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

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

SPOTLIGHT ON:
Early Intervention
English Language Learners
Dramatic Play

VOLUME 5 ISSUE 5

DECEMBER 2008

Discovering Our Differences

Every day you, as Pre-K teachers, give great gifts to the children in your classrooms. You offer children acceptance, encouragement, and support. You learn their likes and dislikes and then challenge them to learn and experience new ideas and activities. Every new concept you introduce to the classroom activities, books, puzzles, games, art materials, science materials (the list is endless) provides an opportunity for children to see and explore new ideas. Along with these fresh eyes and new experiences, Pre-K children come into the classroom with many questions they want you to answer. Sometimes their questions focus on the differences between them and their classmates. Often their Pre-K classroom is the first place children see and interact with people who look different, people who learn differently, people from different countries, people who move differently, and people who speak different languages. This month we're examining how teachers and Pre-K classrooms can help children discover and explore these differences. The possibilities are endless--just like our differences!

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Assessment 3

Science

3

Classroom 5 Changes

Ask Pat

6

While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about. ~Angela Schwindt

Family Involvement

As the winter holidays approach, many of our families are getting ready for special celebrations. With so many different celebrations, things can seem complicated. Remember, you have some built-in experts in your classroom -- your children and their families. Inviting families to share different events that they celebrate (birthdays, holidays, and family dinners) is a wonderful way to involve family members and enrich your classroom. Suggest

that families discuss their celebrations with their children. Then, invite children to bring items to school that represent these celebrations. Let children share with the class about the items they brought to school. Be prepared to answer questions from the children; be sure to ask the families to share information with you as well. Children can also bring photographs or draw pictures of their family celebrations.

Discuss the differences between the events families celebrate and the ways they celebrate them. Below are other ideas for including family celebrations in the classroom:
Create a class book about Our Celebrations.
Invite parents to bring in food that is important to their family's or culture's celebrations.
Ask parents to share music or dance from their culture.

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Early Intervention -- Doing What Is Best for Our Children

Being prepared with
information to share with families is important.

Children enroll in Georgia's Pre-K at different developmental levels. We have children who turn four just before school starts and some who turn five not long after the school year begins. Pre-K teachers provide wonderful learning environments for all children and are encouraged to help children progress across all domains of development.
We know, though, that no matter how well we plan, implement, interact, and engage with students, there are still children about whom we will have concerns. Many of these concerns are related to behavior problems that have intensified and become more consistent during the year, and others are related to a child's overall development. Teachers should be aware of typical four- and five-year-old development to be able to accurately assess if a child is developing as expected.
Having a family conference is an effective way to discuss concerns that a teacher, program or school has about a child's development and can provide an opportunity to create a plan as a team. Being prepared with information to share with families at this time is important. This could include information from your local preschool special educa-

tion department (serving children ages three to five) or a discussion about referring the child to his/her pediatrician. Bright from the Start has family conference planning forms available on our website for teachers and programs to use.
School systems in Georgia provide educational services for students who meet the eligibility criteria established by the Georgia Department of Education for the following areas of exceptionality: autism, emotional and behavioral disorders, hearing impairments, intellectual disabilities, other health impairments, orthopedic impairments, significantly developmentally delayed, specific learning disabilities, speech and language impairments, traumatic brain injuries, and visual impairments. A free, appropriate public education is the right of every child with a special need, ages three to 21.
Typically with preschool special education, an observation occurs as part of the initial screening process. This observation must be initiated by the family/parent of the child. The child's family/parents must complete special forms and return them to the school system before an observation can be conducted. After the observation, the school system determines if a

further evaluation is needed to determine eligibility for services.
A family also has the option of seeking help privately for their child. This may include a visit to their pediatrician to determine if there is a need for a referral to another agency. Many students are seen by developmental pediatricians, child psychologists or child psychiatrists to address problems the child is having. It is a good idea to maintain copies of documentation you have on a child to give to families to take with them to their child's appointment. Your documentation is helpful because many times a child acts/behaves differently in a school setting than in a oneon-one environment. The information collected and shared by the teacher is valuable in identifying problematic areas.
The goal for everyone involved should be to educate the families on the importance of early intervention to address issues the child is having. Substantial evidence and research support that early intervention services increase the developmental and educational gains for the child. Additionally, children with early interventions need less services later in life, have less instances of failing a grade, and offer more long-term benefits for society.

PRE-K TEACHING TIMES

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Assessment Corner--Progress Reports

It's progress report time -- time to share with families how much their children have grown during the first part of the school year. Even though you share information with families on an ongoing basis, progress reports provide the opportunity for you and the children's families to look back and really appreciate how much the children have changed. Completing progress reports begins with the developmental checklist. First, you tally each child's scores. Combine the number of In Process (IP) and Proficient (P) scores. Then tally the number of Not Yet (N) scores. If the total of IP and P score is more than half of the N score, the child receives a check in the As Expected box for that particular domain. After you've completed the scor-

ing process, begin writing narrative comments for each domain on the child's progress report. When writing your comments, remember the glow and grow comments from assessment training. You're sharing information to help families understand what their children have accomplished and what skills their children are continuing to develop. Check your spelling and grammar before sharing forms with parents. It is a good idea to have your director read a few of your progress reports before you have conferences. Notify parents about the conferences in advance and set up a schedule that accommodates differing work schedules. It is important that families participate in face-to-face conferences whenever possible. Face-to-face conferences allow you to share port-

folio artifacts with parents. Showing, not telling is the best way to help families understand what their children have learned.
Other details to remember: Complete the top of every child's progress report (days absent, tardy, EED, etc.). Ask parents to sign the bottom of the progress report. Give families the top copy of the progress report. If you type your progress reports, make a copy for you and for the parents.
Congratulations! You've finished the Fall portion of Georgia's Pre-K Child Assessment. Take a deep breath; enjoy the winter holiday break; and get ready...it all begins again in January!

Science and Discovering Our Differences

Young children are very curious about the world around them; this includes recognizing similarities and differences observed in each other. When teachers encourage and support children in observing and recording what they see, hear, touch, taste, and smell, they support the basic steps in the scientific method. The following simple activities encourage children to use basic science materials for exploration and discovery. Magnifying glasses: Provide

each child a personal fingerprint book in which they can collect fingerprints of friends. Encourage
children to write the name of the

friend that corresponds with the fingerprint. Demonstrate for children the process of making fingerprints on paper using stamp pads. Model using magnifying glasses to observe fingerprints on paper. Perhaps provide animal footprint stamps for children to add to their fingerprint books. Encourage children to examine their hands, arms, feet, etc. under the magnifying glass. Ask them about what they see. Discuss what they observe freckles, skin cells, hair follicles, etc.
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Science and Discovering Our Differences

(Continued from page 3)
Rulers: Photocopy a ruler on legal paper. (Make multiple copies and place in the science area.) Encourage children to make their fingerprints along the ruler length and count how many fingerprints it takes to complete the 12-inch length from beginning to end of the ruler. Colors: Provide pairs of different paint samples representing various skin tones. Allow children to practice matching like colors. Provide People Colors Crayons, People Colors Paints (in small jars), and People Colors Craft Paper cut into child shapes. Instruct the children to use these materials to make likenesses of themselves or others. Provide small jars of finger paint (brown/white) and paper to experiment mixing paints to create people colors. Explore creating secondary

colors. Paint a child's hand and make a hand print with his color of choice (red, yellow, blue) on the left side of the paper. Make a second hand print with his second color of choice on the right side of the paper. Add more of the same colors to each hand and have the child rub his hands together to create a third color. Then have him make a third hand print in the middle of paper. You can even make a class graph of children's favorite colors. Demonstrate to children how to use a flashlight with color paddles to make primary and secondary colors. Create discovery bottles using water and food coloring representing different colors. Mirrors: Use a full-length mirror or small hand held mirrors as you encourage children to talk about themselves, how they look, color of their eyes, hair, etc. Share how a mirror

reflects images. Place large pictures of facial expressions such as crying, laughing, surprised, mad, etc. in the area. Encourage children to demonstrate various expressions using the mirrors to see their own faces. Fold a piece of cardboard like a book and glue a mirror to each side. Stand the book on its edge with mirrors facing each other. Using the book-mirror, children can experiment with reflection of light using flashlights, battery powered candles, etc. and images of small toys. Animals: Create a book showing different types of animal skins for children to explore. Beautiful, close-up photos can be found at: http:// photography.nationalgeographic.com/ photography/photos/patternsanimals/wet-cheetah-furphotography.html

"We worry about what a
child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today." Stacia Tauscher

I am different from my head to my toes (point to self, then to head and toes) I am different from my eyes to my nose (point to self, then eyes and nose)
I come from a place that is far and wide (point to self, then spread arms wide open) I am very different as you can see (point to self, then at a friend)
I am different, and I am me! (point to self place, hand over the heart, then hug yourself)
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Discovering Our Differences -- Changes for Your Classroom

Reading Area: ABC for You and Me by Meg Girnis A Button in Her Ear by Ada Bassett All Kinds of People by Emma Damon All the Colors of the Earth by Sheila Hamanaka Babushka's Mother Goose by Patricia Polacco Bein' With You This Way/LA Alegria De Ser Tu Y Yo by W. Nikola-Lisa Big Brother Dustin by Laden R. Carte Black, White, Just Right by Marquerite W. Davol Bread, Bread, Bread by Ann Morris Big Sister, Little Sister by Marci Curtis Celebrations by Samantha Berger Dad and Me in the Morning by Patricia Lakin Different Just Like Me by Lori Mitchell Houses and Homes by Ann Morris Families by Ann Morris Festivals by Samantha Berger Howie Helps Himself by Joan Fassler I'm Growing by Aliki Me I Am by Jack Prelutsky On the Go by Ann Morris Just Like Home / Como En Mi Tierra by Elizabeth I. Miller Liliana's Grandmothers by Leyla Torres Why Am I Different? by Norma Simon Whoever You Are by Mem Fox Add a photo album with pictures of the children and their families. Help children understand differences in ability by including a book in Braille. Writing Area: Add book making materials (variety of paper and writing implements, photographs of children in the class, magazines, scissors, glue, hole punches, yarn, ribbon, etc.) for

children to make All About Me books. Place the books in the reading area.

On word strips, write words in different languages. Remember to include the English translation. The following are colors in Spanish to help get you started:

azul caf negro amarillo rojo morado blanco gris rosado anaranjado verde dorado

blue brown black yellow red purple white gray pink orange green gold

Block Area:
Create family and friends block props by securing pictures of the children and their family members on towel paper rolls.
Dramatic Play Area:
Add props for a portrait studio (disposable cameras, teacher made backdrops, special outfits for portrait sitting, appointment book, writing implements, etc.). Allow children to take photographs of their friends. Display the pictures throughout the classroom. Talk about similarities and differences as children show an interest in the display.
Include wigs in various lengths, colors, and textures.
Help children understand differences in ability by including eye glasses (remove lenses) in this area.
Math/Manipulatives:
Make memory cards using pictures of the children. Remember: you will need two identical pictures of each child so children can play a memory game. As

children play the game, ask them to talk about similarities and differences when they turn over cards that do not match. Include a bathroom scale for children to compare their weight. Place number/word cards in different languages next to counting materials. Remember to include the number with the word. Teach the children how to count 1-10 in another language. Here are three languages to get you started:
French Spanish Japanese
1 un 1 uno 1 Ichi 2 deux 2 dos 2 ni 3 trois 3 tres 3 san 4 quatre 4 cuatro 4 yon 5 cinq 5 cinco 5 go 6 six 6 seis 6 roku 7 sept 7 siete 7 nana 8 huit 8 ocho 8 hachi 9 neuf 9 nueve 9 kyuu 10 dix 10 diez 10 juu
Science Area: Add stamp pads and blank cards for children to make fingerprints. Place magnifying glasses next to the materials for children to observe and compare their prints with others. Point out that everyone has patterns on the skin of their fingers and that each person's fingerprints are different from everyone else's.
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PAGE 6
Ask Pat

In assessing Pre-K students, your goal
is to achieve a balance in variety
and type of documentation.

Dear Pat: With the holidays fast approaching and increased cultural diversity in my classroom, I wonder if I should change how I approach the holiday season. I was recently told that activities in the classroom relating to the holidays are considered religious instruction. Is this true? -Mr. Frosty
Dear Mr. Frosty,
Our classrooms are more culturally diverse each year. This diversity allows us to rethink or modify how we introduce the holidays to our children.

Holidays provide a way to look at the differences in cultures in a positive and meaningful way. We have to recognize the fact the there are religious aspects to many celebrations and to ensure that we do not portray them in our classrooms. Holidays and traditions are a part of any child's life whether we include them in our program or not. Knowing this, we can use holidays as an opportunity to expose and expand our children's awareness of their own cultures and traditions as well as others.
Things to remember or consider when addressing holidays:

The "holidays" are not only about the month of December. Programs should be culturally diverse all year long. This time of year should not be the only time you talk about different cultures and holidays.
Not everyone from the same ethnic group will celebrate the same way.
Remember the importance of your regular routines and schedules.
Holidays are more than just food and parties.
Look for ways to include family members.

Dramatic Play

Dramatic play is a required area in the Pre-K classroom for a number of reasons. Many people view this as an area that offers just play but research shows oth-

erwise. Dr. Deborah J. Leong and Dr. Elena Bodrova state that play is linked to growth in memory, self-regulation, oral language, and recognizing symbols as well as increased literacy skills and other areas of academic learning. Mrs. Ben Hatcher and Dr. Karen Betty recognize that keen observers can see the richness of preschool play and its special place in communication and language development. When dramatic play is set up purposefully, literacy skills such as writing, imitating writing behaviors, scribbling, copying words, and pretending to read are fostered.

Examples of dramatic play themes are a bookstore, restaurant, market, office, hospital, and classroom. It has been noted that children use literacy materials and talk much more and with greater variety when the housekeeping area props represent varied places. (Christie 1991) Given this information, it is safe to say that children are short changed when dramatic play isn't utilized.
Dramatic Play and Discovering Our Differences Set up different types of restaurants. Be sure to include clothing, food containers, trays, plates,
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PRE-K TEACHING TIMES

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English-Language Learners and School Readiness

The number of young children whose home language is not English has been steadily increasing in the U.S. These children are often at higher risk for reading difficulties and low academic achievement. Their unique challenges to school readiness have become a concern to researchers. According to Linda Espinosa's article EnglishLanguage Learners as They Enter School (Pianta et al., eds., 2007, School Readiness & the Transition to Kindergarten in the Era of Accountability, 175-195), well-designed programs can reduce the achievement gap for children from diverse backgrounds. For intervention programs to significantly reduce this gap for English-language learners (ELLs), they should focus not only on academics but also on socialemotional development and be culturally responsive.
Many children become bilingual by learning a second language as they learn their home language before age three. After age three, however, children learn a second language along a different developmental pathway. Knowledge of these developmental stages can aid an early childhood program's efforts. For example, switching back and forth between languages is a natural part of learning a second language and should not cause concern for teachers or parents.

Researchers conclude that there are no negative effects of bilingualism on the linguistic, cognitive or social development of children. There are even some educational benefits for young bilingual children.
A child's home language and cultural practices are very fragile when they are not highly valued or mainstream. Learning English too early without systematic support for the home language can be detrimental socially and academically. Espinosa notes, Children who experience cultural discontinuity between the home and school are more likely to have a negative perception of self as learner, reader, writer, and speaker (183). On the other hand, well-developed skills in the child's home language are associated with high levels of longterm academic achievement (188). Programs should actively promote the maintenance of the child's home language through family and community resources.
Based on current research findings, Espinosa makes the following recommendations for classroom practices (191):
1. Get to know the culture of the child and family.
2. Build on the language capacities of the children.

3. Extend the language abilities of school personnel. 4. Engage the parents of ELL children and incorporate their talents, skills, and interests into the curriculum. 5. Enlist the resources of the community. 6. Celebrate the unique contributions of children's cultures.
Espinosa concludes that it is crucial
for early childhood staff to receive training in the process of secondlanguage acquisition and in instructional strategies that better prepare English-language learners to succeed in Kindergarten and beyond.

Discovering Our Differences - Changes for Your Classroom

(Continued from page 5)
Help children understand differences in ability by including a feely bag with various items for them to see with their hands.

Art Area:
Add hand held mirrors along with various multicultural art supplies such as crayons, paints, markers, colored pencils, and paper in different skin

tones. Encourage children to make a self-portrait while looking in the mirror. They can also make portraits of each other.
Add magazines with pictures of peo-

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Dramatic Play

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environmental print, notepads, writing utensils, cooking utensils, cash register, and any other items that will help the children fully experience the new theme. If you ask, many restaurants (Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Mexican, etc.) in your community will donate materials to make dramatic play areas more authentic.

Resources: Christie, J.F. (Ed.) (1991) Play and early literacy development. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Hatcher, B. (Ph.D.) and Petty, K. (Ph.D.) Seeing is believing: Visible thought in dramatic play. Community Playthings. Retrieved November 2, 2008 from http:// www.communityplaythings.com

10 Park Place South, Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30303 404-656-5957
www.decal.state.ga.us
PRE-K TEACHING TIMES