< Previous26 When do things happen at school? DAY 4 Focus Question 3 Large Group Discussion and Shared Writing • Review the question of the day. Talk about how traffic signals use lights to tell people when it is time to go, stop, and slow down. • Explain that a signal is a sound or action that sends a message. • Display the daily schedule. Ask, “How do you know when it is time to change activities at school?” • Explain that you use a signal to let the children know when it is time to move from one activity to the next. • Review the different signals that you use to initiate transitions throughout the day. • Ask the children specific questions about the transitions in the daily schedule, e.g., “How do you know it’s time for lunch?” or “How do you know when it’s time to go outside?” or “How do you know when it’s time to start cleaning up?” Including all children Some children may need prior notice before you use the signal. For example, you might say, “In 5 minutes, I will ring the bell to end outdoor time.” In the beginning of the year, notice how children transition from one activity to the next so you can support those who might need more time. Large-Group Extension As you interact with children throughout the day, consider the following: • Use Mighty Minutes 04, “Pause, Rewind!” Explain that the words stop, pause, and rewind are signals used to transition from one movement to the next. • Practice using signals to help children transition between the different times of day. Beginning the year considerations It’s important to give children notice before transitioning to cleanup time. For example, 5 minutes before cleanup time, talk with children while they are working at learning stations. You might say, “You have time to add three more blocks to your structure before it’s time to clean up and go outside,” or “There is enough time for you to finish your drawing but not to start a new one.” Giving advance notice will let children know your expectations and help them transition to what’s next. Transitioning Between Times of Day Transitions between times of day can be challenging when children do not know what is expected of them or what is happening next. When children are given notice that the activity is changing, they can focus on stopping what they are working on and will feel more comfortable moving on to the next task. Today you will review your classroom signals and discuss how different signals are used to inform the class that it’s time to transition from one activity to the next. Vocabulary English: signal Spanish: señal Question of the day: What does this traffic light tell people to do? (Display a picture of a traffic light with the color green lit up.) Transitions • Game: Mighty Minutes 26, “Manual Measures” • Rhyme: Mighty Minutes 33, “Bilingual Bistro”The First Six Weeks: Building Your Classroom Community Focus Questions The Creative Curriculum ® for Kindergarten 27 Read-Aloud During your read-aloud, take time to do the following: • Discuss the plot of the story. Ask the children to describe choices the characters make throughout the story. • Ask, “Would you make the same choices or different choices?” Kindergarten Entry Assessment Survey Over the next two days, take time to observe for Objective 2b, “Responds to emotional cues,” and Objective 7b, “Uses writing and drawing tools,” using the Intentional Teaching Card ™ listed here or the questions and prompts in the Kindergarten Entry Assessment Survey. You can observe for both dimensions today or continue your observations tomorrow. • Intentional Teaching Card SE08, “Sharing Sunshine Messages” Large-Group Roundup • Ask, “How did you know it was time for large-group roundup?” • Talk about any signals you used to let the children know it was time for large-group roundup or other signals you used today. Reflecting on the Day • Which transitions feel more chaotic than you would like? Which transitions are more successful? • How can you help make transitions go more smoothly? For example, try to be consistent in the ways that you help children transition from one activity to the next. You might use the same signal every time you begin large- group roundup or use a Mighty Minutes ® activity to help children prepare for what’s coming next. Children enter kindergarten with their own unique experiences with books and reading. Some children will know how to read, while others may be learning letters and beginning sounds. Encouraging children to explore books and other print materials allows them to become familiar with text and supports their overall development of early literacy skills.28 When do things happen at school? DAY 5 Focus Question 3 Large Group Discussion and Shared Writing • Review the question of the day. • Explain that the first thing the children do when they get to school is the same every day because it is part of their routine, or their regular daily schedule. • On a sheet of chart paper, create a chart with four columns. Label the columns with the headers 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and last. • In the 1st column, write the children’s answers to the question of the day. • Ask, “What is the second thing you do at school? What is the third? What is the last thing you do before you go home?” Continue to fill in the columns. • Ask the children questions, such as the following, about other parts of their day. “What is the first thing we do to get ready for lunch?” “What is the second? Third? Last?” “What is the first thing you do when you get home from school? What is the second? Third? What is the last thing you do before you go to bed?” “What is the first thing you do when we come in from recess? What is the second? Third? Last?” • Add the children’s responses to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Last columns on the chart paper. Including all children As you discuss the order of routines, use hand gestures to identify what happens first, second, and third. Hold up your index finger to identify what happens first, your index and middle fingers to identify what happens second, and your index, middle, and ring fingers to identify what happens third. Using hand movements as you teach mathematical concepts supports children with additional learning needs, such as visual learners, those who are hearing impaired, or those who are learning English as a second language. Large-Group Extension As you interact with children throughout the day, consider the following: • Use Mighty Minutes 18, “Sammy’s Week.” Follow the guidance on the back of the card and replace the days of the week with ordinal numbers. • Use first, second, third, and last to sequence daily routines that happen throughout the day. Beginning the year considerations Now that children are becoming more familiar with the sequence of events that happen each day, they can apply the same knowledge to social situations. When problems occur, help children discuss the sequence of events that led to the problem and the sequence of events that can help them solve the problem. You might say, “First, take a deep breath; second, pick up Raul’s pencil that you knocked on the floor; and third, check on Raul to see if he’s upset, and, if he is, ask if there is any way you can help him feel better.” First, Second, Third, and Last As children arrive in the classroom, talk with them about the daily routines and discuss what happens first, second, and third during those routines throughout the day. Learning about the classroom schedule teaches children about sequence, which is a concept they can apply in other ways, such as when sequencing the events of a story or the life cycle of a termite. Today the children will discuss routine events that take place each day and practice sequencing them using ordinal numbers. Vocabulary English: routine; see Book Discussion Card 01, Moony Luna, for additional words Spanish: rutina Question of the day: What is the first thing you do when you get to school? Transitions • Game: Mighty Minutes 58, “Once Upon a Sequence” • Game: Mighty Minutes 37, “At the Flea Market”The First Six Weeks: Building Your Classroom Community Focus Questions The Creative Curriculum ® for Kindergarten 29 Read-Aloud Read Moony Luna. • Use Book Discussion Card 01, Moony Luna. Follow the guidance for the third read-aloud. Kindergarten Entry Assessment Survey Continue to observe for Objective 2b, “Responds to emotional cues,” and Objective 7b, “Uses writing and drawing tools,” using the Intentional Teaching Card ™ listed here or the questions and prompts in the Kindergarten Entry Assessment Survey. • Intentional Teaching Card SE08, “Sharing Sunshine Messages” Large-Group Roundup • Review the chart that you created during large group. • Ask the children to share what they will do first when they get home from school. • Explain to the children that tomorrow you will talk about rules and why they are important. Reflecting on the Day • After listening to directions throughout the day, how many steps are the children able to follow? • How can you help children who need more support following directions? You might consider breaking down steps into a sequence. For example, when children are preparing for morning routines, you might say or write on the board, “First, put your things away. Second, take out your morning notebook. Third, respond to the question of the day.”Day 1Day 2Day 3 AT A GLANCE What are the rules at school? Focus Question 4 30 Day 1Day 2Day 3 Question of the Day What is a rule you have at home? How do you feel when you try to play a game and you find that some pieces are missing? What is your favorite thing to do in the school library? Large Group and Extension Discussion: Creating Our Class Rules Materials • none Discussion: How to Care for the Classroom Materials • Classroom Rules chart from Day 1 • Intentional Teaching Card SE23, “Clean Up the Classroom” Discussion: Rules Outside of the Classroom Materials • sentence strips Read-Aloud The Night GardenerSelection from the “Children’s Books” list or your class library The Night Gardener Kindergarten Entry Assessment Survey Objective 16a Intentional Teaching Card LL12, “Balls in Action” Objectives 11d and 18c Intentional Teaching Card LL05, “All About Animals” Objectives 11d and 18c Intentional Teaching Card LL05, “All About Animals” Additional Daily Resources Mighty Minutes ® 78, “Letters Are Everywhere!” 39, “Animal Yoga” Intentional Teaching Cards ™ SE20, “Understating Related Consequences” SE07, “Our Big Rules and Little Rules” Mighty Minutes ® 16, “Wolf Pack” 29, “Pencil Pantomime” Mighty Minutes ® 43, “I Spy Spanish Colors” 48, “Vocabulary Q&A” Intentional Teaching Cards ™ SE29, “Working Together”31 Day 4Day 5Make Time for… Vocabulary English: benefits, respect, unique, reminder, silly Spanish: ventajas, respeto, único, recordatorio, ridículo 31 Day 4Day 5Family Connections What can you do if you see someone who is not following the rules? What would happen if we wore socks on our hands? • Download, customize, and send home the Starting Kindergarten Together: Learning Our School Rules! note. You can access this note to families and other resources in the Resource Library at teachingstrategies. com/first-six-weeks-k-support (password: First6SupportForK). • Encourage families to review the information and follow the guidance in the note to support their child’s development and learning at home. Family tip Families who are willing to share aspects of their cultural heritage can enhance children’s learning significantly. Invite families to prepare a traditional dish, teach a dance or song, tell stories, or share photographs. Family members that cannot visit during the day could share a video that they made at home. For more information about engaging families meaningfully in classroom activities, see page 177 in Volume 1: The Foundation. Discussion: How Can We Help Each Other Follow the Rules? Materials • Classroom Rules chart from Day 1 • Mighty Minutes 94, “Good Choice, Bad Choice” • index cards Discussion: What Would Happen If...? Materials • Mighty Minutes 54, “Kooky Questionnaire” Selection from the “Children’s Books” list or your class library The Night Gardener Objective 15c Intentional Teaching Card LL66, “Swat the Rhyme” Objective 20c Intentional Teaching Card M25, “Numeral Card Counting” Mighty Minutes ® 64, “Fritzie the Frog” 74, “Syllable Steps” Intentional Teaching Cards ™ SE22, “Using When, Then Statements” Mighty Minutes ® 75, “Seesaw Silliness” 85, “Silly Town” 39, “Animal Yoga”The Creative Curriculum ® for Kindergarten 33 Focus Question 4 What are the rules at school? While at the Library station, Kiara collected several books and placed them on the floor next to her. When another child entered the area, she put her hand over the books and said, “You can’t have these. I’m using them.” Kiara collected several books and, without prompting, told another child that he couldn’t use them. How can I support Kiara to initiate the sharing of books and other classroom materials? (Objective 3a) I will ask Kiara to explain why she needs several books at one time and remind her that the books in the library are for everyone to use. I might say, “There are several books for you to look at, and we need to take turns with other classmates who want to read them.” I can reassure her that letting another child read a book does not mean that she won’t get an opportunity to read it later. EXAMPLE 1 ObserveReflectRespond EXAMPLE 2 ObserveReflectRespond Malik and Addison took turns playing a phonics game on the tablet. Malik turned to Addison and tried to take the tablet out of her hands, saying, “You can’t have another turn. It’s my turn now.” Addison held onto the tablet and said, “But I didn’t get to beat this level yet.” They both began to pull on the tablet. Malik and Addison are having a disagreement over how to take turns. How can I support them to solve this problem together? (Objective 3b) I plan to invite each child to explain why they are upset. I will share with them what my understanding of the disagreement is: “Addison, you thought you were taking turns after you beat each level, but Malik thought you were taking turns when the timer ended on the game.” I will ask, “How can you take turns moving forward so that you are both happy?” Over the past two weeks, you’ve been setting the stage for children to develop independence and shared responsibility. You’ve modeled and explained how to use the materials throughout the classroom and put them away correctly, how to respectfully listen to one another, and how children can recognize their own and others’ feelings. You’ve laid the foundation for the next five days, which will focus on collaborating as a classroom community to set limits and discuss why rules are needed. When children participate in making the classroom rules, they are more likely to understand and follow the rules for communal life in the classroom. During this focus question, keep the two dimensions of Objective 3, “Participates cooperatively and constructively in group situations,” in mind: Dimension a, “Balances needs and rights of self and others,” and Dimension b, “Solves social problems.” Kindergarten children are ready to move from taking turns using items to sharing materials with their peers. However, as children share materials and engage in other social situations, you should still expect some conflicts to arise. To support children to resolve conflicts with their peers, encourage them to discuss and generate their own solutions to the problem instead of immediately offering a solution. For additional strategies related to resolving conflicts, refer to page 27 in Volume 2: Objectives for Development & Learning. As you interact with children this week, observe how they express themselves and manage their feelings. Take time to reflect on the behaviors you see and how you can respond to individual children to support their social–emotional development. 34 DAY 1 Focus Question 4 What are the rules at school? Creating Our Class Rules A classroom community is a place where children should feel safe and protected from physical and emotional harm. Therefore, they need a few basic rules that will create such a safe and caring environment. Involving children in determining the rules is a powerful way to convey a shared responsibility for life in the classroom community. Children are more likely to understand and follow rules that they help establish. Today you and the children will discuss and begin to generate the rules for the classroom. Vocabulary English: benefits Spanish: ventajas Question of the day: What is a rule you have at home? Transitions • Game: Mighty Minutes 78, “Letters Are Everywhere!” • Movement: Mighty Minutes 39, “Animal Yoga” Large Group Discussion and Shared Writing • Review the question of the day and create a list of the rules the children have at home. • Review the list with the children and ask, “Which of these rules would also be good rules to have at school?” Underline or circle the rules the children point out. • Ask, “Why do we need rules at school?” Record the children’s responses. As you discuss the need for rules, emphasize the benefits, or good things, about classroom rules, e.g., putting materials away makes more space for playing and moving quietly and gently around the class pet helps it feel safe and loved. • As children share their ideas, group their suggestions into broader categories, e.g., “Be safe,” “Be kind to others,” and “Take care of the classroom.” • Explain to the children that these categories are the “big rules” of the classroom and that the big rules have little rules under them. Ask, “What should our big classroom rules be?” Create a Classroom Rules chart to record children’s responses. • Give some examples of little rules, e.g., “Put the books back on the shelves” or “Use a quiet voice,” and ask the children to identify which big rule they would fall under. • Decide as a group where to post the Classroom Rules chart in the classroom. Including all children As you discuss rules with children, use social stories or real-life examples to increase their understanding of different situations and appropriate responses. Large-Group Extension As you interact with children throughout the day, consider the following: • Refer to the Classroom Rules chart throughout the day as you enforce the “big rule, little rule” strategy; for example, you might point to the rule on the chart as you say, “Kellie, we need to be safe. Please don’t rock back in your chair.” • Invite the children to play a game with rules. Explain that the rules of the game let everyone know how to play and make the game more fair. See Intentional Teaching Card SE07, “Our Big Rules and Little Rules,” for guidance. Beginning the year considerations Using related consequences to guide children’s behavior enables them to make connections between their actions and what happens as a result. For example, if a child dumps a basket of markers onto the table, it produces a related consequence: the child needs to pick up all the markers and put them away. This action teaches the child that he will be responsible for cleaning up any messes he makes. Review Intentional Teaching Card SE20, “Understating Related Consequences,” for more information. The First Six Weeks: Building Your Classroom Community Focus Questions The Creative Curriculum ® for Kindergarten 35 Kindergarten Entry Assessment Survey Take time to observe for Objective 16a, “Identifies and names letters,” using the Intentional Teaching Card ™ listed here or the question and prompt in the Kindergarten Entry Assessment Survey. • Intentional Teaching Card LL12, “Balls in Action” Large-Group Roundup • Review the Classroom Rules chart. • Ask, “How did our classroom rules help us today?” • Invite the children to share with their families one big rule and one little rule that they discussed at school today. Reflecting on the Day • Are you and your co-teacher consistently using the “big rule, little rule” strategy? What little rules do you frequently need to address? • Would making a slight change to the schedule or environment help eliminate the behavior that the rule addresses? For example, if children are regularly running in the classroom, you can rearrange the room so that you don’t have any large, wide-open spaces in your floorplan. Readjusting a shelf or table to break up a “runway” can deter running and keep everyone safe. Read-Aloud Read The Night Gardener. Before reading, show the children the cover of the book and read the title. Invite the children to look at the illustration. Ask them to predict what the story will be about. While reading, point to the illustrations throughout the story. As you read, ask, “What do you think will happen next?,” “Who do you think is trimming the bushes into the shapes of animals?,” and “Have you ever seen trees and bushes trimmed that way before?” After reading, invite the children to share their reactions to the Night Gardener’s work. Invite them to recall the different animals that they saw the trees trimmed into. Next >