Pre-K teaching times, Vol. 5, Issue 1(Aug. 2008)

BRIGHT FROM THE START GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF
Pre-K Teaching Times EARLY CARE AND

IN THIS ISSUE:
Starting the year with a GREAT daily schedule

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

NEWSLETTER DATE

Literacy in the Pre-K Classroom

Essential classroom management strategies for setting your students up for success
Transitions in the classroom: a look at the research behind planning activities

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Science

2

Activities

Family

2

Assessment 4

Classroom

5

Fingerplays 6

Important literacy skills develop through programs that supply the experiences to build this basic knowledge. Successful early literacy instruction requires that teachers use instructional strategies specifically designed for young children. Developmentally Appropriate Practices meet both age-specific and individual needs of your children by providing materials, activities and settings that are best suited for their level of development(Bredekamp,1987) Developing oral language skills through having conversations, asking "wh" (who, what when where why) questions and facilitating use of language in the classroom are vital in the development of early literacy skills. During the first weeks of school, introduce simple, short rhymes, poems and songs. Repeat the rhymes, songs and poems regularly. Use the
rhymes, songs poems to transition students from one activity to another and in small group instruction. Students will acquire phonological awareness

skills at varying levels. Utilizing small group instruction will help meet students' individual needs. Begin the year with simple listening activities and expose students to fun nursery rhymes, books, songs and fingerplays with rhyme.
Sample Listening Activities: Begin with musical instruments, environmental sounds, and animal noises, and move to spoken words and sounds
Did you hear that? Hide 3 to 4 instruments behind a barrier. Make a sound with each instrument without the children seeing it. Let the children guess which instrument they heard.
Classroom Bingo: Make a Bingo grid with student pictures. As the teacher says the children's name, the children identify the picture that matches.
Patty Cake: Children also need to develop skills to reproduce visual, auditory and motor patterns. This can be accomplished by playing traditional hand clapping games, such as "Patty Cake" and "Miss Mary Mack.
Book Handling Skills: Getting Students interested in books: Select high interest

books that will appeal to both boys and girls. Select books that are short and do not require a long attention span. Observe book handling skills and provide through demonstration, as this may be a child's first experience with free choice of books.
Writing: Provide a variety of writing tools, materials and surfaces for children to explore. Provide finger paint, shaving cream, sidewalk chalk, fat paint brushes and large easel paper. Provide access to fat and thin crayons, pencils and markers, stamps and stencils in the writing area. Provide access to materials that will encourage development of fine motor skills (playdough, clay, clothes pins, tweezers with items to use with tweezers, lacing cards, stamp pads, containers with lids that screw on and off, hole punch.
Look for additional fingerplays and rhymes on page 6.

PAGE 2
Start with Science!

"...by designing a special area for science
investigations you create an inviting
space that will capture the attention of children..."

Children are natural scientist, born with a sense of wonder and passion to find out about their world. Teachers play a critical role in helping children experience that sense of wonder and discovery by approaching science with enthusiasm. Science contributes to the development of the whole child-socially, emotionally, physically, cognitively, and creatively. Although science naturally happens in all areas of a classroom, by designing a special area for science investigations you create an inviting space that will capture the attention of children and encourage interaction and discovery through exploration. How should the area be designed? Begin with low storage that separates science from other parts of the room, neatly organized materials with picture labels, and a work space large enough to accommodate several children. Create visual display space for posting examples of children's work, posters, and pictures related to

science activities. An important part of science is sharing findings with others. By providing various writing materials you support this effort. The area should be safe, comfortable, inviting, and promote self-directed learning. The
natural environment is a logical place to start in preparing the area for discovery. Pets and plants will bring focus to the area. Begin the year by introducing a class pet and how the children will care for the pet. Use literature such as Jack and the Beanstalk and plant beans to jump start lessons on caring for plants. How

do I begin science instruction? It is very important to set rules about using the science materials and space. Demonstrate the purpose and use of the various materials. Encourage children to talk about what they are doing. Ask questions that guide children toward developing the skills of observing, classifying, predicting, and experimenting. It is important for your science area to grow with children's interest; allow the interest to direct the growth. Closely observe children and support their interests. Continually adding and revising materials based on your observation of children's interest will guarantee an active interest in science and discovery. Plan for a balance of both open-ended and teacherdirected science experiments. You don't have to know the answers; make discoveries with the children. Experiment together; help children become good observers. Listen to the children's ideas and opinions. Help them grow up loving science!

Building Positive Relationships with Families

Building positive relationships with families contributes to a successful school year. It may be difficult to get some families involved in their child's education; however, their involvement is an essential component to their child's success in school.

Communication with parents regularly through a newsletter Mail newsletters to noncustodial parents Make positive contacts with parents Plan activities at different times of the day Make exceptions clear

PRE-K TEACHING TIMES

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

PAGE 3

Summer is Over-Ready or Not, Here They Come!

Effective classroom environments begin with a well-organized and engaging classroom that includes developmentally appropriate practices, activities, and materials. For instance, if the children in a classroom are engaged with interesting activities and materials that are appropriate for their developmental levels, they will be less likely to engage in challenging behaviors. On the other hand, if the activities and materials are too difficult or too easy, challenging behavior is more likely to occur. Designing effective classroom environments includes structuring the physical arrangement of the classroom to increase appropriate behaviors, such as engagement, and decrease the probability of challenging behaviors. Several strategies

for structuring the physical classroom include: arranging the classroom to ensure visual monitoring of children, arranging centers to
support children's appropriate behaviors and facilitating smooth transitions among activities (e.g., organizing the location of materials on shelves), and arranging materials in the classroom to promote engagement, mastery, and

independence. Increasing the accessibility, appropriateness, and availability of toys and materials can facilitate children's independence, thus, decreasing the likelihood of challenging behaviors. In addition, attending to details, such as the lighting, temperature, and noise levels, can reduce the probability of children who engage in problem behaviors due to sensitivity to these environmental factors (e.g., children with autism).
A critical component of the environment that decreases the likelihood of challenging behaviors is providing rules. Rules let children know what is expected of them and help to provide boundaries and structure for everyone in the room. When implementing rules, consider the following guidelines.

"Rules let children know what is expected of them and help to provide boundaries and structure for everyone in the room."

The children in the classroom should help develop the rules. Be sure that children understand what rules are and the rationale behind them.
Rules should be stated positively, saying what you would like them to do instead of what you don't want them to do. (Use your walking feet instead of no running)
Rules should be kept to a minimum for preschool aged children. It is recommended that a PreK classroom have between 3-5 rules.
Post the rules in the classroom in your large group area and review them on a daily basis. You can use visual cues with your rules to help reinforce them for the non-readers. When a child is not following a rule, this is a wonderful opportunity to bring the child to the posted rules to review them.
The rules should vary during the year. As the needs of the children change, the rules of the classroom should change. What are issues in the classroom during the beginning of the year will be very different from the issues towards the middle to end of the year.

PAGE 4

Assessment : Get Started!

As you are preparing for the upcoming year you will need to set up your student's portfolios. Getting this accomplished during preplanning will allow you to start gathering documentation right away.
New teachers who have not received Georgia's Pre-K Child Assessment Training will begin the process of setting up portfolios and gathering documentation. Once you have attended training it will become clear on how to use the documentation gathered.
Returning teachers will be ready start the new year

with a clearer understanding of our assessment process.
Teachers be on the lookout for the developmental checklist and progress reports to be delivered to your sites in July. Place these items in their designated folder.
What will you need: basic supplies for Georgia's pre -K Child Assessment.
Two (2) tubs or bins that will accommodate legal sized hanging folders
21 hanging folders (legal size) 1 for teacher materials, One hanging folder for each child
160 folders labeled by domain (legal size is recom-

mended) 8 folders for each child. The folders are to be labeled as follows: (1) Checklist/Progress Report, (2) Personal/Social, (3) Language/ Literacy, (4) Mathematical Thinking, (5) Scientific Thinking, (6) Social Studies, (7) The Arts, (8) Physical/Health Development.
Items that will assist you in gathering documentation: digital camera, post-it notes, assorted labels, and ink to print photos.
Using some of your preplanning time to get your materials together and you'll be ready to hit the ground running.

Classroom Transitions

The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) states for some young children moving from one activity to another results in confusion, frustration, and challenging behaviors. Due to this, it is imperative for teachers to consider a number of factors when planning transitional activities. Teachers should consider how will the children be moved from one activity to another? Are too many transitions planned? Do I provide positive attention to the children following the transitions that go smoothly? An ideal schedule would include wellplanned, comfortable transi-

tions. Such transitions can make the difference between a day of tears and one filled with smiles and laughter.
In a dream world, wait time would be non-existent but in reality, knowing they exist, as educators it is our responsibility to keep them to a minimum. CSEFEL states during transition time, children often spend much time waiting to move to or begin the next activity in preschool classrooms. This is the time when children might be reprimanded multiple times for touching things on the wall, poking their peers, talking, or squirming during transitions between activities. A great example of moving forward

with a new activity would be having one adult finish the cleaning up process of center time while the other adult begins a story, sings a song or repeats a rhyme with the children who have completed the first task.
If transitions are planned appropriately children will move from one activity to the next with ease. These smooth transitions also lead to teaching the pre-k child to become a successful, independent productive member of the classroom.
Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning: Helping Children Make Transitions between Activities. http://www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel/

If transitions are planned
appropriately children will move from one activity
to the next with ease.

PRE-K TEACHING TIMES

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

PAGE 5

Classroom Daily Schedule: The Essentials

The daily schedule is an important part of any well run classroom. A schedule consists of blocks of time that establish a sequence of events on any given day. The intent of a daily schedule is to provide stability and security for the children in your classroom. It allows children to predict what will happen on a daily basis and therefore, feel more in control of their day. A daily schedule should be consistent, but also allow for flexibility based on the needs and interests of the children.
A current daily schedule should be posted inside your classroom that reflects the entire instructional day. This allows any adults in your classroom to be aware of what is currently happening, what will happen, and when it will happen. A schedule should also be posted for chil-

dren at their eye level. Time is an abstract concept for children and a visual schedule encourages active engagement and supports the development of making abstract
ideas more concrete. Your schedule should reflect both a group opening and a group closing. The group opening should be the first instructional activity and lets children know what will happen during the course of their day. The group closing is the last activity and gives children the chance to recall and reflect on the day. The

daily schedule should provide a balance of both child-initiated and adult-initiated activities. It is very important that children have the opportunity to initiate activities and follow their own interest. Children should be given no less than one hour of self selected center time daily. This allows them time to develop play themes and become fully involved in their play. A daily schedule should also reflect a rest time that does not exceed more than one hour. Children need time to rest their minds and bodies from the active, physical life of the classroom.
There are many different components that need to be considered when developing a daily schedule. A well thought out, planned schedule that addresses the needs of the children is essential to a smoothly run and enjoyable classroom.

A daily schedule allows children to predict what will happen on a daily basis and therefore, feel more in control of their day.

Classroom Kitchen: Crockpot Applesauce

This is a fun cooking activity to start in the morning--your classroom will smell wonderful and you'll have applesauce to enjoy with lunch.
Ingredients:
8 apples
1/2--1 Cup water
2-3 Tablespoons sugar
2-3 Teaspoons cinnamon

Method:
Peel, core, and slice the apples into small pieces. Throw them in a crockpot, add water, and let cook on low.
Once the apples are soft (about one hour), put them in blender along with a little sugar and cinnamon. Try to keep as much of the liquids from the crock pot as possible. Blend until you get the appropriate texture and

serve. Equipment: Crock Pot Blender

Back to School Fingerplays and Rhymes

If You're Wearing Red Today (Tune: Muffin Man) If you're wearing red today, Red today, red today, If you're wearing red today, Stand up and say "Hoo-ray!" Repeat for other colors
Two Little Feet Two little feet go stamp, stamp, stamp (stamp ) Two little hands go clap, clap, clap (clap) One little body stands up straight (stand straight ) One little body goes round and round (turn ) One little body sits quietly down. (Sit)
For Story Time Sometimes my hands are at my side
(hold hands at side ) The behind my back they hide
(put hands behind back ) Sometimes I wiggle my fingers so
(wiggle your fingers)

Shake them fast, shake them slow (shake fingers fast and slow )
Sometimes my hands go clap, clap, clap (clap hands )
Then I rest them in my lap Now they're quiet as can be.
(sit down and rest hands in lap )

Head and Shoulders Touch each body part with both hands and follow the action described. Head and shoulders, knees and toes. Knees and toes, knees and toes Head and shoulders, knees and toes Make your feet go stamp, stamp, stamp. Nose and elbows, feet and waist Feet and waist, feet and waist Nose and elbows, feet and waist Make your hands go clap, clap, clap.
Ready for School (Perform the actions that the words suggest. ) When I get ready to come to school, I jump right out of bed, I wash my face, brush my teeth, Pull my clothes over my head, I run down stairs, drink my milk, And eat my breakfast so slow, Then I wave good-bye as I walk down the street I'm so happy (smile) that I can go.

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