Pre-K teaching times, Apr. 2013

Pre-K Teaching Times

Instructional Support in Your CLASSroom

Instructional support Promote exploration

does not focus on

of concepts. Ask

the content of the

children to pre-

curriculum or on the

dict, experiment,

learning activities

and brainstorm

conducted. Instruc-

as ways to ex-

tional support focus- plore concepts

es on the ways in

and expand ap-

which teachers im-

proaches to

plement lessons and learning.

activities to promote

cognitive and lan- Apply concepts to

guage development. the real world.

Instructional support Use examples

also focuses on how that occur in chil-

teachers use feed-

dren's lives and

back to help children encourage them

learn.

to add their own

examples.

Instructional support

can be strengthened Scaffold learning.

through a variety of

Provide hints to

ways including the

help the child get

following:

to the answer.

Challenge children Provide specific in-

to think about the formation about

hows and whys

why answers are

of learning.

correct or incor-

rect.

Focus children's at-

tention on the Encourage children

process for gen-

to persist in their

erating solutions

work. Recognize

to a problem ra-

and praise chil-

ther than just

dren's efforts.

getting the cor-

rect answer.

Ask open ended

questions. Children generate thoughts, information, and reasons when asked a question that doesn't have a known answer.
Repeat and extend children's responses. Build on what children say; model appropriate and more complex language.
Use advanced language. Use different kinds of words, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and prepositions and new or unfamiliar vocabulary.

April 2013
Inside this issue:
Assessment 2

Math: Problem 2 Solving in Pre-K
Social Studies 3

How to Choose 4 the Perfect Big Book for Shared Reading

Teacher to

5

Teacher

Tips for Transi- 6 tions

Earth Day the 7 Pre-K Way

20 Year Cele- 8 bration

GELDS

8

Assessment

Teachers should be well on their way to collecting documentation and rating the 55 indicators. Child assessment should be purposeful and not accidental. Teachers should plan and collect documentation weekly. Look for indicators not yet rated for the children and plan activities where data can be collected.
A teacher recently shared a system she developed to ensure she gathered a variety of documentation at least weekly on each child. She created a spreadsheet with the children's names listed down the left side. Across the top she had a column for the weekly date and a column for M, N, P, and WS. Her lesson plans indicated

what type of documentation she was gathering so as she entered the documentation, either in the folder or uploaded to WSO, she could check that she had something on that child for the week.
Teachers have asked if they are finished assessing for that rating period once they have rated a child. The answer is "not necessarily" as that first rating may be to help establish the baseline to plan the type of follow-up activities. Indicators rated NY indicate that the child may need prerequisite or basic activities, while a rating of IP calls for reinforcement, and a rating of P suggests the child is ready for the types of activities suggested for five

year olds in the Omnibus book. Remember: When a child is rated NY, enter factual information to support the NY, such as "Billy cannot copy patterns" or "When shown a pattern by the teacher, Billy arranges red and blue cubes in random order." It is still classified as "recognizes simple patterns and duplicates them," but when you examine the evidence over the entire rating period, and the child is unable to copy a pattern after multiple teaching opportunities, it is rated NY.
Let your assessment guide your classroom planning.

Math: Problem Solving in Pre-K

One major way to develop mathematical knowledge for four year olds is through problem solving. Problem solving is natural for Pre-K children because of their innate curiosity. Everything is new to them, and exploring solutions to problems is instinctive. Engaging in problem solving activities helps build basic skills and higher-order thinking skills in young children.
Since students in the same classroom are at varying levels of mathematical skills and understanding, problem-solving activities should be presented at varying levels of complexity and in varying contexts, ranging from problems that relate to daily routines to mathematical story situations. Opportunities to apply problemsolving strategies to daily routines might include, "We have 22 students in our room. Thirteen of them are boys. How many students are girls? How did you find the answer?" or "We have 22 students. I have put 16 snacks on the table. How many more snacks will I need? How can we find out?" Another way to involve students in problem solving is through

story situations, such as, "I have eight pennies in my pocket. If I take out six pennies, how much money will I have in my hand? How much money will be left in my pocket? How do we know our answers are correct?"
Asking students to explain their answers strengthens their concept development skills. Consider the following problem-solving situations:
Compare/Contrast Activities: Line up five students with a similar characteristic (all in sneakers, jeans, striped shirts). How are they the same?
Make an ABAB pattern using students. Start with obvious traits, such as shorts, long pants, shorts, long pants. Ask students to find the pattern and explain it. As the year progresses create more complex patterns. Allow a student to pick the students for a pattern; you will be surprised at the complexity of the pattern they choose.
Estimation: How many cups of rice do you think it will take to fill the pitcher? How can we check our

predictions? Will all these blocks fit on the shelf? How do you know?
What is the teacher's job in developing problem-solving skills in Pre-K students? Presenting the students with opportunities to apply problemsolving skills would be the priority. Then Pre-K teachers must make decisions about when to be persistent; when to give feedback that affirms what is correct and identifies what is incorrect; when to withhold comments and plan similar tasks; and when to use class discussions to advance the students' mathematical thinking.
When teachers allow time for thinking; believe that young students can solve problems; listen carefully to their explanations; and structure an environment that values the work that students do, they promote problem solving and help students internalize their problem-solving strategies.

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Pre-K Teaching Times

Social Studies
SS 3e: Recognizes characteristics of other geographic regions & cultures
Ideas for the Classroom: Add a globe or world map and highlight where you live. Highlight regions of the country or world
where the children's families come from Collect travel brochures to various parts of our country and the world. Discuss similarities & differ-
ences between these areas. Example: Hot versus colder weather or mountains versus beaches. Sort the brochures according to the topics, or create a graph. Create a picture mosaic of different regions of the world. National Geographic magazine is a great resource. Create the mosaic on bulletin board paper, and allow children to cut out pictures of interesting faces and places and glue them onto the paper. Visit the library to access non-fiction books about the world.
Activity: Where Is My Home?
Materials: Flannel board, cutouts of trees & birds, plastic hula hoops or ropes.
Large Group Activity:
Talk to children about how it feels to be squeezed together in a crowded place, such as an elevator or waiting in line. Using a flannel board, make up a story about trees being removed from the forest. Show how all the birds have to flock to one tree at the end and are very crowdedC. hWildhryendiidn tahcislahssarpopoemn?wiWhat do people remove trees from the forests?
Make 7-8 circles on the floor with the hoops or ropes. Have two children stand in each circle and ask them to pretend they are birds, squirrels, or monkeys feeding off the insects and leaves of the trees represented by the circles. Then, remove one circle at a time, leaving each displaced pair of children to squeeze in with another group. Ask children to explain what is happening to their living environment/ home. The activity will help children understand that as trees and other natural resources are lost, wildlife must find new homes.
Integrating Topic into Learning Centers:
Blocks: Reduce the number of blocks to which children have access. How does this affect what you can build?
Math: Have children match pictures of animals with their habitats. (Print photographs of animals & their homes from the Internet). Include examples of animals that live in trees, on water, on land, and nests/ caves/burrows.
Art: Explain how trees are used to make paper. To save trees, have children make "homemade" paper. Mix scraps of old paper and/or dryer lint with water in a blender. Add food coloring if desired. Press mixture onto a screen and allow it to dry. Once dry, peel off and allow the children to examine their paper.
Language: Read The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry. Discuss the effects of destroying rainforests on animals and people.
Resource: Best Practices
Page 3

How to Choose the Perfect Big Book for Shared Reading

Why is choosing the right big book for shared reading important? Choosing the right big book is critical to ensure success with shared reading. The goal of shared reading is to demonstrate, in a fun and meaningful way, how reading works. The big books that do this best have predictable texts that allow readers' use of prior knowledge to recognize words and predict what will come next in a sentence or phrase.
Why can't I use a regular sized picture book for this purpose? Children must be able to EASILY see and follow the text throughout the reading; most picture books cannot fulfill this requirement efficiently.
How can I be sure I have picked the right type of big book? Use the 3R test. The best big book choices have at least one of the following three characteristics:
Rhyme, Rhythm Repetition.
Why must one or more of these characteristics be present in my choice of big book? We want children to anticipate the portion of the text that rhymes, has rhythm, or is repetitive; we want them to join (actually participate) in

the reading. Rhyme, rhythm, and/or repetition will help children to "share read" the book with the teacher and class. Through these experiences, children begin to see themselves as readers, learn about

arate words, differences between letters and words, units of speech we call sentences, how we know where a sentence begins and where it ends, punctuation, syllables, etc. During subsequent
weeks, re-read favorite big books and place copies of these familiar books in the reading area so that children can "read" these independently.

How many big books should I have in my classroom? Collect enough big books to allow the shared reading of a new book each week of the school year. (Access to 36 big books is ideal.)

concepts of print, learn to recognize vocabulary words, and see reading as a fun, "can do" experience.
How often should I use a big book with my children? The ideal answer is EVERY DAY. Repeated readings of the same book will help establish familiarity and a level of independence with the book. FAMILIARITY is key; so, plan to read the chosen big book every day for five days (one full week). Repeated readings will encourage children to join in as the daily reading occurs. By mid-week, the children will be familiar with the text. At this point, teachers can begin to introduce text features like word boundaries, how spaces sep-

Big books are expensive. Where can I find reasonably priced big books? Big books can cost as much as $30 to $45. EBay is a great place to search for used big books. Just remember to use the 3R's rule before purchasing big books from any vendor.
How will I know that using big books has made an impact on my children? You will know you have made powerful use of big books when you see your children go to the book area and independently "read" a familiar text; what a thrill this is!

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Pre-K Teaching Times

Teacher to Teacher

"What materials do you place in learning centers to promote independent letter recognition/writing skills?"

Think, Build, Write
Materials: student tray (or cookie sheets), letter beads (or magnets), pipe cleaners for beads to slide onto, word cards with image and word, and writing utensils.
Directions: Students choose a word card and place the card on the cookie sheet. Think: What is the word? Build: Students match each letter on the word card to a letter bead. Students work together looking for letter beads that are scattered all over the table top. Write: Once the word has been built, students choose their choice of writing utensil. (markers, pencils, crayons, etc.)
Crystle Summers
Reading Area: Magnetic letters and magnetic boards, ABC books
Writing Area: Letter stamps, letter stencils, picture/word cards, paper, pencils, notepads, dry erase boards and markers, wooden letters, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom book and props, chalk boards, name cards, stickers
Dramatic Play Area: We have prop boxes with ideas for promoting writing. Examples-Restaurant: menus, clipboards with paper to take orders. Birthday: blank invitations and thank you cards. Doctor's office: paper to take notes on exams. Christmas: Christmas cards, paper to write to Santa Science Area: We put plastic letters in sand or rice for the children to find and name the letter. We have children close their eyes, feel the shape of the letter, and identify the letter using only their sense of touch. Children love to do this with a partner. We provide notepads for the children to write down their observations of our living items and picture word cards that go along with each living item.
Ms. Hollis and Ms. Simonson
Each center has a clipboard with a pencil attached to it for the students to write/draw (Housekeeping has three). Library Center: I have felt board letters made from bulletin board cut out letters. The students can manipulate them into words they see in a book or

simply spell their name. I have a padded writing lap desk that the children love to use. Art Center: I have play dough letter stamps with handles. The students love to stamp out letters and spell words. Block Center: We have block letters of various sizes. There is paper on a large clipboard that students can use to draw what they have built. Writing Center: Letter stamps and ink pads, book of classmates with pictures and names to refer to spelling a classmate's name, letter templates for tracing, and word cards that correspond to what we are learning. Science Center: I encourage students to form letters out of pine straw, rocks, seeds, etc. Word cards and pictures of animals are a favorite for copying words and creating class-made picture books. Math Center: Markers and dry erase boards, a number line, and number words are found this center.
Debra Allsup
Picture/word cards pertaining to my themes are organized in the writing center. In the beginning of the year we make a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom tree; all students put letter stickers on the tree and the tree is displayed in the Book Center. Children string letter beads in the Math Center. In Dramatic Play we have a poster of environmental print words and pictures. In the Science Center, sand paper letters are accessible for sensory and tracing. I have word cards with tile letters for children to spell words, which helps with letter recognition and writing.
Katie Parkman
Writing Center: Stamps, stationery, envelopes, valentine cards, index cards, note pads, magnetic letters with magnetic board, white boards/dry erase markers, alphabet chart, alphabet stickers, student picture/name cards, alphabet board games, pocket chart with words, word cards for current theme, letter stencils with matching picture (i.e. d for duck), so the students can trace a letter and then the corresponding picture to go with the letter, children's dictionary, a post office/ mail slot for each student, alphabet puzzle, writing journals, cereal box covers to make books, letter and sight word flash cards. I also have a separate desk set up as an office for stu-

dents to use. On the desk there is a variety of paper (i.e. lined, unlined, colored, plain, small large), a keyboard, and a child's computer with key board. Reading Center: Flannel board/flannel letters, word wall (with words for current topic), paper, pencils, alphabet rugs, word wall pointers, look who's here today sign-in attendance chart. Home Living: Phone books, restaurant menus, cookbooks, magazines, alphabet placemats, environmental print, writing materials (i.e. shopping lists, blank receipt books, and note pads). Block Center: Maps, theme related books, paper, pencil, road signs, alphabet foam blocks, and postcards. Science Center: Clipboards/ graph paper, word cards with pictures for current topic, magazines, food bingo game, and science observation journals. Math Center: Math word cards, alphabet blocks, alphabet/number puzzles, math journals, and calendars. Art Center: Letter stamps/ink pad, various types of paper, magazines, letter cookie cutters to use with playdoh, Wikki Stixs, alphabet stickers, book making materials, pipe cleaners, and shaving cream.
Donnamarie Dane
I place dry erase boards and books throughout the classroom. I have vocabulary flip cards related to the center in which they are placed. Children enjoy copying the words on paper or the dry erase boards. Science Area: We have a sign in sheet for the student who checks on Crabbie. They use symbols to reflect if he has food, water or if he is sleeping. The children have learned to spell yes and no from the use of attendance cans and are encouraged to write it on their observation sheet.
Music intervals with ABC concepts (we love Dr. Jean!),;short poems displayed around the room with pictures to reiterate word meaning; classroom books with children's illustrations and dictations (ex: "When I grow up, I want to be"); and children's art work with dictation.

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Teacher to Teacher (continued)
"Adventures with Froggy!" Bulletin Board (class mascot goes home every Friday with a different student. Froggy goes with the child wherever they go, and many pictures are taken during his visit with student and family members). The pictures are glued on construction paper, and the child writes something they enjoyed doing with Froggy. Pictures are displayed on the bulletin board. After a month, they are added to our class book, which is located in our library for all to enjoy.
Ruthie Prost
Tips for Transitions

Provide children with two signals, one auditory and the other visual, to indicate that it is time to transition to another activity. Give the children the auditory signal first, then the visual one, for example, a drum as the first signal, and raising your hand as the second or visual signal.
When the signals fail:
Conduct a unifying chant or movement activity. "Everybody do this, do this, do this. Everybody do this, do this now," is a follow-the-leader chant that can be fun as long as the "do this's" are challenging or silly. Once you have their attention, have the class be a S.T.A.R (Smile, Take a deep breath And Relax).
Praise the children who stop. "Phillip, Reynaldo, Wayne, Ashley, each of you stopped, took a deep breath, looked and are ready to listen. You heard the signal and are ready for what will happen next," or "Most people heard the drum and began to stop, breathe, look and listen. Then you noticed that some of your friends did not hear the drum signal and you put up your hand to help them. That was very helpful."
Verbally tell the children what you want them to do. As soon as you have the children's attention, begin telling them what you want them to do. Having children wait, especially young ones, just creates problems.
Source: Conscious Discipline 7 Basic Skills for Brain Smart Classroom Management By Dr. Becky A. Bailey

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Pre-K Teaching Times

Earth Day the Pre-K Way

Pre-K is a great time to teach children about the principles behind Earth Day, being celebrated on April 22. Concepts like conservation and recycling are things they can practice at home and school, and since most young children love to be helpers, learning how to care for our earth will motivate and excite them about science. While most of the concepts of Earth Day are above their understanding, they can learn simple things about helping the environment such as: reduce, reuse, and recycle; water and electricity conservation, and how planting trees and plants helps the earth. Following are resources and lesson ideas to prepare your own Earth Day celebration.
Use Dr. Seuss' book, The Lorax, to begin your Earth Day discussion. After reading the book, talk about the story and air pollution. Discuss the importance of keeping our air clean even though it's not something we can see. In simple terms, discuss the important role of trees and plants in our world.
Oh, The Big Things You'd Miss! Make an "I'd miss a ____________ " chart or turn it into a class book. Talk with your children about animals they would miss if they were to disappear (become extinct).
Discuss with your children what is biodegradable and what is not. Then choose a spot on your playground and bury things from the classroom trash can. A few weeks later dig these up and show your children the difference between biodegradable substances and nonbiodegradable items.
Plant a tree (or flower or vegetable): Planting vegetation is en-

vironmentally friendly and something children love to do. It's exciting for children to plant something and watch it grow. Give each child a paper cup or small pot and in small groups let them fill it with dirt and plant some seeds. Have the children water them and watch them grow in a sunny window in the classroom. Vegetables are fun, or you can plant flowers to send home as a Mother's Day gift in May.
Grow a "Baggie Garden." Wet a paper towel, and drop it, along with six white beans, into a Ziploc bag. Seal the baggie (leaving air in the bag) and put it in your window. Your children will love watching the beans grow.
To discourage children from littering, make a "litter bug" with recycled or reused items such as plastic containers, egg cartons, bottle caps, twigs, leaves, buttons, etc. Have each child create their own "litter bug" and discuss why it's important to take care of our earth. You can also use this lesson to introduce the concepts of reduce, reuse, and recycle. Use the bugs to remind the children that many items that are thrown away can be put to other uses.
Making pine cone bird feeders is an ideal Earth Day activity because it uses natural materials, and taking care of birds in our environment is something to which children can easily relate. Have the children roll a pine cone in a mixture of vege-

table shortening and oats or cornmeal and bird seed. Attach a string to the top of the pine cone, and let the children hang the feeders on the playground where they can be seen or let them take them home and report back what birds they've seen at their feeders.
The PBS Kids website: http:// pbskids.org/games/ earthday.html has a variety of fun, educational games and activities to help children learn about our environment and ways to take care of it.
Books:
Oh Say Can You Seed by Bonnie Worth
From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
How a Seed Grows by Helene Jordan
Biscuit's Earth Day Celebration by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Curious George Plants a Tree by Margaret and H. A. Ray
It's Earth Day (Little Critter) by Mercer Mayer

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Pre-KPTre-aKchTinegacThimingesTimes

Georgia's Pre-K Program 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, SE 754 East Tower Atlanta, GA 30334 Phone: 404-656-5957
For updates from Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ gadeptearlycare or Facebook at www.facebook.com/ brightfromthestart.

Please continue to email your stories to: 20yearsofprek@decal.ga.gov

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Call the BFTS office and Pre-K consultant on duty at 404-656-5957. PreK consultant contact information also can be found at www.decal.ga.gov

We need your feedback! Please visit www.gelds.decal.ga.gov and review the new Georgia Early Learning and Development Standards (GELDS). As you explore the GELDS on the site, click on ageappropriate indicators to make specific comments or click the "comment" button of the home page to make general comments. The feedback will help us make final revisions to the GELDS. Also share the website link with parents, and encourage them to review the information and provide feedback. Public comments on the standards will be taken until April 1, 2013.

As DECAL moves forward with the GELDS roll out this year, this new website will be a valuable resource for educators and parents. The website will include footage showcasing exemplary teaching practices from Georgia classrooms; informational webinars; lesson planning ideas; and resources for working with dual language learners and children with disabilities. For more information, contact Standards Coordinator Laura Evans at laura.evans@decal.ga.gov or (404) 656-4711.