Pre-K teaching times, Vol. 7, Issue 9 (May 2011)

Pre-K Teaching Times

VOLUME 7, ISSUE 9

MAY 2011

In This Issue
Pre-K is Measuring Up in Small Groups
Phoneme Segmentation
Social Studies
Science
Algebra in Pre-K
CLASS
Assessment
Summer Reading Selections

Pre-K is Measuring Up in Small Groups
Children need concrete objects to make sense of new math concepts or abstract ideas. Only after children have had ample opportunities to learn a new concept with real objects are they ready to connect their learning to abstract symbols such as numbers and math symbols.
Teaching with math manipulatives helps children understand math concepts. Hands-on learning keeps the students' attention as they naturally want to play with and explore objects. When children touch and move real items when learning new skills, their senses are involved in the learning experience. Here are some measurement activities to do in small groups:
Fill several small containers with unifix cubes and count how many it takes to fill each container. Use different manipulatives, e.g., pom poms, rocks, buttons, etc. to fill. Record which containers hold the most, least, same of the different manipulatives. MD 5 e
Ask children to choose two items; put them in the balance scale buckets and then record the heaviest and lightest objects. Based on the groups` level, children can discuss what occurred, draw the items on a paper scale that is lower on one side, or write the words on a paper scale to record. MD 5 f
Have children measure the time it takes to complete a task, such as reciting the alphabet, singing a song, counting to 20, etc. Extend this activity by comparing the duration of two different time intervals. Have half the small group complete one task and the other half complete a different task to find out which task takes more or less time to complete. MD 5 c

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Pre-K is Measuring Up in Small Groups (cont.)
Provide rulers for children to use informally. Children can measure how many rulers long their legs are, the table is, a big book is, etc. rather than how many inches or centimeters.
Give every child a paper bag with five objects inside. Have cards with comparison words on them, e.g., bigger, smaller, longer, shorter, taller. Read one card aloud and ask each child to reach her hand into her bag and pull out one object. Discuss and decide which objects fit the comparison card. MD 5 b
Trace each child`s shoe onto paper and cut out. Discuss similarities and differences. Who has the biggest shoe, the smallest, or the same size? Ask children to place the shoe patterns in order from largest to smallest and from smallest to largest. Find something in the room that is longer than, shorter than, or the same size as the shoe patterns. MD 5 g
Read Drip, Drop by Sarah Weeks about a mouse that keeps getting leaks in his roof during a rainstorm and chooses to catch the water with different kitchen containers. After reading the story, pretend that it has rained in the classroom and let children measure how many cups and tablespoons different containers can hold using the rain that fell. Give each child different containers and water to measure the volume. MD 5 e
Read It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw. Ask students to make their own pictures using a piece of yarn and cotton balls. Give each child yarn pieces to glue in a circle on paper. Have each predict how many cotton balls they will need to fill their cloud. Find out and then glue them down to make clouds.
Discuss activities children do during the morning (e.g., wake up, eat breakfast, and brush teeth); afternoon (e.g., eat lunch, play outside, and go home from school); and night (e.g., eat supper, take a bath). Pick an activity and illustrate. Make children`s pictures into an All Through the Day book. MD 5 a
Scaffolding instruction occurs when teachers challenge children to advance to the next level of thinking and reasoning. The Math Continuum is found at http:// decal.ga.gov/documents/attachments/Math_Continuum.pdf. The Math Continuum explains what develops when in children`s math development. You will also find out how to extend children`s learning for all math Pre-K content standards.
Happy measuring!

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/d/ /o/ /g/

Phoneme Segmentation: Asking a Student to Separate
a Word into its Speech Sounds (Phonemes)
A child`s awareness of sounds in words greatly influences later reading achievement. In fact the most powerful predictor of reading and spelling skills in the first years of school is the level of phonological awareness a child has, especially phonemic segmentation.
Examples: Phoneme segmentation: What sounds do you hear in the word bat? Phoneme counting: How many sounds do you hear in the word bake? Odd word out: What word starts with a different sound: bat, bike, cat, boy?
Word Segmentation: Start with, I`m going to say a word. Each word is made up of sounds. Let`s count the number of sounds in the word dog, /d/, /o/, /g/. Use your fingers to count.
Specific Rhyming Analysis: Use colored squares to analyze the sound patterns in rhyming words. Place three or four pictures of words that rhyme in a row vertically. Sound out the first word using colored squares or blocks placed horizontally next to the picture. (e.g., c-a-t might be represented with a red square for /k/; a blue square for /a/; and a yellow square for /t/. Each sound is represented by a different color because /k/, /a/, and /t/ are different sounds.) Next, sound out the next picture (e.g., bat). The first color will be different from any used previously because it is a new sound, but the / a/ and /t/ will be the same colors as the /a/ and /t/ in cat. Proceed through all the words in the same way. Help the students discover the pattern where the last two colors are alike in all of the words and help them realize that like colors represent like sounds, indicating that the ending sounds in the rhyming words are the same.

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Social Studies
Preceding issues have focused on activities related to Social Studies. Below are more activities that support the Social Studies indicators in the Work Sampling System.
Classroom Experiences
Include in play areas toys related to methods of transportation. Add trucks, cars, buses, trains, airplanes, and helicopters to the block area and boats and barges to the water table. Help children focus on the concept of the necessity of transporting goods and people.
Encourage parents and children to take walks in their neighborhood and identify structures (houses, businesses, churches, etc.)
Help children observe changes in their immediate environments, such as changes in the room, on the playground, or in the school building.
Encourage children to build structures with blocks that represent structures in their community and neighborhood, e.g., a fire station, gas station, harbor, airport, etc.
Allow children to work together to move toys or materials that need to be moved or to clean up the materials and play area.
Keep a scrapbook with records of important events in the children's experiences. Review it with the children to teach them about keeping records of events and how these records help us recall events accurately.
Learn about the world of work by visiting workplaces in the neighborhood and making models of the neighborhood. Ask school or community workers to be guest speakers in the classroom.
Discuss with children about categorizing objects and goods as "wants" or "needs." This discussion can help children develop the concept that people are paid for their work and that the money they earn is used to buy goods.
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Social Studies (continued)
Allow children to invite their families to talk about cultural customs or holiday celebrations, food, clothing, or other cultural experiences with the class.
Using picture cards (safety, holidays, or careers) have students select cards depicting firefighters, policeman, bakers, teachers, etc. Ask the children to identify the career, what they do, and why the career is important?
A creative and fun activity to help develop spatial thinking, also known as geographical thinking, involves basic mapping skills. Have the children draw or paint their physical surroundings such as their classroom, playground, or neighborhood. As they reproduce their world on paper using paint or crayons, discuss map directions and how things are represented on their papers. Explain how their drawings stand for actual things and how they relate to one another in their actual surroundings.
Read the book Rosie's Walk, then discuss the things they see on their way to school.
Learning about people from other countries and how they live is an important aspect of social studies. Explore the music, food, dress, and art of a different culture. Have them sample the food and dance to the music. Read a story about a child from that culture and discuss cultural differences with the children.

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Science Ideas in the Classroom
Literature:
Boat Book by Gail Gibbons Boats, Boats, Boats by Jo Cleland
Content Standards:
SD 3b: Describes objects by their physical properties SD 3c: Explores simple machines SD 3d: Investigates different types/speeds of motion SD 4a: Investigates, compares, and contrasts seasonal changes in the immediate environment
Activities:
Get Packing: (All Levels -- Recommended for small group activity). Materials: Two suitcases, clothing props appropriate for winter/summer. Explain to children you are planning for a vacation. Discuss a summer and a winter trip. Ask the children to pack for each trip. Allow them to explore the clothing and determine how to pack each bag. Why are the clothes in each bag appropriate for a summer or winter trip? What is different about the types of clothes you need?
Boat Designs: (Higher Level Activity). Day 1: Collect materials, i.e., pictures of ships and boats, styrofoam meat trays donated by a local grocery, aluminum foil, plastic straws, tape, paper/tissue tubes, markers, crayons, packing peanuts, toothpicks. Ask the children how they might design a boat. What will it need? This allows children to describe the properties of the materials, and how they might work. Let children explore and use the materials to build a boat. Allow children to decorate their boat with markers, toothpicks, etc. and take a picture of each child`s design. Explain to children that the next day they will test to see if their boat floats. Day 2: Fill a large plastic tub with water. Allow children to set their boats in the tub. Discuss what happens, and challenge children further by asking if they think their boat will stay afloat if they add weight with a marble or a penny/pennies. Why or why not?
Waterworks: (All levels). At the water table, provide funnels, cups, and an assortment of plastic bottles into which holes have been made (some with holes in the bottom, some with holes on the sides, and some with both). Allow time for pouring and observing. Provide a timer to determine which bottles empty the fastest. Ask the children to make predictions, then test to find out!
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Fun with Algebra in Pre-K!
We know from current research that early learning in mathematics involves much more than simply recognizing numerals or rote counting. A quality early childhood mathematics program includes investigations into patterns, size, quantity, and spatial relations -- all important building blocks for later concepts in algebra, measurement, and geometry.
While we don`t often think of four year olds and algebra, we begin our first algebra instruction when we help children recognize patterns and relations, including describing, copying, and independently creating patterns such as ABABAB, ABCABCABC, and AABBAABB. We are also building algebra concepts when we help children recognize and describe sequential patterns like the lifecycle of a butterfly or the change of seasons.
Since patterning is a foundational math skill for children, it is important to provide them with patterning practice throughout the entire Pre-K school year. They should experience a variety of activities to help them recognize, describe, create, and extend patterns. You can pattern with sound/rhythm, movement, concrete objects, color, shape, and size. Remember that children learn and develop in many different ways so don`t be discouraged if it takes a year for your little ones to achieve mastery of patterning.
Patterning Ideas Ice Cube Tray Patterns Materials: ice cube trays, one per child, colored pom-poms or other small items such as unifix cubes Give students a variety of colored items and show them how to pattern in the ice cube tray.
Stamp Patterns Materials: inexpensive stamps and ink pads Use the stamps to make patterns on paper. Provide children with a grid the first time they use the stamps to make it easier for them to line up their pattern.

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Fun with Algebra in Pre-K! (continued)
Movement Patterns When first learning movement patterns, lead children in clap, snap, pat, stomp, jump rhythms. For example, AB patterns would be clap, snap, clap, snap... or jump, pat, jump, pat... ABC patterns would be clap, pat, jump, clap, pat, jump... As children become more adept at creating movement patterns, allow them to create the patterns.
Sound Patterns Children can make sound patterns with musical instruments. Give half the class bells and half the class shakers (or some other instrument). Then direct the children to play: bells, shakers, bells, shakers... For ABC patterns, divide the class into thirds with each group playing an instrument in turn.
Rhythm Stick Patterns Hold a rhythm stick and put two colored blocks in front of you. Tap an ABABAB pattern three times, and say yellow, green, yellow, green, yellow, green. (Repeat a pattern at least three times.) Talk about the pattern, and model your thinking by explaining, I made a pattern. I tapped yellow, green, yellow, green, yellow, green over and over again. Show the pattern again. Continue demonstrating different patterns that can be made with rhythm sticks and blocks; then allow children to create their own patterns. Demonstrate creating other patterns based on loud/soft taps; big/little blocks; tapping the top/bottom of the block; etc. Let your children use their creativity and suggest other materials they might use to create tapping patterns.
Shape Caterpillars Place a construction paper circle on a blank piece of paper in front of you. Begin telling the children a story: Once upon a time, there was a happy caterpillar but he was very small. He only had one circle for his body. The caterpillar was hungry so he ate a rectangle and grew longer! Continue telling the story by adding another circle and rectangle, repeating this three times. Talk about the pattern by saying, the caterpillar ate a pattern, didn`t he? He ate a rectangle, then a circle, rectangle, circle, rectangle, circle until he was full. As the caterpillar ate, he got longer and longer. If working with a small group, provide a variety of shapes for children to create their own shape caterpillars. As the children work, discuss what they are doing. Get them to name the shapes they are using and have them tell you the pattern. Copy the patterns the children make. Start a different pattern and get them to extend it for you. Decide what type patterns and questions you need to ask based on the skill level of the children. After the children have had time to manipulate the shapes and make various patterns, have them glue their caterpillar onto another piece of paper and make a sentence describing their caterpillar.
For other ideas on patterning, refer to the Pre-K Content Standards and the WSS Preschool-4 Developmental Guidelines. The shape caterpillar and rhythm stick patterns were adapted from the book Small-Group Times to Scaffold Early Learning.
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CLASS

This month we are spotlighting the final CLASS dimension under the Instructional Support domain, Language Modeling.
Language Modeling assesses the degree to which the teacher intentionally encourages, responds to, and expands on children`s speech. Under this dimension teachers promote engagement through meaningful conversations with the students. The indicators included are Frequent Conversation, Open-ended Questions, Repetition and Expansion, Self and Parallel Talk, and Advanced Language. Children`s language expands when they are given opportunities to apply their current vocabulary and when adults model more complex language. In these classrooms teachers map their own actions and student actions with advanced language.
Teachers at the high end of Language Modeling often repeat or expand on what children say and often ask follow up questions. Students are often exposed to a variety of uses of language such as predicting, conversing, praising, requesting, and use of advanced

language. By hearing various forms of language, children develop new language skills pertinent to their academic and social success.
Teachers should ask a variety of open-ended questions. These questions require more than a one word response and give the children opportunities to generate thoughts and provoke analytical thinking skills. Teachers should also take time to have conversations and encourage children to talk to one another. While preparing les- . son plans, think of relevant and interesting topics that will promote child-initiated language. When students are engaged in a lesson or topic, they are more apt to share their thoughts and ideas. Finally, use advanced language by exposing children to different kinds of words such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and new vocabulary.
To learn more about CLASS, visit www.classobservation.com.

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Assessment
As the year draws to a close, continue to observe and record observational notes; to collect work samples, photos, and matrices; and to file weekly. During weeks 17 and 18 begin reviewing all supporting documentation for WSO and portfolio contents and matrices for WSS. Complete final ratings for all students. If you are using the WSS, transfer the final ratings to the checklist in ink. If you are using WSO, print the WSO Developmental Checklist. Be sure that all 55 indicators have a rating of N, I, or P. There should be no notations of did not observe or non-rated.
During the last week of school, gather all portfolio contents from fall and spring periods. Discard/shred observational notes and matrices. File the final copy of the WSS Developmental Checklist with student ratings along with the final copy of the PK Progress Report. Give the final copy of the PK Progress Report to your director to transfer to the kindergarten programs. Send home copies of work samples, photos, and the parent copy of the Progress Report during the conferences.
Parent conferences should be scheduled toward the last week of the school year. If you are questioning how much detail should be put into the progress reports/narrative summary reports, consider the following: be specific using . the child`s name and give examples. Be descriptive and paint a clear picture of the child`s level of performance. Be positive and use language that is respectful of the children and families.
If a child`s parents do not attend the conference, and you are unable to reschedule it, request a phone conference. If parents do not agree to a phone conference, then note this on the parent signature line of the progress report and send it to the child`s home by certified mail.
If specific questions come up during this time, refer to your IQ Guide for Assessment Work Sampling System or Work Sampling Online. Another great resource is the FAQ for IQ Guide for Assessment Work Sampling System or Work Sampling Online.
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Great Selections for Summer Reading for Upcoming Kindergarteners

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

Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman Bear in a Square by Debbie Harter Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey Boomer Goes To School by Constance W. McGeorge Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by B. Martin, Jr., & J. Archambault Complete Fairy Tales and Stories by Hans Christian Andersen Corduroy by Don Freeman Countdown to Kindergarten by Alison McGhee Curious George Goes to School by Margret Rey David Goes To School by David Shannon Dont Forget the Bacon! by P. Hutchins Each Peach, Pear, Plum by J. Ahlberg & A. Ahlberg Eating the Alphabet: Fruits and Vegetables from A to Z by L. Ehlert Elizabeti's School by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen First Day by Dandi Daley Mackall and Tiphanie Beeke First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg First Day, Hooray! by Nancy Poydar Franklin Goes To School by Paulette Bourgeois Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel Froggy Goes to School by Jonathan London Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss . I Want to Go to School Too: A Story about Kindergarten by Liza Alexander If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff Jamberry by B. Degan Look Out Kindergarten Here I Come by Nancy L. Carlson Mary Wore Her Red Dress by Merle Peek Miss Mary Mack by Mary Ann Hoberman My Five Senses by Aliki One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss Pancakes, Pancakes! by Eric Carle The Alphabet Book by P.D. Eastman The Cow That Went Oink by B. Most The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper This is the House that Jack Built by Pam Adams Welcome to Kindergarten by Anne F. Rockwell Will I Have a Friend? by Miriam Cohen Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

PRE-K TEACHING TIMES