< PreviousThe Creative Curriculum ® for Kindergarten 47 Focus Question 5 Who works at our school? When Sarah arrived at school, she said, “This weekend we got to go see a play called Michael the Magnificent. It was about a boy who tried to do magic. It was so funny! He kept messing up but got really good when he made the broccoli disappear!” Sarah showed enthusiasm when talking about an event that happened over the weekend. How can I connect with her and learn more about what interests her? (Objective 2a) I can ask Sarah questions that encourage her to share what she liked about the play, such as “What other magic tricks did Michael do?” After Sarah has shared what she enjoyed about the play, I could talk with her about a play I have seen. I will then continue to build on Sarah’s interest by planning dramatic play experiences, such as a dramatic story retelling. EXAMPLE 1 ObserveReflectRespond EXAMPLE 2 ObserveReflectRespond While in the school media center, Anastasia sat in front of a computer and stared at the screen for several minutes, but did not log in. I approached her and asked, “Is everything okay?” and she responded, “I just don’t know how to do the password part.” Anastasia needed help logging on to the computer but did not ask for help. How can I encourage Anastasia to ask an adult for help when she needs it? (Objective 2a) I could say, “I can help you with that. I will write down the password on this slip of paper so you can type it in.” I will continue to observe Anastasia and note any other times she needs help but does not request it. I’ll also make it a point to remind her from time to time that she can ask me or another adult for help whenever she needs it. Over the next five days, the children in your class will get to know the other important adults they interact with at school. They will learn about staff members’ jobs, responsibilities, and skills and how those individuals help the children and their families at the school. When you introduce children to school faculty and staff, they begin to understand that the adults in the building are there to help them, and they become more comfortable as members of the larger school community. Developing these relationships also builds children’s understanding of social studies concepts by helping them learn more about people and the work they do. During this focus question, keep Objective 2, “Establishes and sustains positive relationships,” Dimension a, “Forms relationships with adults,” in mind. At the beginning of the school year, kindergarten children get to know the adults they will interact with on a daily basis, such as teachers, co-teachers, coaches, and librarians. As these relationships develop, children will feel more comfortable connecting with trusted adults about mutual interests, such as their love of soccer or their favorite books to read. You can support these relationships by providing opportunities for children to interact with adults and learn how they are an important resource to the school or community. For additional ways to help children build relationships with the adults in their lives, refer to page 20 in Volume 2: Objectives for Development & Learning. As you interact with children this week, observe how they form relationships with adults. Take time to reflect on the behaviors you see and how you can respond to individual children to support their social–emotional development. 48 DAY 1 Focus Question 5 Who works at our school? Take a Walk to Meet School Staff Members Taking a walk around the school is an ideal way to familiarize children with the school staff. As children are introduced to adults at school, they will begin to feel more comfortable and secure in the school environment. Today you will take a tour of the school; introduce the children to teachers, administrators, and the school nurse; and find out how these adults play an important role in helping the children at school. Vocabulary English: names of school staff members; see Book Discussion Card 02, The Woman Who Outshone the Sun, for additional words Spanish: nombres del personal escolar Question of the day: Who might we see during our walk around the school today? Transitions • Game: Mighty Minutes 49, “Abstract Art Critic” • Chant: Mighty Minutes 59, “Rhythm Rascals” Large Group Discussion and Shared Writing • Review the question of the day and create a list of the school staff members and teachers the children suggest. • Explain that you will be taking a walk today to meet people who work at the school. • Talk with the children about the people they will meet, e.g., teachers, administrators, and other staff members like the school nurse or school counselor. • Say, “During our walk today, let’s find out how the people we meet can help us when we are at school.” • Before the walk, give each child a clipboard, paper, and pencil to take notes. • During the walk, stop and talk with various staff members. • Encourage the children to ask staff members questions about how they help children in their work. • Take a photo of each person the children meet and invite the children to try to write down each person’s name on their clipboard. • After the walk, review the photos and encourage the children to recall each person’s name and job. Including all children Going for a walk around the school might be stressful for a child who prefers to stick with the daily routines of the classroom. Give individual children adequate notice prior to the walk or take the child for a walk around the school in advance. This will help children who thrive on predictability and structure in the classroom environment. Review Intentional Teaching Card SE10, “Ready for a Change,” for more information. Large-Group Extension As you interact with children throughout the day, consider the following: • Introduce children to less-familiar school staff members throughout the day, such as when you go to the cafeteria, bus bay, or after-school program. Tell the children the staff members’ names and what their jobs are. Beginning the year considerations Taking a school tour helps children build their cognitive map of the school and feel comfortable getting around their new environment. Encourage the children to notice the pathways you take when you go to different locations around the school. For example, you might say, “Look, everyone, we are walking past the media center we worked in this morning on our way to the gym, which is right next to it.”The First Six Weeks: Building Your Classroom Community Focus Questions The Creative Curriculum ® for Kindergarten 49 Kindergarten Entry Assessment Survey Over the next two days take time to observe for Objective 3b, “Solves social problems,” and Objective 11e, “Shows flexibility and inventiveness in thinking,” 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 making your observations tomorrow. • Intentional Teaching Card SE21, “Finding a Solution Together” You are halfway done with the Kindergarten Assessment Survey! Over the last few weeks you have observed the children’s skills in many areas of development and learning. Be mindful of ways you can use this information to best support your teaching practice. While planning, consider the following questions: • What materials can I add to my classroom to support learning and development? • How can I update my plan to meet individual children’s needs? Large-Group Roundup • Review the pictures and names of the staff members you met during the walk. • Explain that tomorrow a visitor who works at the school will visit the class to talk about what he does. Ask, “What would you like to ask our visitor?” • Record the children’s responses and save the list of questions to refer to later. Reflecting on the Day • In what ways did the children interact with the school staff members? • How can you incorporate additional experiences like community walks or other classroom visits to help children get to know the adults that work in or near their school? For example, continue to make it a priority throughout the day to introduce your class to school staff members they haven’t met yet and demonstrate for children how to kindly greet others they see in the halls or around school. Read-Aloud Read The Woman Who Outshone the Sun.• Use Book Discussion Card 02, The Woman Who Outshone the Sun. Follow the guidance for the first read-aloud.50 Who works at our school? DAY 2 Focus Question 5 Large Group Discussion and Shared Writing • Remind the children that there is a special visitor coming to talk with the class today. • Tell the children that they will interview the visitor, which means to ask him questions. • Review the list of questions that you started during large-group roundup on Day 1 and discuss the question of the day. • Introduce the visitor and ask him to briefly explain what he does at the school. • Invite the children to ask questions from the list they created. Record the visitor’s responses on the list. • Ask the visitor to explain how his job helps the children at school. • Ask the visitor to share any special tools or technology he uses for his job. • Take photos or videos of the visit for the children to refer to later. To prepare for a classroom visitor, review Intentional Teaching Card LL71, “Classroom Visitor.” Including all children After inviting children to ask the visitor questions, be comfortable with a long, quiet pause. Some children might need more time to think and reflect on what things they would like to ask prior to sharing their questions with the visitor. Large-Group Extension As you interact with children throughout the day, consider the following: • Write a group thank-you note for the visitor. Invite the children to add their names, words, or drawings to the card. Beginning the year considerations Just as your classroom is a welcoming environment for the children in your class, it should also be welcoming for staff members, family volunteers, and other adults who may visit. When guests visit your classroom, ensure that they have a secure place to put their belongings and, most importantly, understand what they will be doing to support the class while they are there. Classroom Visitor Who Works at the School Inviting special guests to visit your classroom gives children the exciting opportunity to interact with and learn from an adult who can share insight and expertise with the class. The more experience children have interacting with adults at school, the more they will view them as a resource to support their learning. Today you will welcome a school staff member to your classroom to answer children’s questions and talk about what he does at the school. Vocabulary English: interview Spanish: entrevista Question of the day: What would you like to ask our visitor today? Transitions • Movement: Mighty Minutes 57, “Remember the Steps” • Song: Mighty Minutes 03, “Musical Turns”The First Six Weeks: Building Your Classroom Community Focus Questions The Creative Curriculum ® for Kindergarten 51 Read-Aloud During your read-aloud, take time to do the following: • Discuss the adult characters in the story. Ask how they helped the other characters. • Ask the children to share ways adults help them. Kindergarten Entry Assessment Survey Continue to observe for Objective 3b, “Solves social problems,” and Objective 11e, “Shows flexibility and inventiveness in thinking,” using the Intentional Teaching Card ™ listed here or the questions and prompts in the Kindergarten Entry Assessment Survey. • Intentional Teaching Card SE21, “Finding a Solution Together” Large-Group Roundup • Invite the children to share one interesting thing that they learned from the visitor today. Reflecting on the Day • During large group, how comfortable were the children with coming up with questions to ask the visitor? • How can you support children to ask questions and have conversations with class visitors? For example, you might invite the children to practice asking you or their peers questions first. As children become more comfortable with asking questions and engaging in discussions with others, they will feel more comfortable with asking visitors questions as well.52 Who works at our school? DAY 3 Focus Question 5 Large Group Discussion and Shared Writing • Review the question of the day. Invite the children to refer to the staff members’ pictures from your previous school walk as they talk about who they have met at school. • Say, “There are so many people who work at our school.” • Explain that each staff member has a different responsibility, or specific role, at the school. • Say, “I wonder what responsibilities the people we met on our walk have.” • Draw a three-column chart on a piece of chart paper and label each column with a different responsibility, e.g., Keep People Safe, Teach People, and Make and Serve Meals. • Invite the children to take turns choosing a picture of a person they met on the walk and recalling that person’s job. • Support the children to add the photo to the appropriate column on the chart. Including all children Prior to having a classroom visitor, take steps to include all children in the discussion. You could, for example, help children practice asking questions ahead of time or pair a child with a peer to brainstorm and ask questions together. This enables children to learn from and engage with adults and peers during large-group experiences. Large-Group Extension As you interact with children throughout the day, consider the following: • As the children interact with different adults throughout the day, encourage them to identify where the adults would go on the chart from large group. For example, when the children walk with the teacher to the bus line, the teacher’s responsibility is to “keep people safe.” Beginning the year considerations Children seek out the special adults in their lives for comfort, words of encouragement, and other particular moments throughout their day. Ensure that you make time in your daily schedule to take advantage of these moments and use them to build and nurture relationships with individual children in your classroom. Review Intentional Teaching Card SE31, “Let’s Learn Together!,” for additional support. Graphing School Staff Responsibilities There are many adults who interact with and support children during the school day. Some people help children stay safe as they work and play, such as safety monitors and bus drivers. Others teach the children new and interesting things, such as music and art teachers. Today you and the children will explore the varied responsibilities of the teachers and staff members at your school. Vocabulary English: responsibility; see Book Discussion Card 02, The Woman Who Outshone the Sun, for additional words Spanish: responsabilidad Question of the day: Who have you met at school? Transitions • Song: Mighty Minutes 06, “Spanish Numbers” • Game: Mighty Minutes 63, “Photo Fruit Salad”The First Six Weeks: Building Your Classroom Community Focus Questions The Creative Curriculum ® for Kindergarten 53 Read-Aloud Read The Woman Who Outshone the Sun.• Use Book Discussion Card 02, The Woman Who Outshone the Sun. Follow the guidance for the second read-aloud. Kindergarten Entry Assessment Survey Take time to observe for Objective 2c, “Interacts with peers,” using the Intentional Teaching Card ™ listed here or the question and prompt in the Kindergarten Entry Assessment Survey. • Intentional Teaching Card SE12, “Room for One More” Large-Group Roundup • Tell the children that a person who works at the school will visit the class tomorrow to talk about her job. • Ask, “What would you like to ask our visitor?” Record the children’s questions and save the list for later use. Reflecting on the Day • How well were the children able to identify the responsibilities of each staff member? • In what ways can you continue to support children’s understanding of the responsibilities of adults who work in the school and local community? For example, as children participate in school events or go on field trips to new places, take time to introduce them to the adults and invite them to ask questions about what the adults do.54 Who works at our school? DAY 4 Focus Question 5 Large Group Discussion and Shared Writing • Remind the children that a special visitor is coming to talk to the class today. • Review the questions list that you started during large- group roundup on Day 3 and invite the children to add any additional questions to the list. • Introduce the visitor and ask her to briefly explain what she does at the school. • Invite the children to ask their questions from the list they created. • Record the visitor’s responses on the list. • Ask the visitor to explain how her job helps the children at school. • Ask the visitor to share any special tools or technology she uses for her job. • Take photos or videos of the visit to display in the classroom. Large-Group Extension As you interact with children throughout the day, consider the following: • Write a group thank-you note for the visitor. Invite the children to add their names, words, or drawings to the card. Beginning the year considerations Explaining how adults use tools to do their jobs teaches children that technology can be used in many ways in their everyday lives. You can increase children’s understanding of technology and tools by pointing out when they are used in the classroom and outdoors. For example, point out the thermometer you use to check the outside temperature each morning or the automatic stapler you use to staple large stacks of paper. Classroom Visitor Who Works at the School Getting to know important people who work at the school, such as the nurse, coaches, and specials teachers, is an important aspect of feeling like part of the larger school community. When children know the names and responsibilities of staff members, they know who they can go to when they have a question or need help. Today you will welcome another school staff member to your classroom to answer children’s questions and talk about what she does at the school. Vocabulary English: names of special tools the visitor uses for her job Spanish: los nombres de las herramientas especiales que el visitante usa para su trabajo Question of the day: How did you get to school? Transitions • Game: Mighty Minutes 84, “Story Starters” • Game: Mighty Minutes 96, “More Than One”The First Six Weeks: Building Your Classroom Community Focus Questions The Creative Curriculum ® for Kindergarten 55 Read-Aloud During your read-aloud, take time to do the following: • Talk about how the characters in the story are connected in a special way, e.g., as grandparents, friends, neighbors. • Ask, “Who is special to you? What makes that person special?” Kindergarten Entry Assessment Survey Over the next two days, take time to observe for Objective 9a, “Uses an expanding expressive vocabulary”; Objective 9c, “Uses conventional grammar”; and Objective 9d, “Tells about another time or place.” Use 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 making your observations tomorrow. • Intentional Teaching Card LL13, “My Story” Large-Group Roundup • Invite the children to share one interesting thing that they learned from the visitor today. • Explain that tomorrow the children will discuss how they can help others at school. Including all children When leading a discussion in a large-group setting, offer the children multiple ways to interact and respond, such as by sharing with the group, working with a partner, or writing or drawing their response on a sheet of paper. This ensures that all children have an opportunity to participate in a way that feels comfortable for them. Reflecting on the Day • In what ways are children becoming more comfortable with the adults who work at school? Are there any children who seem uncomfortable around certain adults? • What are some ways that you can involve children’s family members in the classroom? For example, as you introduce new topics at school, reach out to family members who have more experience with or knowledge of the topic and invite them to share their expertise with the class.Next >