Pre-K teaching times, Oct. 2013

Pre-K
Teaching Times

Inside
this issue
Transi on Tricks...........1
WSO News............. ......2
GELDS Updates..............3
CLASS News..................4
Language......................5
Social Studies.................5
Science Experiment of the Month............6
Teacher to Teacher........7
Transi on Tricks, cont....................8
WSO, cont.....................8

October 2013

Tackling Transi ons

L ast month we set the stage for a well- managed class by build- ing posi ve rela onships and establishing clear and consistent

rules and rou nes. By now most of your children probably know

the daily rou nes and can recite the classroom rules to you. How-

ever, this does not necessarily trans- late into "well behaved" children. Guiding children towards making good choices will be a year-long task. Let's take a look at some

Keys to Great Transi ons
Keep transi ons to a minimum

things we can do to be proac ve and try to prevent unwanted be- havior. Many mes unwanted behavior occurs during transi-

Give clear direc ons
Provide ac vi es to move children from one ac vity to the next.

ons. Classrooms o en experi- Please refer to the BFTS

ence chaos when transi oning

website for addi onal

from one ac vity to another.

ideas.

This occurs when children are

www.decal.ga.gov Click

unclear about what they should

on "teachers" then

be doing or get bored because of long wai ng periods. We as teachers can help minimize tran-

"daily rou nes". Select Transi on Tricks

si ons by pu ng careful thought

into how we move children from

one ac vity to the next.

Pre-K Teaching Times

Con nued on page 8
Page 1

Work Sampling

T eachers Who Are New to Pre-K and/or New to WSO
Many of you have contacted
prekassessment@decal.ga.gov
asking for your user name so you can begin using Work Sampling Online. We certainly appreciate your interest! You will receive an email from support@schoolsuccess.net shortly before your WSO training. This email will include your username and a link to create a password. Please be sure your director has an email address you regularly monitor. In the mean me, you should be collec ng evidence of what your children can do. This evidence should include work samples created by individual children, observa onal notes of individual children, matrices/checklists of large group ac vi es that you can document merely by observing, and photos of individual children demonstra ng a skill/behavior.

Please contact prekassessment@decal.ga.gov when you have ques ons about the following: Needing help with username/
password
Needing your WSO Account unlocked
Not receiving a password reset email
Adding a new student
Needing clarifica on on DECAL assessment policies, or the Assessment IQ Guide
If you have ques ons or need guidance about implemen ng the new pla orm, please contact Customer Service at Pearson either by email (support@schoolsuccess.net) or by phone (1-800-874-0914) between 8:00AM and 7:00PM.

BY OUR DATABASE. Your PANDA Class ID is listed on your PANDA Class Roster or is available from your Pre-K Project Director. Contact
prekassessment@decal.ga.gov
before adding any new student to your WSO roster. This year there is an alert that the child may already exist. If you get this message, please send the child's name as it appears on the PANDA roster and his/her date of birth to Pre-K Assessment.

Teachers Previously Trained in WSO
We are all making the adjustment to the new WSO pla orm, and many of you have ques ons.

IQ Guide for Assessment Just a few reminders of the assessment requirements as stated on the IQ Guide: Enter your PANDA Class ID as
your WSO class name. DO NOT CHANGE YOUR CLASS NAME THIS IS A UNIQUE IDENTIFIER ASSIGNED TO YOU

Con nued on page 8

Pre-K Teaching Times

Page 2

Update

While you are ge ng to know the new Georgia Early Learning and Development Standards (GELDS) you will no ce some areas that are new and/or different from the Pre-K Content Standards. One change is the inclusion of a dedicated domain to Approaches to Play and Learning (APL).
Many of the skills covered in APL were embedded in the Pre-K Content Standards but were not grouped under a single domain.
We hear people say over and over that children in Pre-K are just "playing." While that is true, teachers know that they are playing with a purpose. By having a domain devoted to the skills that go along with play, teachers can be more inten onal about focusing on those skills. Play has so many benefits for young children. It unlocks their crea vity and helps with problem- solving, math, literacy, thinking, and even motor skills (Geiser 2013). Ini a ve and Explora on:
The first strand in APL is ini a ve and explora on. Under this strand, teachers should encourage children to try new things, complete tasks, set goals, and follow through on

plans. Explora on is an essen al part of how a young child learns to relate to others and to the things around them.
It
establishes a life-long pa ern for learning and helps them build on prior knowledge. A en veness and Persistence:
The second strand in APL is A en veness and Persistence. The ability to persist and persevere may determine a child's chance at success more than any other characteris c. When you read about Nobel Prize winners, they all have different stories. However, they all have one thing in common. The people who know them always describe how that person never gave up.
It is important for children to explore their environment, take risks, and not give up easily. They

may not always be successful, but that risk taking will lead to future success when they get to kindergarten and beyond.
Play:
The third and final strand in APL is simply Play. It is important to encourage children to par cipate in a progression of imagina ve play. Research shows that children who engage in imaginary play are more crea ve, have greater social understanding, and are be er at taking the perspec ve of others. Using the imagina on and par cipa ng in fantasy play have also been proven to help children cope with stress (Wang 2009). It also allows children the opportunity to imagine the future and who they want to be. A vivid imagina on gives children endless possibili es!
Wang, Shirley. "The Power of Magical Thinking." Wall Street Journal Online. N.p., 22 Dec. 2009. Web. 1 Sept. 2013.
Geiser, Traci. "Play in Preschool: Why It Ma ers." Educa on.com. N.p., 27 Aug. 2013. Web. 01 Sept. 2013.

Pre-K Teaching Times

Page 3

The House that CLASS Built

E veryone by now should be

structure and walls for classroom PLAN what happens as children

se led in their classrooms. The experiences. Produc vity, a dimen- finish cleaning up a er center me.

"floor" of your house is being creat- sion of Classroom Organiza on, Have alternate ac vi es ready for

ed to form a firm founda on for a looks at how well teachers manage students who complete tasks early.

posi ve climate. Take a moment students' me and rou nes. Take a PLAN ac vi es in advance so all

and think of some things that you moment to reflect on produc vity materials are ready and accessible.

con nually do to help build rela- in your classroom.

Here's a simple way to create an

onships (Emo onal Support) with Are your students con nually "Extra Ac vity Ring." Write transi-

all of your students. Did you recall

on ideas on index cards, clip them

things such as:

together with a ring, and keep close

Sit next to students

by (in a pocket or on a belt loop) for

Share personal stories with stu-

quick reference. Visit Georgia's

dents

P.R.I.D.E. (Pre-K Resource and Idea

Engage in conversa ons with

Exchange) at h p://

students about their ac vi es

webdb.gsu.edu/dmg/prek/

outside of school

Applica on.html

Smile / Laugh

busy?

for developmentally appropriate

Say such things as, "What a nice Are there mes in your day

transi on ideas. Keep adding to

helper you are!" "I knew you

when the children seem to be your "Extra Ac vity Ring" as you

could do it!" "I'm so proud of

more ac ve and harder to con- run across new ideas.

you!"

trol?

P.R.I.D.E link: By keeping children

Use manners with your stu-

Are students watching, wander- busy, you are building the Produc-

dents......please, thank-you, so-

ing or wai ng?

vity wall in your classroom. As

cial e que e

Is every minute of your day in- you plan extra ac vi es to fill those

Provide guidance and support

ten onally planned?

"down" mes, you will discover

to students

Remember, it is much be er to

your classroom provides children

Keep up the good work with build- over-plan than under-plan.

with a consistent level of learning

ing a posi ve climate in your class- PLAN for your transi ons. Devel- throughout the day with few lost

room. This has to be established to op consistent and interes ng rou- instruc onal opportuni es.

ensure that our students learn as nes to transi on from one ac vity

much as they can in our classrooms to another.

this year.

PLAN ac vi es when lining up to

As we con nue to build our CLASS go outside, wash hands, go to house, let's think about the struc- lunch. Give short, simple instruc- ture. While Emo onal Support pro- ons so students know exactly vides a strong founda on, Class- what they are supposed to do. room Organiza on provides the

Pre-K Teaching Times

Page 4

Vocabulary and Linguis c
Concepts
Vocabulary and Linguis c Concepts are one of the six major areas of Language and Literacy development. What is involved in vocabulary development? Vocabulary develops through both "recep ve" and "expressive" language. Research shows that a child's expressive vocabulary is not as large as his/her recep ve vocabulary in the preschool years. "Recep ve" vocabulary refers to the words a child understands, whereas "expressive" vocabulary encompasses the words which a child actually uses. Between birth and age five, children typically acquire thousands of words in their recep ve vocabulary, more in fact than at any other me in their lives. The preschool years are the best me to build a strong network of vocabulary, partly due to the ease with which children learn new words at this age. Exposing children to larger numbers of words makes a huge impact on vocabulary development. Another component of vocabulary development is how a child understands a set of core linguis c concepts that relate to contrast (wet/dry), loca on (here/there),
me (yesterday/tomorrow), and space (over/under). Try some of these strategies to increase students' knowledge of vocabulary and linguis c concepts:
Use a rich variety of words when talking with young children. (GELDS: CLL1.3a, CLL1.3c)
Give names to groups of words, such as rhyming words, ac on words, describing words, etc. (GELDS: CLL4.3c, CLL6.3b
Define unfamiliar terms in simple words the child can understand. (GELDS: CLL2.3a, CLL2.3b)
In order to build a more complex vocabulary, repeat and extend students' responses. (GELDS: CLL1.3c, CLL4.3d)
Map your ac ons (self-talk) and the ac on of students (parallel talk) to help children link ac ons with words. (GELDS: CLL4.3c)

Social Studies in
Pre-K
Cultural Diversity
GELDS Standard: CD-SS2.4c Recognizes similari es and differences between own culture and that of others. Ra onale: Four-year-olds are very observant and easily recognize similari es and differ- ences between themselves and others. Their thinking, however, is limited and they can easily develop stereotypes if adults don't offer other examples. Ways to incorporate this into your class- room: Read books to students about other cul-
tures and iden fy things that are similar and different Set up areas around the classroom throughout the year that represent differ- ent cultures. Add toys and materials that reflect the cultures of the children and families in your group. Then expand to include materials that mirror the diversity in the world. Teach words from other languages Teach songs and dances from different cultures. Choose one broad topic, such as love, birthdays, holidays, or me. Chart the re- sponses to see how different cultures ex- press similar ideas.

Pre-K Teaching Times

Page 5

Science

lightly with water so they are bare- sponge?" Introduce them to the ly damp. Explain that these are like word evaporate and

Experiment of the Month

clouds you see on a dry day. Have the children squeeze the sponges to see if anything comes out. To enrich the cloud concept, you can

discuss its meaning.
Note new vocabulary words: Wa- ter vapor, squeeze, absorb, evapo-

take children outside to see if

ra on.

clouds are present today. Discuss

GO AHEAD...LET IT RAIN!! what the clouds look like.

G eorgia weather has been so Invite children to con nue spray-

wet this year! Georgia

ing the sponges so their "clouds"

Note: Fours and Fives don't need
to know the water cycle to under- stand how clouds and rain are re- lated. Some children may make

reached 100 % of the average

fill with "water vapor". Let them the connec on between evapora-

yearly total by the end of July! So if spray un l they think their cloud is on experiments and the cloud

it is wet, let's celebrate the rain. so full it will start raining. Ask chil- ac vity.

Enrich your Science center by cre-

a ng a weather poster. Print pic- tures of weather types form the internet. (Examples: Cloudy, rain-

Literature: Check out these
books about rain:

ing, sunny, snowy, slee ng, etc.)

Down Comes the Rain!

Label each type of weather.

By: Franklyn M. Branley

Teachers o en discuss weather in the morning. Begin coun ng and char ng the wet days over the next few weeks. Compare dry days to wet days; which days have you experienced the most? Consider adding a plas c rain gauge out- dren how they can tell if their

Harper Collins, 1997 Come On Rain! By: Karen Hesse Scholas c, 1999 Rain By: Peter Spier Doubleday, 1982

doors where children can see the sponges are full of water. When Art Center: Create a hanging rain

inches accumulated since the start they are ready, have them squeeze mobile with fishing line, colored

of school. How many inches have to produce a rainstorm. Compare paper and a s ck.

accumulated? Use unifix cubes (1 the sponges now to how they felt

inch square) to measure the inches full of water. Give children plenty

on the rain gauge. CD-MA3.4c and of me with the sponge clouds.

CD-SC1.4b

Use colored water with white

sponges to show even more vividly

Water & Evapora on

how the clouds absorb water.

In a small group, explain to chil- Have the children describe how dren that even when it's not rain- wet the sponge feels and place the ing, there's water in the air. We damp sponges onto a tray. Leave can't see it, but it's called water the tray out overnight in the Sci- vapor. When clouds get so full of ence Center. The next day ask the water vapor that they can't hold it same group to examine the spong- all, it falls to the ground as rain. es again. Ask the group ques ons Gather children around the water like, "How does the sponge feel table or a dishpan. Give each child now? How is the sponge different a sponge and explain that sponges now than it was yesterday? What are like clouds. Spray the sponges happened to the water in the

Pre-K Teaching Times

Page 6

Teacher to

Ques on of the month and they are familiar with true
S reading and wri ng processes. hare specific ideas which allow you to model the reading and Alona Shenberger ~ Houston

wri ng processes during your

County BOE

"Large Group Literacy" block.

I incorporate books to kick off

I u lize big books and my pointer discussion. Next week I'm going to

as I read to demonstrate le to bring an egg to large group,

model the wri ng process. We write chart stories with the beginning of the sentence already there and we finish it as we discuss the topic. We point out the "capital" or "big" le er at the beginning of the sentence and discuss the punctua on used.

right pa erns. We chart discussions such as "How do you feel today? "Some mes I model

announcing that we will read about Martha Mathie ~ Brantley

an egg named Humpty Dumpty with a problem. Monday we will

County BoE

the wri ng and some mes

discuss eggs, char ng facts that we

students are able to contribute with a happy or sad face on the chart paper. We read a lot of

know. Tuesday we will retell the story together with a flannel board story. A er the story we will do an

A er reading a story I ask children to give some feedback on the book by asking a specific ques on. I

books with repe ve and/or rhyming text such as "Pout Pout

experiment with speed and mo on and also predict what will happen

model wri ng by wri ng the children's responses on chart

Fish" and the Llama Llama books to each egg in each situa on.

which children help me read. I have Children can help brainstorm ways

a puppet (a parrot) who

to put Humpty Dumpty together

paper. The chart is then placed on a table during center me and children are encouraged to draw

introduces new vocabulary words again and we will chart the (words are on cardstock cards). responses. We will also read the

illustra ons about the story and I model wri ng again by wri ng

Jen Calhoun ~ Houston County

story and write rhyming words that we hear on chart paper.

dicta

on of their illustra

ons.

BoE

Tammie Peek ~ Wayne

Gloria Jackson

I like to model the processes

County BoE

incorrect such as bo om to top, back to front, upside down, right to le with words. I will say the

d s children in some fun ac vi es. She is joined by Lead

author draws the pictures, etc. Students laugh and then become the teacher showing me the correct process. This happens

The use of big books models clearly how to track the words as we are reading. I use flannel board stories and puppets to support children in

Teachers Kimberly Danahoe and Candice Dubose, and Assistant Teachers, Nicole Aylen and Pavana Ole .

several months into the school

retelling stories to their friends.

year a er I have modeled correctly The Morning Message allows me to

Pre-K Teaching Times

Page 7

Tackling Transi ons,
cont...
For Example:
Bathroom Transi ons: Try minimizing bathroom transi ons by having one teacher read a story or lead another ac vity while the other teacher monitors restroom duty. If you are in a program that does not have a bathroom in your classroom, try breaking the class into two or three groups so children don't have to wait for 21 of their friends to po y.
Lining Up: Instead of dismissing children one by one to line up, dismiss a few at a me. You can accomplish this in a variety of ways. Consider dismissing all of the children that sit in

while the other teacher begins placing rest mats down. You may also choose to have a few children as helpers. Save the mats that are placed on the carpet for last as this will be disrup ve to those children listening to the story. Once the mats are placed, children can be dismissed so they can begin placing their sheets or blanket on their mats.
WSO Update, cont...
Archive any student that has disenrolled from your class.
This should be done as soon as you have entered all documenta on you have collected for the child. You do not need to contact Pre-K Assessment

note for mul ple children unless they have independently chosen to work together on an ac vity and are engaged in the same conversa on. A matrix is designed to record skills that can be documented only be observing and should not require much edi ng. If you wish to document the level of performance such as completes ac vity independently or completes ac vi es with assistance, it is suggested that the evidence be entered as two different matrices. (If a child cannot do the ac vity at all, it is suggested that an observa onal note be entered that describes what the child was doing. For example, "When asked to sort the bears, John con nued to place them all in one bowl.")

the purple row first, then the green before archiving a student.

row, etc. Or, you could dismiss all of

What's Going On?

the children whose first name starts

Remember to check out the

with the "J" sound. The possibili es

Assessment Informa on on the Pre-K

are endless and not only are you minimizing their wait me, you are incorpora ng learning ac vi es within. Remember to provide those rule reminders for the hallway as well. Children need to be reminded that they should have walking feet and that

Collec ng Evidence Please remember that observa onal notes are meant to document the skill/ behavior of an individual child and will o en include the child's language. It is not appropriate to enter the same

website (decal.ga.gov/PreK/ PreKChildAssessmentProgram) for valuable informa on. You will find new matrices that have been developed to match the revised Work sampling indicators as well as any updates or emails you may have missed.

their hands should be on their own

body and not their friends.

Nap Time: Again, try having one teacher engage in a reading ac vity with children
Pre-K Teaching Times

Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning is responsible for mee ng the child care and early educa on needs of Georgia's children and their families.
Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning 2 Mar n Luther King Jr. Drive SE, 754 East Tower Atlanta, Georgia 30334 www.decal.ga.gov 404-656-5957 1-888-442-7735

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