Slowing Down and Having Fun!

 "The work will wait while you show the child the rainbow, 

but the rainbow won't wait while you do the work."

~unknown

Every time I enter the classroom, I remind myself to slow down. It is easy to get caught up in "work" and getting things "done", but it is important to slow down and spend time with your students. In order to offer them learning opportunities that are based on their interests, strengths, and needs, we must first get to know our students and how they interact with each other and the materials in the environment. 

As much as I have been mindful in slowing down as an educator, the first month of school has flown by! Our classroom has come alive and we have been busy exploring, creating, learning and 

most importantly- having fun!

Learning to recognize our names using sign-in rocks

Learning to complete our daily drawing and writing for
Our Daily Writing Wall

Learning to develop a positive self-image by looking closely at ourselves
and creating self-portraits out of loose-parts

Learning to count and represent numbers to 5
to develop our 1-1 correspondence skills

Building and constructing with various materials

Representing what we see in nature during our nature walks

Answering the question "What do you see?" at the "Wonder Window"

Exploring how colours mix to make new colours at the light table
and creative arts area

Working together and sharing with each other

Exploring line using different materials

Looking closely at sunflowers and using watercolours to represent what we see

Making "wishes" for our children during Meet the Teacher Night

Slowing down and enjoying our time together!

~take it all one day at a time and enjoy the journey~

All About ME!

"In any environment, both the degree of inventiveness and creativity, and the possibility of discovery, are directly proportional to the number and kind of variables in it." 

Simon Nicholson, Architect  

During the first month of school, our goal as educators is to learn more about the students we will be working with over the year. In addition to completing assessments, interviews, and observations of the students during play, we set up a provocation or invitation to learn "about me." 

The above invitation to learn, includes circular bases which act as a canvas for creating self-portraits out of loose-parts. Wooden bowls hold various loose-parts such as buttons, gems, yarn and beads, and mirrors are to encourage students to look closely at the various features of their faces. A word wall specific to "self-portraits" and clipboards also help students to add detail to their work and allow them the opportunity to draw and write about what they create. Finally, a book relating to the provocation is added and would be shared during a group read-aloud to offer another way to connect the students to the invitation. Once the provocation is set up, the educator would choose a time in the day to sit and observe what the students do with the materials. 

The first student to visit this provocation sat down and looked in the mirror. She then began to place buttons on the circular base. She placed two at the top, side-by-side, another one underneath, and some along the bottom, resembling a face. I asked "What are you making?" The student points to her face with both hands and exclaims "face!" She begins adding buttons around the circle and points to her hair. Upon completion of her self-portrait, the student is invited to draw what she created. 

   

Another students' process was captured on video. This student independently decided "I want to draw what I made" when she finished creating her self-portrait. 

If we take time to slow down, observe, and record what students are saying, doing, and representing through purposefully planned play activities, we can learn so much from them and about them! 

Welcome to Room 9!

As I begin my fifth year in Full-Day Kindergarten, I am blessed to have been given a space that truly acts as the Third Educator for our youngest learners. The beautiful FDK extension that was built over the last year was ready to welcome our kindergarten students- both old and new this past week. My goal was to create an environment that would offer our students the freedom to explore based on their interests and needs, the ability to self-regulate through the space, and the independence to access materials as needed. I eagerly awaited their arrival to see how they would navigate through the space-  What would work well? What would I change? What would I add or remove?

  

The self-regulated snack area is new for me this year. Although I offered students the choice to eat when they were hungry in previous years, I had never dedicated a space to eating. Over the last week, students have been eating snack throughout the morning as they feel hungry. With reminders from myself or my teaching partner, they have been doing a great job at waiting for a spot to free up around the table.

   

The reading area complete with real logs, a carpet, "reading buddy bears" and books about school, is a great space for students to relax, rest, and read when they want some down time during a busy day. This space has been popular with the students during the first week of school, especially after lunch recess. 

Our creative area, equipped with pencils, crayons, markers, paper, scissors, glue, alphabet cards, dictionaries, "how to draw" books, and other writing materials, fills up quickly with students creations. The large space allows for ten students to create at one time, with ample space to spread out and share the materials as needed. The materials are organized by type of material and colour, and the students have been amazing at keeping them organized all week!

The building area is always under construction in our classroom! Using natural materials such as logs, wood, pinecones, and cork, the students plan and build elaborate structures all day long.
        

Our drama centre is currently set up as a kitchen and students were quick to incorporate loose parts from around the room to mix up in the pots and pans. The area was also intentionally set up close to the creative area so that writing materials are readily available to them. They were excited to use the post-it notes and pencils to record each other's food orders this week!

This year we have added a carpet to the math area in order for students to have a large space to explore the math manipulatives. The shelves are currently filled with materials to support children in counting and one-to-one correspondence, as well as measuring big and small. Having added the carpet on the third day of school, I already see a difference in how the students interact with the materials, compared to using them at a table. It is a great addition to our room!

This is the area where we gather for whole group activities. The students have been doing an excellent job at "showing five" at the carpet. We have been reading stories, playing games, singing songs, and sharing our learning through community circles throughout the week. 

"We need to think about creating classroom environments that give children the opportunity for wonder, mystery, and discovery; an environment that speaks to young children's inherent curiosity and innate yearning for exploration is a classroom where children are passionate about learning and love school." 

Heard & McDonough

A WONDERful Spark!

Recently, I have been experimenting with Pages, an App for iPad that I learned about in my Kindergarten Specialist course. It comes with ready-made layouts that you can insert your photos and text right into. This is a great way to document students learning, as well as make learning visible. Above is an example of a newsletter layout that I used to organize my documentation. It's fast, user friendly, and free!    

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mother's who are our students first and most important teachers! 

Thank you for helping us to grow!

Investigating Addition in Kindergarten

“Math can be seamlessly integrated into

children’s ongoing play and activities.

But this usually requires a knowledgeable

adult who creates a supportive environment

and provides challenges, suggestions, tasks,

and language.” 

(Capacity Building Series, 2011)

At our school, educators are provided ongoing professional development with grade partners, leadership team members, and administration "between the bells". The Early Learning Kindergarten team recently had the opportunity to co-plan a math lesson together with a focus on addition. We used The Full-Day Early Learning- Kindergarten Program document to guide our lesson plan.

We first looked at the big idea that "young children have a conceptual understanding of mathematics and of mathematical thinking and reasoning." We then looked at the overall expectation that "children will demonstrate an understanding of numbers, using concrete materials to explore and investigate counting, quantity, and number relationships." Finally, we considered focusing on the specific expectation that "they (will) investigate addition and subtraction in everyday activities through the use of manipulatives, visual models, or oral exploration." (The Full-Day Early Learning- Kindergarten Program, 2010 Draft Version).

 "Ideally, manipulatives serve as learning tools to help students build their understanding and explain their thinking to others." (Capacity Building Series, 2011).

The learning goal for our lesson was to add and group numbers up to 10, using a variety of manipulatives. The following images capture some of the learning that took place during small group lessons in our classroom.

     

The students showed they were successful by meeting the success criteria we had co-created with them: 

- I know my numbers from 1-10

- I can show numbers in many ways: dots, fingers, numbers, pictures

- I can show my thinking in different ways: writing, drawing, talking 

                                                             

"Students need the opportunity to reflect upon their actions with manipulatives, and through discussion, articulate the meaning they generate, so that the link between their representations and the key mathematical ideas is apparent." (Capacity Building Series, 2011).

The students had opportunities to share their thinking and reflect on their learning through drawing, writing, and oral conversation using pictures to prompt their thoughts.

            

     

"Once a concept is acquired, provide practice experiences to consolidate learning. Practice is not meant to be rote or mechanical in nature; it occurs through mathematical investigations that take place through free exploration, focused exploration, and guided activity." (Capacity Building Series, 2011)

Students demonstrated their learning in ways that we hadn't expected. The photos above show two students on different days independently using the numbers and dominoes from the math centre to add numbers up to 10. 

I look forward to working "between the bells" to co-debrief with the Early Learning Kindergarten team by sharing our observations and reflecting on the students learning, as well as co-reflect on our own learning to build a shared knowledge and understanding of our professional learning goals.

An Investigation of Life in Castles

"Inquiry-based learning is an approach to teaching and learning that places students' questions, ideas and observations at the centre of the learning experience."

(Capacity Building Series, 2013)

We noticed that there was a natural curiosity about castles in our classroom through our students daily drawing and writing. After having a class meeting to decide what to turn our drama centre into, a CASTLE came out on top of the list. We first brainstormed ideas of what we already knew about castles.

"It is a place where the queen and the princesses live." E

"Kings live in castles." C  

"There are guards and horses." S

We then asked how we could learn more about castles.

"Use our imagination." S

"Read books." N

"Look on the Smart Board." S

"YouTube." N

"The computer." C

"Castles we visit." M

Students share what they see, think, and wonder about castles after watching 

"The 10 Most Beautiful Castles in the World" on YouTube.

I see...

"roofs on the castle." S

"different kinds of castles." M

"stones." T

"pretty castles." D

I think...

"the knights fight." B

"castles are big." N

"castles are everywhere." E

I wonder...

"why are castles big." C

"how castles are made." L

"why do knights have helmets." J

"why do castles have bridges." J

"where are castles today." C

The students were encouraged to use visual arts to explore their wonders through observational drawings of castles and knights. Some students decided to further their thinking by using watercolours and pastels.    

 

The students used their problem-solving skills and their imagination to build with three-dimensional figures and recycled materials. They used non-standard measuring devices to build a draw bridge for the castle. 

During the exploration of knights, students were able to identify and talk about their personal interests, as well as reflect on their own cultural backgrounds.

"This is a Russian flag because my family is Russian. And that's the maple leaf because I live in Canada. This is a robot car because I like robot cars. And this is my family- dad, mom, me, and brother." N

Students arrived to school day after day in princess gowns and dresses. They brought in lyrics for "Let It Go" from the movie "Frozen" and practiced singing and dancing to the song as they explored their wonder of "how do princesses learn to dance." This dedication demonstrated to us an awareness of personal interest and a sense of accomplishment in music, dance and drama. 

Here is some of the learning that students shared at a class meeting:

"What have we learned so far?"

"Castles are beautiful." D

"They used fire and candles and torches to give light and heat." N

"No electricity." N

"A moat with water around the castle." S

"A well is a place in the ground to get water." E

"A bridge goes up and down." D

"The bridge is a door for the people to go in and out." J

"A draw bridge." S

"Castles were made out of stones." N

"Castles were made to protect kings and queens." N

"Because they have power over the people." N

"People that are knights are brave." S

"They fight bad guys." T

"Ride horses because cars were not made." N

"Kings and queens used plates." C

"Servants and workers eat from stale bread." N

"They used their fingers to eat." J 

"By focusing on the 'big ideas' rather than on the specific expectations alone, students' questions often lead to, and often exceed, overall curriculum expectations."

(Natural Curiosity, 2010)

I had an opportunity to share documentation of our learning of the Castle Inquiry at 

Art Supplies for Africa: An Open House Event hosted by The FDK team at Bond Lake Public School as part of our York University Kindergarten Additional Qualification course. 

Educators, parents, and community members were blown away by our students work!