Math Game – 10 Little Ducks Went Out One Day

Math Expectations:
Overall
• Demonstrate an understanding of number, using concrete materials to explore and investigate counting, quantity, and number relationships.

Specific
• Use, read, and represent whole numbers to 10 in a variety of meaningful contexts.
• Investigate addition and subtraction in everyday activities through the use of manipulatives.

Health and Physical Activity Expectations:
Overall
• Develop control of small muscles (fine-motor control) in a variety of contexts.

Specific
• Begin to demonstrate control of small muscles in activities at a variety of learning centres.


Context:
This game can be carried out as a whole group activity or during small group learning centre time. The students would have experience and knowledge in recognizing numbers and counting from 1 to 10. They have learned the mathematic vocabulary of adding and have been practicing addition with different manipulative materials such as base ten blocks and linking cubes.


Rules of the Game:
Each student gets a “pond” and a set of numbered duckling cards placed in a paper bag, assorted with numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, which add up to 10. A student picks a card from her paper bag, read the number, and then put the required number of ducklings in the pond. For example, if a student picks the number 2, then she’ll put 2 ducklings in her pond. Students take turns and repeat the same procedure. After each turn, the student would announce, “I had __ ducklings, I added __, now I have __.” The game continues until all the ducklings are sent to the pond, when the 10 circles are filled.


Materials for each student:
A Pond



10 Ducklings



Numbered Duckling Cards




Introducing the game to students:
To begin the lesson, I would sing the song “10 little ducks went out one day” with the students. I would put up the picture of the pond on the board, filled with 10 ducklings, and remove the ducklings one by one as I sing “…but 1 little duck didn’t come back”. After all the ducklings have been removed, I would tell the students that we need to help Mama Duck send all the ducklings back to the pond, explain the rules of the game, and ask a student to be my partner to demonstrate taking turns and picking out the numbers, then placing the correct number of ducks in the pond. I’d review how when we add ducklings to our pond, we’ll have more ducklings. After the demonstration, I would put students into small groups (3 or 4 students per group) and let them try playing!
 

Accommodation/Extension:
Dots are placed on the number cards as an aid for students who are still working on identifying the numbers. The number of ducklings can be reduced to 5 to accommodate specific students. It can also be expanded to 20, played with cards in bigger numbers (e.g. 8), as a challenge for students who are ready to move on.


Assessment:
As children play the game, I’d circulate the room to observe and make anecdotal notes. I would focus on their numeration skills (Do they recognize the numbers? Do they need to count the dots?), their counting (Are they putting the correct number of ducklings in the pond?), and their use of Mathematic language to express their understanding (Are they using the word adding and how well do they communicate to their friends about what they’re doing?).


Lyrics of 10 Little Ducks Went Out One Day

10 little ducks went out one day,
Over the hills and far away.
Mama Duck says “quack quack quack quack”,
But 1 little duck didn’t come back.

9 little ducks went out one day,
Over the hills and far away.
Mama Duck says “quack quack quack quack”,
But 1 little duck didn’t come back.

8 little ducks went out one day,
Over the hills and far away.
Mama Duck says “quack quack quack quack”,
But 1 little duck didn’t come back.

7 little ducks went out one day,
Over the hills and far away.
Mama Duck says “quack quack quack quack”,
But 1 little duck didn’t come back.

…and so on~


References:

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2003). The Early Math Strategy. Ontario Queenʼs Printer for Ontario.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2006). The Kindergarten Program. Ontario Queenʼs Printer for Ontario.

Classroom Management Strategies

I had an opportunity to conduct an interview with Mrs. M, an experienced teacher who has been teaching Kindergarten for 8 years. She mentioned and discussed with me a lot of effective classroom management strategies, and here are three that I choose to share with you.

The Management of Learning Centres:

In Mrs. M’s Kindergarten classroom, students have an allotted time to choose which learning centre they want to go to. Centre cards are attached on the filing cabinet’s side with Velcro, and they can be changed according to what centres are decided to be opened on each day. Each card shows the picture of the activity, and visually shows the number of children that are allowed to be at that centre (e.g. 2 circles = 2 children allowed). When a child chooses to go to a specific centre, he’d place his magnetic name card beside a circle on the centre card. There is no time limit of being at a centre, but if a child has been at a centre for too long and other children ask to go there, then Mrs. M would give a time limit (e.g. “Look at the clock. When the big hand gets to the 5, you need to leave your centre.”). At the end of centre time, if a child wishes to keep their “projects” (e.g. a lego tower) and continue working on it on the next day, they can leave them on the shelf, but they must make some sort of sign to keep their “project” up.

I really like the idea of letting children keep their “projects”, because it gives them a sense of continuity if they need more than the given time to complete what they’re doing. Daily routines provide stability, comfort and balance for children. It is especially true for children with special needs. For example, if a child with special needs is in the process of building a tower, has a plan of how to build it and what to do next, and is suddenly expected to break all that work because centre time is over, he might feel very frustrated and think that it’s unfair. The momentum is discontinued, and the hard work is lost. Knowing that their work is recognized and respected, and having the opportunity to work on it at their own pace give them ownership of their work and learning.

I also like how Mrs. M asks the children to make a sign to keep their “project” up, because it gives children a chance to write, and to understand the importance and meaning of writing in our everyday life, and how it helps us to communicate and share a common understanding with others.


Promoting Student Accountability:

Mrs. M expects her students to get themselves ready for outdoor play and home time independently and on time. She believes that children’s capability is closely related to our expectations for them. If we set our expectations high, they would strive to achieve more. She also mentioned that student accountability should be based on their success criteria. For example, if she knows that Peter is able to dress up on his own, and he comes over and asks for help, she would encourage him to do it on his own. However, if Chloe usually stands at her cubby and waits for someone to help her because she is developmentally delayed, it would be a great progress if she decides to ask for help, and it should be acknowledged.

I really like how she acknowledges the differences of the individual student’s abilities. I believe that when we set expectations for our students’ behaviours and what they are responsible for, we need to remember that they have varying abilities, just like how their abilities vary in reading or writing. We need to accommodate and modify our expectations and ways of promoting their accountability to suit the different needs of our students.


Managing Students’ Work:

Mrs. M is very organized in managing her students’ work. She keeps student made books in their book boxes, along with storytelling props. Their letter and number books are coil bound and stored on a shelf. Their portfolios house all of their other work. Students’ work are also displayed on walls and out in the hall. On top of work that are kept in the classroom, Mrs. M also posts them on her website, which is shared with the parents, along with newsletters, calendars, homework, curriculum, and other useful information.

I think that it’s effective to put students’ work on a website (and keep it updated) so parents have a clear idea of what their child is doing in class, and to know that their child’s effort are acknowledged and appreciated. I think that doing so shows that the teacher is committed to communicating with the parents, and to form an allied front to promote our children’s learning. Students would also feel a greater sense of ownership for their work, because their parents can show them on the website and talk with them about it. It’s like the classroom wall and hall displays brought home!

I believe that the classroom strategies that Mrs. M discussed with me are developmentally appropriate for Kindergarten children, and that they support the learning of social skills and personal skills. When the classroom is managed based on good organization, consistent routines and reasonable expectations, children would feel comfortable and safe, as a result minimizing stress and promoting motivation and positive attitudes about school!

My Kindergarten Classroom

I used the Lakeshore Learning website to create this classroom floor plan. I find that it’s very useful because it gives me an idea of what kind of furniture and storage units I can use, to compare what would work better, and to show me options for a lower budget or a smaller classroom.

Walls around the classroom:

I think that walls are fabulous spaces to set the tone of a classroom environment. Here are some ideas of how I would decorate my Kindergarten classroom wall:

• Tribes Agreement & Poster
o The Tribes agreement (Attentive listening, Respect/No Put Down, Right to Participate/Right to Pass, Appreciation) will be introduced from the first day of school and reinforced through games and activities throughout the year. The poster will be posted on the wall beside the agreement, which is created with the students.
• Feelings Board
o This is a white board to invite students to draw or put a happy/sad sticker to express their feelings on a daily basis.
• We did it!
o Students’ work will be posted on the wall to celebrate their effort and achievement.
• Season Board
o This is a bulletin board that changes 4 times in a year, and we’re going to add ideas to it as we observe and find out more about each season.
• Word Wall
o The word wall consists of high frequency words and words that we’ve learned as well as students’ names.
• Traffic light
o A clothespin is clipped to different colours to indicate the noise level that we expect our children to be at: Green – we can talk and discuss freely with our indoor voice; Yellow – we can talk quietly or whisper to our partners or small group; Red – we shouldn’t be talking, because we should be listening.


Centres:






Organization of my classroom:

The Reading Area is located in a corner of the classroom. It will provide students with a quiet and comfortable space to explore and be engaged in reading. Beanbag chairs are good for this area, especially if the classroom is small. The Writing Centre is nearby, which would facilitate the sharing of materials. The Listening Centre is also nearby. These three centres are put in close proximity because they suggest quiet activities, and the materials that are required are similar. For example, if a child chooses to write a journal at the Writing Centre but wants to see an example of what a journal looks like, she can easily go to the Reading Area to get a book that’s written in journal format.

The Math Centre is situated beside the Blocks Centre because of the similarity of their nature. Tools stored in the nearby storage, such as rulers, can be used for measuring at the Math Centre as well as measuring the height of a structure at the Blocks Centre. Children in both centres can also share findings and insights with each other. I also put the Science Centre close by because of its inquiring nature. Students can look at plastic bugs with magnifying glasses, while children at the Math Centre inquire about big and small objects. A “challenge of the day” activity at the Blocks Centre can be to ask students to try building the tallest standing building. They will be encouraged to draw a rough design first, to build it (they can do it independently or with a partner), and then to record it on paper. The winner will be announced at the end of the day after everyone has an opportunity to try it out.

The Sensory Centre and the Art Centre are located near the sink, on a tiled surface. Art supplies such as paint and construction papers are stored in the cupboard under the sink, and a drying rack is near the sink. Pencils and papers are available for them to write their names on their artwork, to write a description, or to record something from the sand/water table. This is the area where students can get a little bit messy, which also makes it an area where they’ll learn how to clean up! They’ll learn to use a small broom to clean up tiny pieces of scrap papers on the floor, to wipe the table with wet cloth when there’s glue, to dry the floor with paper towel when water spills, etc. These tools can be easily accessed near these centres. The Dramatic Play Centre requires a lot of storage bins, so a relatively larger space is designated for it.

I imagine the centres to be flexible and always changing. I would encourage some centres to be interactive with each other. For example, a child may choose to write a letter and put it in an envelope in the Writing Centre. He can write his friend’s name on the envelope and put it in the postman’s bag. The students at the mailing office (Dramatic Centre) can be the mail carrier, who takes the bag, sort through the letters, and put the letters in the corresponding student’s mailbox.


Organization Tools:

In my classroom, all the bins and storage units will be labeled with words and pictures. For example, the bins where we store the food in the Dramatic Play Centre will be labeled “Fruits”, “Vegetables”, “Meat”, “Plates”, etc., with the corresponding words and pictures. This facilitates children’s cleaning up, because they can match the toys with the pictures if they don’t know the words. It also helps to provide a rich print environment, where children can see lots of environment print and associate the words with the visuals.

As a morning routine, students will print their name at their desk, and then place it in the pocket chart by the group time carpet. As a group, we’ll make sentences using their names. For example, “I am ______.” or “_________ is here.”

Each centre will have a sign in chart hung beside it, where students put their name cards in the pockets on the chart. If each centre allows for four students, then the fifth student will know to choose another station, because the pockets on the chart will be full.

As mentioned earlier, a “traffic light” sign will be posted on the wall to indicate the acceptable noise level. For example, when it’s circle time, then the clothespin will be clipped to the red light, because students are expected to listen, and only speak if they raise their hands. When it’s centres time, they’ll know by the green light that it’s okay to talk and discuss with their friends freely (but with an indoor voice!).

References:

Elementary Teacherʼs Federation of Ontario. (2008). Kindergarten Makeover: ETFO
! Edition. Retrieved from http://www.etfo.ca/Multimedia/Webcasts/
# Pages/KindergartenMakeover.aspx. [July 24, 2010 ]

Morrow, L. & Rand, M. (1991). Promoting literacy during play by designing early
# childhood classroom environments. Reading Teacher, 44(6), 396-403.

National Association for Young Children. (n.d.). Top Ten Signs of a Good Kindergarten.
! Retrieved from http://nccsc.k12.in.us/perduec/topten.htm. [July 25, 2010 ]

Organizational Tools for the Kindergarten Classroom. Retrieved from
# https://d2l.educ.queensu.ca/content/CTESUM/CONT800/downloads/
# cont800_712_Organizational_Tools/index_files/v3_document.htm. [ July 25, 2010 ]

Writing Conference

Writing Conference

I would sit with Sam in the special writing area, the place where writers talk about their writing. It is important to promote to children that writing is a way of communication, to convey a message – and that’s why we need to share and talk about writing, to celebrate our achievement, and to look for ways of improving, so that we can become even better writers!

After pulling out Sam’s writing sample, I’d ask him to tell me about what he drew, showing interesting in his work. When he says that he doesn’t know, I’d encourage him to describe the colours that he used, commenting on how colourful his picture is. Although he cannot identify the sounds and words from the random letters that he has written on the page, I would prompt him by saying, “Sam, I noticed that you’ve used the colour green, do you know what letter does the word ‘green’ begin with?” I would say the word and emphasize on the /g/ sound. We will sing this phonics song together: “The G says /g/, the G says /g/, every letter makes a sound, the G says /g/.” (sung to the melody of “The Farmer in the Dell”) I would encourage him to write the letter G. Then I would say, “You know what? You have written the last letter of the word greennnn on your page! Let’s say the word again and try to figure out if it ends with ‘A’, ‘R’, ‘B’, or ‘N’!” Then we’ll sing “The N says /n/, the N says /n/, every letter makes a sound, the N says /n/.”

I would start creating an alphabet booklet with him – a stack of 26 cards, bind together by a metal hoop. I would tell him that we’re going to keep track of the letters that he knows. We’ll start with what he can print – “A”, “R”, “B”, “N”, and “G”. I’ll ask Sam to write each letter on a card, name the letter and sound it out with him, and draw a picture (or put a sticker) beside it. For example, “A sounds like /a/, and apple starts with A. So I’ll draw an apple beside the letter A.” Before we decide on “apple”, I’d ask him to give me a suggestion of what might start with the letter A. If he can’t come up with anything, I’ll give him a choice of words to choose from – apple, airplane, ant, etc. The visual representation and his interaction in choosing the representation would help him associate the letter with its sound.

I would encourage him to tell me more about his picture – “Why did you use these colours? What is your favourite colour? What colour are you wearing today?” Oral language development is important to learning writing, so I would work on prompting him to talk more to express his ideas.

After praising him for his effort of sounding out words and describing his picture orally, I’d encourage him to print his name on his work, because it tells people that he is the writer of the message. If he struggles to write his name, I’d use a highlighter to write it and ask him to use a pencil to write over it. If he’s able to do that, I’ll ask him to try copying his name, without the help of the highlighter.

Assessing Developmental Growth

According to the Gentry Writing Scale, I would say that Sam’s writing developmental growth is between the Non-alphabetic writing and Pre-alphabetic writing stages. He can write some letters with clarity, but the letters don’t represent sounds. He hasn’t shown a sign of pre-communicative spelling because he only wrote isolated letters. I would scaffold his learning by supporting him to move deeper into the Pre-alphabetic writing stage.

Next Steps

Printing his name:
I would encourage Sam to print his name as much as possible. A daily opportunity to print his name in the morning would be good practice. I’d remind him that all writers write their name on their work, because they’re proud of themselves, and that I’m proud of him as a writer too. Other activities that would reinforce name writing would be shaping his name with play dough, molding the letters of his name in sand, and using magnetic letters to spell his name.

Letter/sound correspondence:
I would continue to guide Sam to build his personal book of alphabets. When he learns a new letter, we would add it to his book, sounding out the letter, and drawing a picture of a word that starts with that letter. This booklet should be reviewed one-on-one on a regular basis, to reinforce letter names, letter formation and letter/sound correspondence. It can also be done in a small group setting, which would be beneficial, because different students might have a different picture that corresponds with the letters, and they can hear each other sounding out the letters, and perhaps also help each other.

Read-aloud/Shared reading/Songs/Poems:
Since reading and speaking are integrated with the learning of writing, it is important to engage Sam in different kinds of reading and oral activities. I would encourage him to listen and read along during story time, to sing, and to read poems aloud. Poems and rhymes give students an opportunity to practice hearing prominent sounds and rhyming words. Texts that are read should be displayed in the classroom, in places that can be easily accessed. I would also encourage Sam to be the “pointer” during reading time, to reinforce his concept of words.

Opportunities to practice writing:
I would set up a mailbox system in my classroom, where each student has his/her personalized, decorated box. Students are encouraged to write to each other and to me, and I’ll write letters to them using pictures and words throughout the whole year. An example of a note that I’d write is, “I like how you play nicely with Sarah today.” and draw a picture of two kids playing together. If a student needs help reading the note, they’re welcomed to ask a peer or ask me to read it out. This routine would promote the use of writing to convey a message and communicate, and it will also promote a safe learning environment where everybody learns together and show appreciation for each other. If Sam struggles to write a message, or even draw a picture with meaning in the beginning, I’d encourage him to start with using colours, something that he’s comfortable with. I can ask him to think about, “What colour do you feel like today?” and ask him to use that colour to create a picture, and try to write the colour name.

Teachable Moments

I would observe Sam’s use of speech while he engages in playing and learning. For example, if he’s playing doctor at the dramatic area, I would ask him to use paper and pencil to write down what’s wrong with his patient. If he’s playing with the kitchen, I would ask him what he needs to buy to cook a certain dish, and prompt him to write a shopping list. I would look for moments when he expresses himself orally, and encourage him to put his oral ideas on paper, because everything that’s said can be written down!


References:

Gentry, J. R. (2005). Instructional techniques for emerging writers and special needs students at kindergarten and grade one levels. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 21, 113-134.

Ministry of Education. (2005). A Guide to Effective Instruction in Writing, Kindergarten to Grade 3. Queens Printer for Ontario.

The Very Quiet Cricket Read-Aloud Lesson Plan

Assessment Tools - Anecdotal Records

What are Anecdotal Records?

Anecdotal records are used to record direct observations, usually done by focusing on a few students at a time (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2003). All students should be recorded in turn, not only the ones who have specific needs. We should avoid comparison between students. Anecdotal records might come in the form of sticky notes, templates, audiotape, pictures, etc. (Children First, 1994) They are used to record factual information, and we need to be objective and avoid biases as we record (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2003). If we do make any interpretations, it should be made clear. This tool can be used to document behavior, social interaction, as well as academic goals. It is important to have expectations in mind while we make anecdotal records, so we have a focus on what we are looking for in our observation. They should be taken in various times during the day – arrival, circle time, activity centres, large group and small group instruction, play time, etc. (Children First, 1994). All anecdotal records should be dated and organized in a binder/folder so they can be conveniently accessed and reviewed. Regular assessment should take place (Brewer & Harp, 2000).

Anecdotal Records in the Kindergarten Classroom

There are a variety of ways that anecdotal records can be used effectively in the Kindergarten classroom. During literacy centres, we can ask students to print their names, making aids (e.g. a poster with all the alphabets) available. We can focus on a few students and observe their writing – the strokes of the letters, spacing, if they need to use the aid or ask for help, etc.) We can also provide them with tracing templates of their names, to make notes on their ability to trace if they have trouble writing. Another way to assess students with anecdotal records is to put letters in the sand table, and ask them to recognize specific letter names and sounds, or to spell their name with the alphabets. A way to assess a student’s social interaction (e.g. if we want to know how a student shares and plays with others), we can watch him during play time and focus on questions like “Is he asking when he wants a toy that somebody is playing with? If he does, what kind of words is he using?”, “How well does he follow game rules as he play with others?”, etc. To assess behaviours, we can make notes on how a student’s emotions and behaviours change throughout the day. For example, does he listen and pay attention in the morning, but acts out in the afternoon? What did he do? Before we make any interpretations, we should ask him to tell us how he feels, and if he’s feeling frustrated, what’s the cause of that.
Anecdotal records are great to document details of observation, but it shouldn’t be used in isolation. They should be made regularly to avoid biases, and we need to make sure that we are not putting vague and generic comments. Like all other assessment tools, anecdotal records are used to help us understand where our children stand, so we can plan for strategies to help them work on specific skills to reach specific goals.


References:

Ontario Ministry of Education (2003). A Guide to Effective Instruction in Reading, Kindergarten to Grade 3. [On-line]. Available at http://www.eworkshop.on.ca/edu/resources/guides/Reading_K_3_English.pdf. Accessed [July 12, 2010].

Brewer, J. & Harp, B. (2000). Beginning Reading and Writing, 2000: Chapter 13: Assessing Reading and Writing in the Early Years. [On-line]. Available at http://www.learner.org/workshops/readingk2/support/AssessingReading.1.pdf. Accessed [July 12, 2010].

Children First: A Curriculum Guide For Kindergarten (1994). Evaluation. [On-line]. Available at http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/kindergarten/kindstu.html. Accessed [July 13, 2010].

Kindergarten Parent Orientation Slideshow

Community Resources for York Region -- Markham/Newmarket

Markham Community Service Centre

Early Years Services – include parent-child activities such as reading circles and physical activities, school readiness training, educational workshops on parenting and health, and recreation and interest programs such as family picnic.

Children and Youth Services – provide an after school program to support learning for new immigrant students. Programs for life skills training and leadership training are also available.

Employment Services – include job search workshops, professional development, resource centres, employment counseling, pre-employment training courses, and resume writing and interview skills clinics.

Settlement Services – provide assistance in interpretation and translation, information and referral, needs assessment, group sessions for social and networking support, and resources for integration into the community. One-to-one service with a settlement counselor is available.

Markham YMCA
Programs include crafts and games, dance, family fitness, parent-child activities such as board games and reading, martial arts, sports and games, and family gym where families get involved in physical activity together with the support of the staff. It also provides a youth program that teaches health, wellness and fitness, as well as a leadership training program.

Under the Banyan Tree
This charity provides personalized training for individuals with developmental abilities, organizes social programs with specific learning objectives, weekend social clubs for children, music therapy groups, drama therapy, and also body movement therapy.

Social Services Network (for South Asian Community)

Cultural Preservation and Integration – prepare families for cultural integration

Family Programs – they provide development and learning through play groups and reading circles, school readiness training, and also parent-child activities. Their programs also provide family counseling and education to prevent violence against women.

Settlement Services – provides translation and assists access to services. Language training programs for new immigrants, citizens and refugees are available. Workshops for job searching, integration in the community, and settlement-related topics such as education, health, housing, employment and taxation are offered.

Youth Programs – include programs such as leadership, life skills training, self-expression and public speaking, after school programs, pre-employment readiness training, etc.

COSTI

The programs include employment services for new immigrants, ESL training, housing and settlement services, family counseling and mental health services, help specific for women and seniors, as well as translation and interpretation services.

York Region Preschool Speech and Language Program
The program focuses on prevention, early identification and treatment of speech and language problems. Speech language pathologists and communicative disorders assistants provide parent education workshops, assessment, home programs, and transition planning with the York Region School Boards.

One Parent Families Association of Canada
This organization provides guidance and assistance for single families. It provides programs of group activities and recreational activities where single parents and children share experiences with others with similar experiences.

Down Syndrome Association of York Region
Chatterboxes – a program led by a speech/language pathologist and an occupational therapist for children from senior kindergarten to Gr.2. Children interact with others with similar skill levels, and parents are provided with hands-on approach and tools to help their kids.

Music Therapy – the program is divided into sessions for different age groups, ranging from 2 to 12 years old, where they get to practice social skills and build self-esteem while engaging in singing and dancing.

Family Services York Region
It include child anger management program, a program to help children surviving parents’ divorce, teen anger management, etc. It also offers courses for adults in stress, anger management and parenting.

Big Brothers Big Sisters
The association offers programs that connect children with older children and adults with the mission of providing positive role models through mentoring and making friends. Programs include in-school mentoring, activity nights, homework club, sports, arts and crafts, etc.

Play-Based Learning Pamphlet

Developmentally Appropriate Practice

I’ve had the opportunity to teach a group of preschoolers and kindergartners at a preschool center over the past year, and it was a wonderful learning experience for me!

It is interesting to observe the students and see the differences between two children who are just half a year apart in age, and how the younger child develops overtime and is suddenly able to grasp concepts that seem to be impossible just a few months ago. I agree with Piaget’s theory that there are developmental stages and milestones that children reach as they grow up (Atherton, 2010). However, I believe that as teachers, we should only use it as a general framework to guide us in making decisions on planning for and delivering learning activities to our students. Every child develops at her own pace, and develops differently in each domain. They would undergo the processes of assimilation and accommodation, but when and how that happens depend on their background, the environment that they are in, their learning ability, personality, etc. Therefore, getting to know a child on a personal level is essential in our teaching practice! In the beginning of the year, I kept an observation log to keep track of what each child is capable of doing, their personality, their interests, etc. This helped me to shape my lessons, and to provide scaffolding for students who needed a little bit of guidance to face the challenges.

According to Hausfather (1996) as cited in Lev Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory, Vygotsky’s theory suggests that “joint attention and shared problem solving is needed to create a process of cognitive, social, and emotional interchange.” (Riddle, n.d.) I think that it’s a useful strategy to pair up students to work on a specific task. The child who might not be up to standard would feel that he’s not facing the challenge alone because he’s supported by a peer. The other child who is able to help can act as the little teacher, which is beneficial because we learn well by processing ideas and teaching them to someone else. Both children would be “exploring, inquiring, and constructing new patterns of thinking” because of the ideas that they bring together. (SEDL, 1995) Having students work in pairs and in groups would also enhance their social skills. My students really enjoyed an activity where they were put into groups of three, and they had to colour on the same page. The rule is to decide on who’s going to start colouring first, and when I say “pass”, that student would pass the crayon to the person sitting beside her, who will continue with the colouring. The activity would go on until the page is all coloured. I think that this activity allows them to practice working together on a task (paying attention to how some of their peers colour inside the lines, using different colours, etc.) as well as self-regulating (passing the crayon while wanting to keep colouring).

I find the article Developing Self-Regulation in Kindergarten very interesting and inspiring. I believe that it is important to teach students appropriate behavior and attitudes, because these are the foundation of learning and life itself. During circle time, I often practice “being angry” with my students. I started by telling them that I noticed some of them would make an angry face when they feel unfair or frustrated over something, and sometimes that would lead to pushing, hitting or saying something mean to another child. I asked them if that would solve any problems, and if not, what might be a better idea. After brainstorming some problem solving strategies with them, I said that sometimes I feel angry too, and when I’m angry, I might not make the right decisions because I’m not thinking clearly, I’m just thinking about how angry I am. I told them that what I’d do is breathe – take a long breath in, take a long breath out. This would help me calm down myself. And this is what we’d practice – think of a situation, make an angry face, and then breathe. I was glad, and surprised, when a parent said to me one day after school, “Last night, I told my daughter that I wasn’t in a good mood, so don’t make me angry. Then she said, ‘Mama, when you feel angry, you just need to breathe and calm down.’” I really believe that even young children are capable of self-regulation, and through practicing opportunities, it would become natural to them.

One area that I would like to learn more about is how to approach a child who is stubborn. There is a preschool girl at my school who is engaged in lessons and activities – when she wants to. When she is not in the mood, she wouldn’t do anything that is asked of her. When I ask her what’s bothering her, sometimes she’d tell me, but sometimes she won’t. Usually, I’d tell her that we’ll start doing what’s planned, but I’m still waiting for her to join us when she feels ready. Sometimes she would. But if she refuses to do so, I’d set up something on another table that she can work on alone. I’m not sure if this is a good way to handle the situation, and what other ways are possible. I’m trying to suit her needs, and in a sense, she is working on self-regulating when she chooses to join us when she feels ready. But in another sense, am I not pushing her enough because she is repeating this behavior from time to time? I’m also afraid that other children would imitate her behavior when they see that there’s no “bad consequence”, but I think that punishing her or putting her on time-out is inappropriate, because I don’t think that is what she needs. I’m still looking for better ways to handle this kind of situations, and trying to understand each child better so that we can compromise each other!



References:

Atherton J.S. (2010) Learning and Teaching; Piaget's developmental theory [On-line] UK: Available: http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/piaget.htm Accessed: 3 July 2010

Developing Self-Regulation in Kindergarten Can We Keep All the Crickets in the Basket? YC: Young Children, 15386619, Mar2008, Vol. 63, Issue 2

Riddle, Elizabeth M. (n.d.) Lev Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory [On-line] Available: http://www2.yk.psu.edu/~jlg18/506/LevVygotsky.pdf

Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (1995) Constructing Knowledge in the classroom [On-line] Available: http://www.sedl.org/scimath/compass/v01n03/1.html

Standards of Practice Reflection

As a teacher, how do we identify our strengths? I believe that they can be reflected through the students and parents. I think I’m strong at showing commitment to students and student learning by treating every child with respect, acknowledging their differences, and guiding them to develop into young people who are loving and caring.

It is my personal teaching philosophy to teach children that living, learning, laughing and loving are integral to what life is about. I’m devoted to incorporate community building processes such as Tribes to build a safe learning environment where everybody respect, listen, and genuinely care about each other. I observe and make notes of their personality and the way they interact with other children, work with them as a whole group to resolve problems and arguments, and give praises to good behavior. I also have daily activities such as asking students to think about one nice thing that a classmate has done to him and say thank you to her.

Once in a while, I’d handwrite notes to parents telling them about my observations of their children. They appreciate this little effort that I make, and sometimes they’d respond by telling me the nice things that they see their children doing, and that they’re happy to see their children coming home being more polite and caring. I take this as a sign that I’m doing an OK job in the students’ personal and social development!

One thing that I need to improve on in order to become a more effective Kindergarten teacher is to take more initiative in seeking out professional knowledge. I need to stay current on issues that are happening in the education system, policies that are relevant to teaching, and educational research that would expand my knowledge of teaching. I also believe that gaining a deeper understanding in educational theories, pedagogy and curriculum would help me in planning lessons that enhance my students’ learning and development.

Shapes Reflection: Worksheet Dilemma - Benefits of Play-Based Curricula

Article: < http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_print.aspx?ArticleId=134 >

Three things I want to remember are:

1) In order for early learners to acquire knowledge about letters and numbers, they have to make sense of what they are learning through tangible activities that are relevant to their life.
2) Mere recognition of letters and numbers doesn’t necessarily mean that students have learned and understood the concepts.
3) Asking early learners to sit still for a long period of time to do paper & pencil work is an unreasonable task that’s incompatible to their developmental needs and abilities.

One thing that “squares” with my beliefs is:

I agree that engaging early learners in play-based activities such as stringing beads and setting up lunch tables would enhance their learning, because this approach shows students that learning is not a “task”, but a fun, on-going and spontaneous process that helps them make sense of the world. I agree that before understanding the meaning of “four” in real, tangible contexts, circling the number on a worksheet is merely a task to show parents that their kids are learning numbers.

Things that are rolling around in my head are:

At my preschool center, I send students home with homework on Fridays. I like to design homework that’s interactive. For example, I was teaching them about size. I printed out a page with circles in different sizes, and the instruction was to colour the circles, cut them out, and then arrange them from smallest to largest and glue them onto the given construction paper. Only one child returned on Monday with the work completed.

I believe that it’s important for the parents to reinforce concepts that are learned at school with their child, but parents usually find it easier if the homework is in the form of worksheets. I don’t want to embed in the children’s mind that “homework is boring” when they’re only 3 years old! Is it a good practice to send them home with homework? How can we get parents to be more involved in engaging their children to learn in ways that are compatible with what teachers do in the classroom?

Exploring Current Issues: Full-Day v.s. Half-Day Kindergarten Program

The current issue that I’ve chosen to explore is the comparison between Full-day and Half-day Kindergarten Programs. This is a big topic that’s going around in Ontario, and as teachers, it is important to understand the reasons behind this paradigm shift, so that we can better prepare ourselves to deliver a program that is beneficial to our students. I’ve worked in a preschool for a year, where most students are full-time while some are part-time. I notice that students who come on half days or every other day are less engaged in learning and playing with other children compared to full day students. I also notice that students who stay for the whole day have a greater tendency to whine for staying longer, while part-time children tend to run and greet their parents immediately during pick-up time. I think that extending Kindergarten to full-day is a shift that will affect children’s academic and social development, as well as their emotional attachment to their parents.

From my research, almost all reports have shown results that prove that full-day kindergarten programs are either equivalent to, or more beneficial than half-day programs. One of the major findings is that literacy achievement has improved when students who were enrolled in a full-day kindergarten program were tested in higher grades. This is proved to be the same in the mathematics test scores. In the full-day program, children acquire skills to become emergent readers, which is especially true for students from lower socioeconomic status. They also acquire stronger learning skills. These children gain more school readiness as they are engaged in a whole day of activities in the classroom. Explanations to the benefits are that teachers have more opportunities to work individually with students and incorporate play and social activities into the curriculum, and having a greater sense of continuity as the students are involved in these activities.

Socially, students enrolled in the full-day kindergarten program tend to have a smoother transition into the elementary school community. They tend to be more engaged with other children, show better social skills, as well as better self-concept.

One argument to the full-day kindergarten program is that young learners would be overtired after a day of school, but research showed that it's not proven to be a concern. Another countering point is that although children in full-day programs show better results in literacy and mathematics, these advantages do not last after the students passed Grade 3. The academic differences between full-day and half-day students diminish, as they are developmentally ready for their next stage.

After reading the research papers concerning the issue, I agree that Kindergarten should be viewed as part of the continuum of the Elementary system. There should be continuity from the way these early learners make their transition into Grade 1, 2, and so on. Teachers from the primary and junior divisions should be aware of how the Kindergarteners are taught and the strategies that are employed, and what works well for the early learners' classroom. Afterall, school shouldn’t only be fun for the little ones! In order for the benefits of Full-Day Kindergarten to last, it depends on teachers of all grades to commit to meaningful, interactive teaching that facilitates our students’ learning.

Gold medal

We did our jumping, crawling and running races again! Jonah is soooo fast! And none of them cheated today~ =P I also added another race, which is jumping with one foot. They were laughing their heads off haha~

Then I read a story called < Tacky the Penguin >. It's about a weird penguin who's different from all of his friends, so nobody likes to play with him. But when the hunters came to hunt them, it was Tacky who saved them in a funny way. It's a sweet little story. ^^

We made gold medals today! I pre-cut foam circles for the kids, all they had to do was to colour the star, cut it out and glue it on the circle, and then decorate it. Then I punched a hole and helped them tie a ribbon so they could wear it on their neck~

Let's Ski!

I started today's lesson with a froggie jumping race, bear crawling race, and running race! The kids had so much fun, and they were so tired afterwards!

I read a book called "Sophie Skates", a beautiful story about a girl who spends a lot of time practicing skating, with pictures of different dance moves. I prepared a picture of a pair of skates that I wanted the kids to design, but I couldn't print it because the school's Internet is down. So I improvised another craft. =P I drew a jacket and a pair of mittens, used wooden sticks as skiing boards, and pipe cleaners with a bead at the end as poles. That'd create a picture of skiing gears. =)

I noticed that Daniel sat still and paid attention during read-aloud today. I'm not sure if it's because of the races that grabbed his attention in the beginning, or if he knew that I tried to accommodate him by doing our lessons at the table last week. I know that everyday is going to be different, maybe he'll be moving around and disturbing other kids tomorrow, but my job is to try my best to keep finding out ways that would work. ^^

I created a chart with each child's name on it, with a box for every day from Monday to Friday. Everyday, I'd draw a happy face or sad face to show how each of them have made me feel. If a kid made me feel sad in the beginning of the lesson, but got back to work in the end, I'd give him a small sad face, and then a bigger happy face. Today, everyone got a happy face! =)

Snowboarder

Since we're learning about the Olympics this week, we started today's lesson with a race! I asked all the students to stand along a line, and then told them to make a froggie pose. Their goal is to be the first person jumping to the finish line, where I was standing. At the first time, some of them ended running or using their hands to help them move forward haha~ We had a couple of rounds, and Daniel followed the rules and was the fastest for all the rounds! I was impressed~ I hope that by incorporating simple activities like this, he'd be more interested in our circle time lessons.

After our jumping race, I read a story called "Pearl's New Skates". It's about a bunny who got a pair of skates for her birthday, but she got discouraged after falling down many times when she tried to skate. She didn't want to try again, and thought that she's not interested in skating anymore. But her uncle encouraged her and helped her, and in the end, she found her confidence again and enjoyed skating~ We talked about how we're not always good at something in the beginning, but if we keep trying, we'll succeed.

Then I showed them the sample of my snowboarder craft. I showed them the template that I'd give them -- a red piece of construction paper, with a stick person drawn on it, posed as a snowboarding person. Their task is to glue the pre-cut straws onto the stick person's body, glue the "snowboard" under the person's legs, and then put "snow" on the ground. I think they've become more confident in their ability to do art, because I haven't heard too many "I can't do this" or "I don't know how..." lately. =)

Olympic torch

Today we made the Olympic torch! I explained to the students that the Olympics originated from Greece, so the torch would be lit in Greece in a traditional ceremony, travel throughout the country, and then passed on to the Vancouver Organizing Committee (for this year's Olympics), and then transported to Vancouver by flight. Athletes would have a torch relay, which in the end would arrive at Vancouver's BC Place.

I pre-made the "torches" for the students, so all they had to do is add in the "flames", which is made of tissue papers, and to add the Vancouver 2010 logo onto the torch. They had a fun time doing it, and some of them held the torch and posed for me when I took pictures~

Olympics flag

Routines: Stand up and turn around // calendar

This week's theme is Winter Olympics! I started off by telling my students that Olympics happen once in every 4 years, and it happens in different countries. Athletes from around the world gather for an array of events, and although they're here to compete, the most important values of the Olympics is promoting friendship and peace. I told them that this year's Winter Olympics is in Vancouver, Canada, and we're going to learn about the Winter sports~

I read them a colourful picture book called "Snowy Sports -- Ready, set, play!". I LOVE the book! On each page, it shows a different kind of Winter sports -- skiing, skating, bobsleigh, luge, hockey, etc. There's a small box on each corner of the page that shows some of the clothing/gears that we need -- mittens, scarf, sled, hockey stick, etc. The book is informational, beautiful and easy to read. Highly recommended! =)

After sharing the books with the students and hearing lots of comments about skating and skiing, I asked them to go to the table to colour the Olympic flag. There's the word of the colour printed on each circle, but since they don't know how to read yet, I'll have to guide them step by step to use the correct colours. Unfortunately, one of the students had an accident and peed in her pants, and I had to take care of that first. So I changed my plan, and gave them a colouring page of Quatchi, one of the mascots of Vancouver 2010 Olympics. So while they worked on that on their own, I helped the little girl clean and change. When I was done, I collected the colouring papers and handed them the Olympic rings page. Step by step, we coloured the rings, and then I gave each of them a straw to tape at the back of the flags.

The kids are pretty quiet and calm for a Monday, and I'm happy with that. Everybody worked hard and finished their work, I'm proud of them. ^^

Red Pockets & Dancing Lions

I did both days' lessons at the table instead of around the carpet, because one of the kids has been having trouble focusing and paying attention, and he has been disturbing the other kids during our lesson time. He told me that he doesn't like circle time, but he couldn't explain why. It's not that he doesn't like to do work though, 'cause whenever we go to the tables to work, he'd come immediately, and he always does a really good job too. So this week I'm trying to grab his attention right away by having our lessons at the table. We still did our calendar routines and sang some songs, and then we moved right on to the arts and craft. I hope that he'll understand that I'm trying to accommodate, but I also want him to understand that it goes two-way and should be mutual. We'll have some circle time next week, and I'll talk to him before class to make sure that he knows that I'm trying to work something out so everybody can benefit from it.

I used alphabet cards to practice alphabets with the kids today. I noticed that the students are starting to recognize letters and their sounds, and they're able to come up with words that start with a certain letter. They're developing the skills that they didn't have 2 months ago!

This week's theme is Chinese New Year, so I read them the story of the Chinese Zodiac, and also talked to them about Chinese traditions during this special occasion. Yesterday we made some red pockets/red envelopes. I explained to them that it's a tradition to give out red pockets, because it represents a blessing, to wish somebody goodluck and good health all year long. I pre-cut the Chinese words (it means "luck") and made a template of the red pocket, so they only had to glue the template together, and then glue the word on the front. Then they coloured the word and put some glitter on it~

Today, we made dancing lions! I explained to them that people would dance with the lions puppet, and according to legends, it's supposed to chase bad luck and evils away. I told the kids to make it very colourful, and they did! I'm impressed by how much details and effort they put in making this craft. We also used glitter today~

After we're done, I put on some traditional Chinese kid songs and let them dance around~ It's fun! ^-^

Chinese New Year: Red Banners

I started today's lesson with a little bit of information about Chinese New Year, and how the colour red is often used for decorations and clothing. I told the students about "red banners", which are long, red papers that we post on the walls, with blessings written on them. I showed them one that says "快高長大", which is a blessing for kids to grow up healthily. I asked them if they want to grow up quickly, and they all said, "Yes!!!" =P

Then I gave each of them a template of the red banner, and their task was to colour the Chinese words with black paint to imitate the writings in ink. I didn't realize that the words are a little bit too small for painting, but they really did try hard! I told them to paint slowly, inside the lines, and they really concentrated to do that, I'm pleased!

After painting, I played a CD with Chinese traditional kid songs, and let them dance with the music. =)