Kindergarten Today

Everything I know...

We're approaching the 100th day of school this week so I thought we would spend some time each day discussing what we have learned and accomplished during that time. We started during yesterday's morning circle time.

I made a big deal of the idea of 100 days. I bragged about what good readers my students have become. I talked about new friendships, learning school rules, blah, blah, blah. We counted to 100, first by tens and then by fives. Then I asked each child to tell me one important thing they have learned in 100 days. Here are some answers:

"I learned to read good."

"I learned math."

"I learned to not get in trouble."

"I learned the best part- lunch."

"I learned to play in centers."

Then I turned to one of my best and brightest students. He made his scrunched up "thoughtful" face and said very matter-of-factly, "Mrs. Maurer, I learned everything in pre-K. I don't know if I've learned anything new this year."

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry!

Books I Need

I’m always buying books for our classroom. Last week I bought eight books at a “withdrawn from circulation” sale at the library. They were only a quarter each! This week I ordered some books from Scholastic book clubs. My biggest difficulty in buying books is to remember to buy books I need, not just ones that I like. I buy too many science books and not enough holiday books. I have more than enough ABC books, but can’t resist a new one!

I try to buy seven basic categories of books:

1.       Books for holidays, especially the minor ones like Johnny Appleseed’s birthday or the 100^th day of school.

2.       Books related to themes I teach, such as “forest animals”, “vegetables”, “healthy heart”, “leaders and heroes”.

3.       Books about math. I really need some more about measuring! My favorite is Twelve Snails to One Lizard by Susan Hightower and Matt Novak.

4.       Books about ABCs and words.

5.       Books about character traits such as honesty, trustworthiness, and generosity.

6.       Books that just tell a great story, like The Rainbabies by Laura Krauss Melmed and Jim Lamarche.

7.       Books that help my children enjoy learning to read. These are “little readers” that are also entertaining or enlightening.

 

The next time I order books I need to keep my list handy!

 

Of course I failed to mention my absolute weakness in any category- pop-up books. I LOVE those things. They are fascinating. I have several in my personal collection and I read one each Friday. They are the only books in my room that I don’t allow the children to read independently. I do however, have several “lift the flap” books for them and they find those almost as entertaining.

 

I hope your classroom library is growing and changing each year. If your budget is tight don’t forget library sales, yard sales, and retiring teachers. Happy reading!

Rainy Days and Snow, too...

When bad weather strikes we have to think of ways to occupy our students and help them survive without recess. We can go to the gym for some activities. We can make sure they still get plenty of movement and exercise. But I also like to think of ways to let them relax a bit more in the classroom. I like to vary our days so that winter doesn’t seem like endless days of weary work.

By January most of my students are trustworthy and capable of independent work. They have also learned how to have fun without getting “out of hand”. So here are some things I add to our classroom routine to perk them up a bit and help them stay excited about learning.

1.       Our “free choice” (after all morning work is completed) activities now include coloring on construction paper with chalk, or working in a new journal. The construction paper is very large and I use the sidewalk chalk. Both are a hit with my students. Their new journals are plastic binders with blank pages and coloring pages. I had something new each week. This week I added coloring pages of astronauts and rockets and stars for our space unit. They may write or color in their journals with anything, including markers, colored pencils, and stamps. (Previously they have had weekly journals which were only stapled pieces of paper and they could only use pencils or crayons on them.)

2.       I add watercolors to the art center for daily use. We have used watercolors several times for projects and now my students can use them independently during centers. They get their own water, do their own cleanup.

3.       We do our “handwriting” in shaving cream at least a couple of times a month. This is a great activity that also leaves everything clean. Use unscented!!

4.       We play with “noodle blocks” during one recess period each week. I use those foam swimming pool “noodles” and cut them into pieces. The children love them because they are different. I love them because they are quiet and harmless.

 

It doesn’t take much to make things just a bit more fun until the sun shines again.

Kindergarten Book Bags

Many teachers use “book bags” as a way to make sure their students and parents have access to appropriate reading material. Studies have shown that students who enjoy reading with their parents are more apt to become good readers and to have a positive attitude about learning to read.  

I begin the year by sending home books that the parents read to their child. I try to make sure the child is participating by requiring them to “write” a book report. I have a form that instructs them to “draw your favorite part of the story” in a box. Then, with Mom or Dad’s help, they write the name of the book and the author. This progresses over the next few weeks to a form that asks where the story took place, who the characters were, and three or four questions to be answered about the story. The book, instructions, and forms go home in a gallon zippered plastic bag on Monday and are returned on Friday.

This week we took home our first spring book bag. The spring bags are very different. They contain little readers that the students should be able to read with very little help from a parent. I have six different sets of reading books that are leveled from 1-20 and each child gets a book that I think they can read, based on their reading time with me during small groups. I try not to send home a book that the child has already read to me, but if they are struggling, I may even do that. I want each child to begin at a level of confidence. For those who need it, I also send home a “sound” book. These are based on one or two letters of the alphabet and contain vocabulary words to help the student with sounds. Each page has one photo and the corresponding first letter sound below it. For the gifted readers in my class I also have a complete set of first grade readers.

There is no paperwork with the spring book bags. Here are the instructions:

Monday- Read the book, discuss the pictures, talk about the story, and go over any difficult words. (If your child has two books in his/her book bag it is because one of them is for vocabulary and letter sound practice. You will notice the difference in the text. Just make sure your child knows each word and can tell you the beginning letter sound.)

Tuesday- Let your child read the book. Have your child write down words that are difficult, sound them out if possible, and then write them down again.

Wednesday-break

Thursday- Have your child read the book and tell you what it is about. Ask your child any questions that are at the back of the book.

Friday- Return the book bag to school. You do not have to turn in any paperwork or word lists. I trust you to read with your child because it is important, but I know that sometimes you will have to skip a night because of family obligations. If you get behind and want to keep a book for another week, just write a note in your child’s folder.

 

This program has worked well for me in the past. It gives my students extra reading practice with an adult, and gives parents a way to be involved in their child’s progress.

 

Report Cards

We sent report cards home this week. Most of my students and parents will be pleased. Most of my students know the letters of the alphabet and they are beginning to sound out a few words. Most can count to 20 and make a pattern using two colors. Most know that there are seven days in the week and they can tell you whether there will be school tomorrow. Our basic skills are beginning to form a solid foundation for future learning. Most of my students will learn to read and will become successful first graders.

There are also notations on the report card about behavior and work habits. Most of my students follow our daily routine and obey class rules and get along well with their peers. Most can function and do their own work without constant prompting. Most tell the truth and try their best.

However…report cards, even detailed ones, do not always give a true and complete picture of a child’s performance in class, or his potential for future success. Nor do they reflect his attitude and motivation. I have seen time and time again that an average student with good behavior and a positive attitude will become a far more successful student, and often a more successful adult, than a smarter student with behavior and/or attitude problems.  I try my best to explain this to parents, but the little boxes on the report card sometimes paint a more glowing picture. That’s one of the reasons I send home weekly reports. I want parents to see patterns of behavior that might be more important than basic skills or intelligence.

We try to improve our report card every couple of years. We try to make it more accurate and current and useful. This year we are working on a few changes for next year’s report card. I still won’t be perfect, but perhaps it will be better.

So, the lesson from this is that you should use your child’s report card as only one tool, one piece of information to determine how he or she is doing in class. Talk to your child’s teacher, look at daily work, look at behavior problems, look at test scores, and talk to your child. Get all the facts, not just one report.

Ending with a laugh- If you read any of my other blogs, you know I’ve been having some serious eye problems and my vision is limited to one eye.  This past Thursday I had to go to a specialist about two hours away, so I arranged for a substitute. When I returned to class on Friday one of my girls asked- “Were you sick yesterday?”

“No, I just went to the eye doctor.”

“Well, why didn’t you come back? You’re supposed to come right back.”

“I had to go to Plano, Texas. That’s far away and I didn’t have time to come back.”

Another student chimed in, “I know where that is. My uncle lives in Plano. You have to go in the car and it makes you tired.”

Exactly!!
 

Back to Work

We returned from Christmas break yesterday. Many of my students were eager to return to their friends and even their work. I think most children actually like school, even if they don’t always admit it. School is not only a safe haven for many children- it is a world they understand. It is an environment that is predictable and logical. Children appreciate the structure of school and many thrive within the safety of that structure.

Three of my little girls are my “assistant teachers”, not by my choosing, or even the election of their peers. They just know, instinctively, that it is their place in life. If they don’t boss their classmates around, and tattle to me when they misbehave, who else will do it? If they don’t tell me that I forgot to change the helper board, how will I ever discover it on my own? LOL These girls have found their calling in life. I’m sure they will all grow up to be terrific mothers, wives, and teachers!

Two of my boys sat around and wasted most of the day. They played with their pencils, watched the other children work, chewed their shirt sleeves, put their heads down, talked to their neighbors, and generally goofed off in any creative way that they could invent. It will be at least a week before they are functioning again. They represent the challenges of teaching. Not all children are willing and eager to learn.

Most of my students just did what they have always done. They told me about their Christmas break. They played with their best buddies. They did the work I asked them to do. They devoured the pizza we had for lunch. They marveled at the ice storm outside that caused us to miss recess. They giggled with joy over the privilege of going to music class their first day back. They promised to be back tomorrow.

So we begin a new year together. Please join us on the journey.