by this project. This photo is of last year's turkey, simply because this year's isn't finished. I will take a photo of the current one soon.

I hope that you are involved in some way in your child's education and that you are working with a teacher who supports your efforts.

Mrs. Maurer

This is a drawing of me that was done by a student last year. Student art amazes me! I've begun an album with more. Enjoy!

Shhhhh...

Every teacher has a level of quiet she prefers for optimum teaching and learning. In most upper elementary classrooms silence is the preferred level because students tend to "share" information not relevant to the classroom and "share" answers to test questions. :)

"Quiet" is a relative term in kindergarten and silence is but a fantasy of new teachers! Five year olds are noisy little creatures and self-control is not one of their strengths. However, we do achieve some short periods of quiet work and get students used to the idea that they are supposed to do their own work with their own brain. This year I also have a student who is hyper-sensitive to sound and we are trying to be respectful of that. However, I also have a situation in my room this year that I have never encountered before, and I will be the first to admit that it is driving me bonkers!!!!

My personal pet-peeve is repetitive noises. Humming drives me nuts! Scratching on the chalk board does not bother me as much as humming or low-pitched, whispered singing. This year the Lord is trying to teach me something! LOL I am not making this up- I have two hummers, a constant singer, a child who taps his pencil, a child who talks to himself, and a child who says "ch, ch, ch, ch" in a squeaky whisper as he works. I've talked, I've bribed, I've punished, and I've pleaded...to no avail. The problem with a problem like this is that the children have done this for so long that they are unaware they are doing it! So now I'm down to "___ you're humming." "Oh, sorry Mrs. Maurer." Repeat that twenty times a day. LOL

I posted this today to let you know that I don't think I have all the answers! There are some things I can solve for you in a heartbeat. But there are other things that are just not that simple. I have my own daily struggles in the classroom and I am more than willing to share them. I hope you will share with me.

Note: Two of you have asked about books. I promise I will have some book lists, links, and photos up by this weekend. A new blog is difficult to establish all at once. Thanks for your patience.

State Standards

Parents often ask me why we teach the things we do. Last week one of my parents said, "Since when do they learn spelling?" Well...since we've been teaching letter sounds and how to put them together to make a word. We have to call it something! Some even question the way we teach. Why do we have centers? Why doesn't everyone get to do the same things? Why do we put the students in groups? (I often use the word "we" because my school has three kindergarten classrooms.)

Most parents aren't surprised that the Oklahoma State Department of Education dictates what we teach, but most are very surprised by the detailed list of what we are expected to teach and how we are expected to teach it. I find that once my parents have a copy in their hands they are much more understanding of the serious task I confront each day!

Here is just the overview of our state requirements and some of my comments about them. We'll cover some specific sections and subjects later. The Priority Academic Student Skills document for our state is sixteen pages long in pdf format.   

Kindergarten programs should:

Provide an environment designed for the age group served and implemented with attention to the needs and differences of the individual children. I have twenty students in my room. Two can read at first grade level. (Four years ago I had a student who could read at third grade level!) Several of my students can sound out a few words and recognize a dozen familiar words. Four can't recognize all the letters of the alphabet, but do know some words like "no", "cat", "mom". I have students who can't count to twenty and students who can do addition. I think that's what the state means by "differences". LOL

Provide units or themes of interest which integrate and teach all areas of the core curriculum (e.g., language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, the arts). This week our theme, which leads into Thanksgiving, is "sharing and caring for others". Our Halloween theme was "cats, bats, and spiders". We use themes to incorporate science and social studies into our work. We also use them to add interest to math. For example, we count with pumpkin erasers and plastic flies during October. Teaching at this age must include a certain amount of entertainment.

Provide an environment arranged in learning centers or learning areas (e.g., art center, science center, reading center, dramatic play center, block center). Each center will have a variety of activities for the children. This arrangement allows for a wide range of developmental interests and abilities within the same classroom. Because we teach such a broad range of students, we must provide for the fact that they work at different levels and speeds. I can't expect my highest group to simply wait until my lowest group has completed their work. We have "table centers" that contain puzzles, flash cards, folder games, dominoes, mat work, etc. So even if all of my children are completing paper work (which, by the way, means each group gets a different paper) they may get a table center activity when they have completed their paper. There is also a time during the day when they all "play" in the larger centers (dramatic play, blocks, etc.). They don't realize they are learning something.

Provide a balance of classroom activities that are teacher-directed and child-initiated. These activities may be active or quiet, performed individually or in large and small groups. I find that pacing and balance are often difficult for new teachers to achieve. They focus too much on one particular style of presentation because it suits their personality. I had to learn to work with small groups because I prefer whole-group or individual instruction. Children need variety. They especially need periods of quiet and active learning. There are times when I demand absolute quiet- phonics testing, story writing, math paperwork. There are times when I allow talking- art projects, math groups, table centers. Students adapt to what you expect of them.

Provide a learning process which is active; one in which children interact with each other and materials while engaging in cooperative hands-on learning with day-to-day life experiences. If you visit my classroom you might see us counting plastic flies, writing our names with shaving cream, tasting apples and graphing our favorite kind, or measuring the book shelves in our room.

Provide curriculum which builds upon what children already know and are able to do to enable them to connect new concepts and skills. We live in a small town in an agricultural area so I know my children are familiar with farm animals, gardens, hunting, fishing, rodeos, etc. I use this knowledge to help them learn new concepts.

Provide opportunities for exposure to a wide variety of information and literacy experiences and the use of technology through daily activities in the classroom and/or media center. Choosing books and other materials for my students is so challenging! There is just so much available. I try to use the stories and games that are most effective, but each year I find something new that seems to work a little better.

These Priority Academic Student Skills (PASS) are intended to be a minimum curriculum for children attending kindergarten in Oklahoma. Teachers trained in early childhood curriculum theories will provide an enriched curriculum including the following skills and many others. In addition to teaching the basic academic subjects, we teach children how to eat, put on their coats, play with others, be polite and respectful, clean up after themselves, and a hundred other "daily routine" things you would assume children already know. We also teach our gifted children whatever they are ready to learn.

Teaching is a challenge. It keeps me busy. It makes me happy. I hope I also make my students happy. Have a great day!

Abundance

It’s difficult to know where to begin a new blog, especially one about kindergarten. Do I begin with my “philosophy of education” or my stance on government regulations or an entertaining classroom story? I pondered this for a while and decided to start with a simple principle that solves a variety of problems in my classroom. It’s called abundance.

Kindergarten children argue. They don’t like to share. They are often wasteful. Many teachers ask them to keep their supplies in a little box and take care of them. During lessons these same teachers often have to sharpen pencils or stop to let students find or replace a crayon or scissors. They send notes home begging parents to replace supplies. They listen to complaints that “Johnny has MY pencil!” I’ve eliminated much of that in my classroom because frankly, it drives me crazy!

My students each have a “seat pocket”- a chair cover with one large pocket and two smaller ones. They keep “personal word” cards (names of family members, pets, etc.), spelling tiles, “in-progress” papers, and a pencil box in their seat pockets. In the pencil box they keep one box of crayons, two pencils, a pair of scissors, and an eraser. Students may keep “special” pencils or crayons in their pencil box and anyone else has to ask permission to use them.

There is a tray, with removable sections, on each classroom table. The tray contains at least three boxes of crayons, six bottles of glue, a large eraser, and a cup with ten to twelve pencils. There is also a container of crayons, a tub of scissors, and ten bottles of glue in our art center.  Here is the procedure for doing our daily work at the table:

1.       Use your own supplies.

2.       If you lose or break something, check the table tray to see if there is a replacement.

3.       If there isn’t a replacement at your table, quietly go to art center and get one. After work time anything borrowed from art center must be returned.

This eliminates so many questions and problems! My students know they always have the supplies they need. They can be stingy with their favorite pencil or the new crayons Aunt Sherry gave them, but if they misplace one, they don’t have to panic about completing their work. I make sure that the table pencils are sharpened each morning, and then during center time we take care of personal pencils.

This principle also applies to other classroom supplies. I usually have five boxes of tissue sitting around. There are eight tubs of play dough. We have fifty or more books out and duplicates of several. I try to make duplicates of folder games and buy duplicates of flash cards. Don’t get me wrong- there are LOTS of things my children must share or wait their turn to enjoy. I just don’t think we need to put children into a situation that creates selfishness if we can avoid it with abundance. And yes, I end up buying a lot of crayons during the year, but it is worth it to me because I enjoy a quieter classroom and calmer students.

Note: I will try to end each post with a question and answer. This question came to me in an email this morning.

Question- “What do I do about my students calling each other the “N” word?”

Answer- I begin the year with discussions about respect and cooperation. I read a series of character-building books and we talk daily about being good friends. I tell my students from the beginning that they may not call anyone ANYTHING other than their given name. I don’t allow teasing and I punish swiftly if it starts. I have asked students to sit in time out and write an apology for calling a classmate “cry baby” or making a rhyme, like “Tracy-bacy”, with someone’s name. The trick is to make the rule and the punishment effective before the children ever think of calling each other more serious names. If serious name-calling does happen then I think you should discuss it with the child AND the parents. I would want to know where the child heard the word and why they thought it was okay to use it. For “serious” labels I usually explain to the child that they are essentially calling their classmate “worthless trash” and ask them if they want to be called that. Depending on your school and community, I realize this may be an ongoing battle for you. However, we owe it to our students and ourselves to be diligent in our mission to eliminate hateful speech.

I welcome questions, suggestions, and comments. You may use the comment feature here or email me directly. I will try to offer helpful advice and take criticism gracefully. :)