Writing Focused On The Game

I have found a lovely, photo based blog entry on supporting writing skills through a play based curriculum.

Check it out. Jenny's preschool classroom writing experiences (indoors and outdoors) are fantastic!

Let the Children Play

Cheap! Dinosaur Measurement And Science

In today's economy (and, as a frugal and financially wise, at any time!) I'm always interested in the lessons that can be improved in the most economical way possible.

My class was involved in the study of dinosaurs is based on the unit, and last week. It seems to me that there is always an easy way to combine language and literacy in every unit, but sometimes it is more difficult to integrate science and mathematics. Since this unit focuses on dinosaurs, science is not a problem either, but how we can integrate math concepts? Here's an idea that was used.

I found these pictures of dinosaurs in my local dollar tree. (Yes, it cost at least $ 1 for this lesson.)

I told my students that these dinosaurs were bigger when we put them in water. We decided to measure with a ruler, to predict the size we thought it would get, and then measure after.

Because I wanted to concentrate on a couple of math skills have made a big deal to measure the dinosaur. I left my finger on number 4, after which we measured and reminded the children that he should be "greater." I asked them: "How big do you think he is?" In other courses, such as pointing the finger at the top of the ruler (showing them the logical choice around the ruler.) They made predictions I recorded them and then observed. Pictures show what we have so far!

After measuring our dinosaur again tomorrow, we will leave the water and predict what will happen. It will be interesting to see if one of the children to predict which decreased by 4 inches (remember, this is where we begin our first step!)

Missing Pumpkin

One of my favorite lessons was designed to help a year of kindergarten session for questions and improve their writing skills. We call it our "Missing the mystery of the pumpkin."

A week of October was the pumpkins on display at school. We were preparing for the day when we scoop the insides out, count the seeds and chop.

This particular group of students has more work is needed to produce the questions and to use descriptive words in their writing. So part of the school staff helped me stage "Missing Pumpkin Mystery."

A day after their period Specials (art, music, physical ed, etc.) pumpkin was absent from the classroom. When they noticed, we've decided on a plan to get our pumpkins back.

The first thing you should not make "Wanted" poster of our pumpkin. The students took a brown paper bag and a photo of our pumpkin on it. They then had to write three sentences to describe the pumpkins as others know if they saw our pumpkins. "

Then I decided to inform us of our main missing pumpkins to see if he could help us. (He had given me, the specialist media, made coffee, and our day in the custody of their script so it would take us to the next person to find the pumpkin).

The children have had to explain what happened, ask questions, and then shoot out of each pumpkin. The principal suggested that we ask the media expert, "because he saw a lot of pumpkins in the Media Center." He suggested we use the coffee shop assistant because "maybe they need to make pumpkin pie." Coffee shop assistant suggested to ask the mother "because he sees the whole school to clean the whole mess." As we have seen, 'put in our fridge, because he was afraid it would rot. "

We had a lot of fun with this activity and provided children with a real reason to use the skills they wanted to practice.

'Post It' Charts

Here is a simple strategy you use a lot in my class. Write the name of each child in a post-it. "I can write a question on a sheet of paper each and usually add visual effects for each column of the table. Here is a picture of our latest video:

I like to use to write the charts for many reasons:

1) They help children learn reading skills, reading their names and the names of their peers'.

2) They help children develop their language skills by answering questions and making choices.

3) They help children develop skills related to employment and concentration because they are actively involved, and they physically visit their own name on the card.

4) They help children develop social skills, learn to shoot and wait their turn.

5) They help children develop math skills to count the number of votes in each column and discuss the concepts more, less, and the same (equal).

6) They help children develop reading skills by becoming a part of our environmental footprint in the classroom.

7) It is a fast and easy! That means we do not spend more time preparing materials for children is needed to effectively participate in the activity.

Positive Behavior Support: The Solution Of The Government

This is the time of year, in pre-kindergarten class with special needs, started thinking about the transition process for children in kindergarten.

This year is a little girl in my class an interesting combination of strengths and challenges.

She has a good level and good cognitive ability to learn the vocabulary and concepts through incidental learning. She has a strong skills base maternal pre-university (she knows all the letters of the alphabet, large and small, she can count to 15, it can identify 11 colors and 6 most common forms. She knows a lot of beginning consonants an awareness of rhyme In other words, can read the names of all students in the class and read about 10 sight words.)

She is overwhelmed by new experiences and challenges in the transition to new activities (especially if it is in a different location on campus). She still needs support staff to potty training. Her fine motor skills are significantly delayed, and she always support staff to many tasks involving visual motor planning.

We decided to try to address specifically the strength of the region lies in an area that is a big challenge for him while he is still in pre-k. Is going to start going to a common reading and phonetics lesson kindergarten for about 20 minutes a day. Because he is a good cognitive abilities, and he does not need to support staff ready for the big group, Circle K, we're going to try to reconcile the challenge of new experiences. We hope you will become familiar with the construction of nursery, kindergarten, and a wider group of kindergarten students. We also hope that the staff pre-k can not go with him for a short time and then disappear in order to increase the independence and comfort in our kindergarten class.

To help prepare for this, we developed a simple social history (you can download a generic copy here.) Subject to walk in the kindergarten class. She has a copy at home that his family has read it for the last week and there is a copy at the school, staff in the classroom have read with her, too. We are also starting to go to the kindergarten room and have conversations about visits to kindergarten on Monday.

We hope that the layers of support staff and build its strength, begins to feel comfortable and can learn new skills in kindergarten."

I just printed and laminated graphics solution kit and then attached to the side of my desk. They have become a fixture in the classroom. The government has given me the opportunity to hold the solutions in a way that it was easier for my students to follow visually, and also eliminates the need for them to open the kit. Towards the end of the year, many of my current students for the transition to kindergarten, I could be across the room, and only verbally in a hurry to try the solution of the government. I also had two parents who saw us as a solution with class and asked the government to use the graphics at home!

I think the power of board solution or a solution of game (although the concept is changing for you) is that it teaches children the skills to manage their own conflicts. It gives children a measure of control over the resolution of the conflict and does not require an adult to intervene and "fix" the problem. And, ultimately, is what we want ..... Children independently to reach a peaceful solution.