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meeha/ece/tx - Well, lets get started! Tonight we're going to talk about the "mechanics of planning" for the EC classroom
kjc - care-in, this is my second year of teaching, as well. I taught kindergarten last year, too. I will be moving up to first grade with this year's group next school year.
CATHY - I am going to try thr building blocks this year
meeha/ece/tx - Cathy is a veteran kinder teacher, care-in and Joan are new to K this year ... kjc, what age group do you work with ... and valerie?
care-in - I am anxious that I will expect too much from my kids.
CATHY - I am trying to update my centers
Valarie - I have been reading posts about Building Blocks- could someone please explain how this works - for a new kindergarten teaacher? Thanks!
k/1st/Joan - I used 4blocks with my 1st grade now I plan on using building blocks with K
CATHY - BB looks like a great way for all students to learn
Valarie - I should say kind of new-- this will be my second year teach kindergarten
kjc - I taught kindergarten last year and I will teach it again this year. This is my second year of teaching, so I am still "new" at this, too.:)
CATHY - Joan do you think the bb will work in K
meeha/ece/tx - Valarie -- I can't tell you a lot about BB -- except that it seems to be working really well around the continent! You can read previous chat sessions at http://www.teachers.net/archive -- there are some ec meeting minutes on BB -- and 4 blocks -- there! there is also a chatboard and an email ring available through teachers.net
k/1st/Joan - I'm feeling a little nervous about being a "NEW" Kinder teacher and I know that Ineed to do a lot more with centers and hands on
meeha/ece/tx - Cathy -- the Building Blocks is intended for kindergarten!
Valarie - Thanks! I'd do more research into the archives!
meeha/ece/tx - Joan -- how many kinder teachers will there be on your campus?
Backstreets - What is 4 blocks
CATHY - My students love centers
k/1st/Joan - Yes I have the building blocks month by month book and it sounds wonderful!
k/1st/Joan - We have 7 kinders and 7 first grades in our Early Childhood Center
care-in - I did centers last year in first grade and the kids loved puzzles and games. What sort of things do kindergarteners need work in besides the basic ABC and numbers? Will puzzles and games still work?
meeha/ece/tx - I'm actually hoping to get hold of that book in the next week or two and gently implement parts of it into my special needs preschool -- but my first goal is to simply build language!
CATHY - I have order the Month by Month book and the new BB book to come out next week
peachy - Great number Joan!
kjc - joan, I was nervous too. I did as much as I could with centers and hands-on activities last year. I have already begun to change a lot of things that I will be doing this year. Ihave spent a lot of time making more centers for my kids.
kathie - Hi, everyone! I've been in K for the past 5 years and will be moving up to 1st next year.
Valarie - Where do you order?
meeha/ece/tx - care-in -- puzzles, games, art, crafts, free play, building with blocks, dramatic play, all kinds of manipulatives ...
CATHY - I ordered from Apples 'N' Acorns
k/1st/Joan - kjc can you tell me which centers seemed to be most important
Valarie - I've seen their website! Thanks!
meeha/ece/tx - Valarie -- you should be able to order the Building Blocks book via amazon.com, check the t.net homepage -- order through t.net if you can!
k/1st/Joan - Yes I ordered my building blocks from applesnacorns too Valerie
peachy - kjc, what kinds of centers have you made?
CATHY - We have a writing center and art center a math center an art center a computer center a book center alanguage center an science center a block center a kitchen center
k/1st/Joan - The reason I really like the BB book is that is takes care of the reading/writing/language arts curriculum every day
CATHY - The centers change every week
meeha/ece/tx - So, when you think about writing lesson plans for the early childhood classroom, what are you first considerations? schedule? goals for the kids? interests of the students?
care-in - Cathy, what kinds of things do you put in your language center?
care-in - What exactly is the BB book?
Valarie - What kinds of math skills do you all try to cover over the course of the K year?
kjc - joan, i am including literacy centers this year, which seems to be very important!! A lot of abc and phonics activities are included. Also, math, using a lot of different manipulatives. I also have listening, art, blocks, sand, painting, chalk, house k
CATHY - Books, and activities to go with the books later in year writing their own books
kjc - peachy, I have spent a lot of time making the different activities I am including in my literacy center. I got a lot of the ideas from this site and a book that I ordered.
peachy - Schedule is very important as we don't have enough time for too much on Mon. and Tues. with music and Chapel .
Valarie - I'm interested in what your typical schedule is like? I teach 1/2 day kindergarten so of course there's never enough time to get everything in!!
k/1st/Joan - kjc I agree, the literary centers are crucial
CATHY - I want to make my centers more literacy centers any ideas
Valarie - How much writing do you work on in your K classes?
meeha/ece/tx - Well, it looks to me as if we need to talk 'organization' issues in the classroom this evening!
kjc - valarie, i concentrate on number recoginition, shapes, colors, value, measurement, addition, subtraction (toward the end of the year). I am sure I left some out.
meeha/ece/tx - Let's take one topic at a time ... how about literacy centers first, then schedules ...
k/1st/Joan - In the Building Blocks it is recommended to have a SELF SELECTED READING time each day, where children get to pick the book they want to read from a basket or bucket filled by the teacher with various levels of "reading" material
meeha/ece/tx - What do you include in a literacy center? Think about computers, books, listening, writing,
kathie - meeha, I think goals (objectives) are the first thing to consider when planning. I need to be sure of meeting the district curriculum and now we have state standards that we are accountable for. So objectives need to be clear.
meeha/ece/tx - Cathie had a good point! The objectives of any activity must be clear for the center to be effective in helping the children achieve the goals of the classroom.
kjc - I am going to include several activities with letter order, sounds, matching pictures to the letters/sounds, making letters from playdoh, etc.
meeha/ece/tx - As classroom teacher you MUST be aware of what the state requires you to address with the children in the grade level you teach.
St-K - do you encourage every child to go to every center every day
Valarie - How much time is spent each day on the Self Selected Reading?
CATHY - Do you assign the students to a center or do you let them choose a center
peachy - Yes, Cathie, so true
peachy - Mine can choose, but I have "must do" centers that they must get to during the week.
Kathie - St-K, I wouldn't require every child to visit every center every day...but I like the idea of the kids having to visit an "inquiry" based center. I might make that a "must do" center and hold them accountable.
kjc - cathy, last year I let groups of students choose from 3-4 centers a day and rotated which centers they could choose from during the week. This year I plan to assign centers mon. - thurs. and give free choice on fri.
CATHY - How long do you centers last daily
meeha/ece/tx - kjc -- letter activities as you mentioned will be helppful as the children become more familiar with the letters ... someone asked earlier about games -- this would be a good place to use maybe some LOTTO games -- addressing the initial (or final, depending on state and grade requirements) games ...
K/1st/Joan - Valerie you start out with just 5 mins using a kitchen timer and then gradually move up
Barb/2/NE - Next year, I'm going to hold back some of my centers, sometimes, I thought the children had too many choices
St-K - how long do you allow the children in each center rotation?
kjc - meeha, I used bingo type games last year. I had number bingo, letter bingo (also used for sound bingo), and sight word bingo.
Barb/2/NE - They got tired with the same centers each day
meeha/ece/tx - LOTTO, being a social game, is a good activity -- as the children get to take turns and to practice some good sportsmanship! File-folder games and item-picture-letter matching games would be good, as well!
K/1st/Joan - I have been reading a lot of Bobbi Fisher's ideas about Kinder and centers and she has said that research shows that when chidren choose their own centers they learn a lot more
Lili - What is a good number of centers to have, does it depend on the size of the room?
Kathie - In 1st grade, my supervisors expect to see guided reading happening everyday. I am planning on doing literacy centers during my LA block. Do any of you include math type centers during this time or keep them strictly literacy?
Barb/2/NE - At your writing center, does anyone have alphabet rubber stamps? My kids loved them!
peachy - Joan, I really like Bobbie Fisher's philosophy.
K/1st/Joan - Joyful Learning by Bobbi Fisher is an excellent resource for centers in Kinder and first
Valarie - I used file-folder games last year of much of my basic skills teaching. Does anyone else make use of them?
Barb/2/NE - Kathie, we had a math center, I figure the more practice the better!
CATHY - Last year we had 42 students we did an 8 day rotation 5-6 in a group theyonly went to one center a day at the end of 8 days all student had been to all centers and the centers change
meeha/ece/tx - writing can be included in EVERY center in the classroom ... in the block center the kids can plan and organize using a pad of paper and pencils kept there ... in the home center there are lists, letters, phone messages ... at puzzles, they can write items/names,etc.
kjc - barb, I have letter stamps that I let the kids use from time to time. They really liked them!
peachy - I use the abc rubber stamps, too. My kids really like them.
St-K - I have amath center too and yes I love file folder games
Kathie - I've used the abc rubber stamps in the writing center. They do love those. I also just staple blank paper to make booklets.
K/1st/Joan - She suggests to have some centers that the children must do and then have some where they choose the center and who they would like to "learn" with
meeha/ece/tx - Barb -- I've not had the alpha rubber stamps -- but know my kiddos would enjoy using them!
kjc - meeha, I agree! I think that the more writing the kids do, the better!
care-in - I have a book by carson dellosa on file folder games that I plan to use this year. They look really good.
peachy - Yes, those blank paper booklets are popular with mine also.
K/1st/Joan - meeha..yes I agree writing needs to be incorporated in every subjectand center
Barb/2/NE - Lili, I believe the amount of centers can be limited by the size of the room, we had 5 centers and 31 kids! It was very tight!
meeha/ece/tx - the computer programs geared for our children have some wonderful early writing opportunities, as well -- making cards, writing names, reading short sentences ...
St-K - Does anyone do a teacher directed center? I really never know if I should or not
kjc - kids love file folder games!! I used them in my independent center.
meeha/ece/tx - care-in ... get parent volunteers and 5th/6th graders to color/cut/assemble those games for you!
care-in - Meeha, good idea! Thanks
CATHY - I do a teacher directed center
meeha/ece/tx - St -- yes, in my room we have at least 2 teacher-directed centers per day (but there are several of us there!
peachy - I do a teacher directed center.
Lili - thanks Barb, makes sense...
Barb/2/NE - excellent idea meeha! many parents look for a meaningful way to help us!
CATHY - And an aide directed center
Valarie - What do you mean by a teacher directed center?
Barb/2/NE - Oh Cathy! What does your aide directed center look like? Does it stay the same?
kjc - st-k, I had a teacher directed center from time to time last year. This year I will work with a couple of kids at a time to reinforce what we have been working on.
Kathie - meeha, getting back to planning. I tend to teach thematically, as I'm sure most of us do..it's more fun! We all do lots of activities with good literature. I just finished a class last week and the prof said something that has me rethinking when I plan. When we plan activities...WHAT'S CUTE and WHAT COUNTS?
Valarie - Are you talking about the teacher working with the children directly on a project?
St-K - what type of activities do you do in this center and how do you manage that and other dicipline and aiding other students I'm not very good at that
CATHY - No center changes the aide does a different writing center each time name in rice name in sandpaper etc
Barb/2/NE - Kathie, Yes! Remember the big discussion earlier this year on graphs! Cute but what's the point after you do it over and over!
meeha/ece/tx - Kathie -- "what's cute" is far less valuable to the children that "what counts" -- that is a good question to ask ... how can i make 'what counts cute without lessening its value to the child!'
care-in - I have been reading a lot of activities in magazines on graphing (eye color, favorite food, etc.) how well do kindergarten kids understand that concept?
kjc - kathie, I agree!! and a lot of the times, what's cute takes too long!!
meeha/ece/tx - Valarie -- a teacher-directed center may be for small group teaching -- toward mastery or assessment of an objective ...
Barb/2/NE - With scores from our standardize tests having so much weight today, focusing on the objective is so important!
CATHY - Centers or small groups aare good ways to work on skills needed for testing
meeha/ece/tx - Well, have we pretty much covered literacy centers, then? shall we move on?
care-in - Yes please!
Valarie - What kind of formal assessments are you doing in your K classes?
meeha/ece/tx - Let's talk some about scheduling ... it may be a bit difficult to talk full-day and half-day, but we'll give it a quick try ... then on to assessment!
Valarie - Does anyone else out there do 1/2 day K?
meeha/ece/tx - if you have a 3 hour schedule, how long will you spend in group oriented activity? how long in free choice? how long in independent?
St-K - no I am full day
kjc - valerie, I teach in Georgia and we have a couple of required tests that we have to do. One is the GKAP which tests literacy and math concepts. The other is the BLT which tests literacy, mainly reading and comprehension.
meeha/ece/tx - in my classroom the children spend a LOT of time in free-choice SUPPORTED activity ... I work from the philosophy that if we teach where the children's interest lies the children will be more willing to learn! (it has paid off!)
kjc - I am full day, as well.
St-K - what do you mean by supported
Valarie - I am familiar with the GKAP, but I am not familiar with the BLT. Is this done in the public system?
Barb/2/NE - meeha, that sounds like Maria Montessori's belief
meeha/ece/tx - St -- that means that an assistant or I make sure to interact with the children in that setting ... asking questions which require problem solving skills ... instructing (shapes, number, more/less .....) as the children work in those centers
kjc - valarie, yes it is. but i think we may be taking it out this year.
CATHY - I think the kids like to stick to a schedule
Lili - Bacon lettuce tomato? :)
St-K - thanks-- I don't mean to sound stupid I just fully want to understand
meeha/ece/tx - Barb ... I'm interested in finding a practical application text for her ideas ... think it would work well with my kiddos!
meeha/ece/tx - Valarie ... i'm not familiar with those acronyms, sorry.
kjc - Lili, That's what I thought when I first heard it, too!!:) Basic Literacy Test
Barb/2/NE - Meeha, I've seen this done in our Kindergarten class, and it's such a relaxing sight to see! The teacher is really enjoying the one on one!
Lili - oh, ok, thanks Ü
kjc - meeha, that sounds like something I may want to try out this year.:)
CATHY - What comapany can you get the blt
St-K - at my school the other teachers do not like centers and find them a waste of time
Barb/2/NE - Cathy, yes, that is very conforting to our students, they know what to expect and helps them know what we expect of them
kjc - cathy, I am not really sure where they got it. sorry.
care-in - ST-K so do they expect the kids to sit attentively all day? How does that work?
Barb/2/NE - St-K, do they give you more reasons than that? Just say it's a flat waste of time?
meeha/ece/tx - St -- 'centers' and play are not wasted time ... children learn by doing, sadly we have people infiltrating the curriculum based learning who believe that any time not spent with a pencil in hand or reading a book is time wasted ... children need to experience and to socialize in order to internalize the learning we are offering them.
kjc - st-k, don't listen to those other teachers!! not only do the kids have a great time learning from them, but that time gives you a chance to work with the children.
care-in - I think exploration is great for kids. It develops their interests.
rhonda - same for me. I'm a first grade teacher
St-K - I don't know how they do it, but I do centers I just feel like sometimes I don't do it exactly right because I have no help
CATHY - My kids love the centers and i don't think they realize how much they are learning from the centers
meeha/ece/tx - St-K ... i'll tell you this ... I change the way i run my centers almost every year ... kids are different ... goals and needs are different ... you just keep working with it and you'll find the 'magic mix' -- but bear in mind that next year the required mix may be different!
rhonda - I agree. Centers are not a waste of time. But, you have to plan carefully and be willing to work hard initially to get kids to do what you want. Does this make sense?
Barb/2/NE - St-K, I think a "center" is such a broad term! If you have a book shelf, that's a center, If you have alphabet rubber stamps, that's a center. How could you go wrong with that! Some people think centers have to be elaborate!
care-in - How much time is good for the kids to spend in centers?
capper - I teach 1st grade, too. We're thinking about directing our language arts instruction according to the 4 blocks approach. I've got some trepidation about it all.
Barb/2/NE - Meeha, True! Each year is so different!
meeha/ece/tx - when you choose to do centers, know ahead of time what you want the children to gain from interacting with the materials provided ... but don't be surprised if they find other lessons there, too!
Barb/2/NE - rhonda, modeling is so important when you introduce each center!
CATHY - We start with 30 minutes for centers and as the year goes on the centers get longer up to 60 minutes
St-K - How long do you allow the children to stay in each center rotaion
meeha/ece/tx - care-in ... it is good to allow a minimum of 45 minutes (i think NAEYC recommends 1 hour) for centers, often though in the 3 hour day centers get only 30 minutes ... or get cut out all together on a rough day.
St-K - rotation
kjc - care-in, I gave my kids about 30 minutes last year. This year I am not sure how long I will give them. I think it depends on your kids and how well they do during center time. Do they stay on task, etc.?
care-in - Barb, by modeling to you mean showing them what to do at each center?
rhonda - Capper, You mentioned 4 Blocks. Have you had some experience with it at all?
Barb/2/NE - capper, have you received a fair amount of training in the 4 blocks? That's so important
meeha/ece/tx - St ... my children don't rotate ... one summer when i tried that, we changed every 15 minutes -- problem is that play themes aren't able to be fully developed in that period of time and it kind of defeats the purpose of having 1 hour for centers.
St-K - since I am the only one who allows children to work in centers I often get a lot of slack.. I haven't been teaching long
Barb/2/NE - Care-in, yes and how your voices should be, etc.
kjc - care-in, at the beginning of the year you need to "show" the children what to do with each activity at each center and how to behave at each center, as well as what to do when they are done at each center.
meeha/ece/tx - capper -- if you will go to http://www.teachers.net/archive/ you will be able to scroll down to some past meetings about 4 blocks and the value and implementation of the program -- it is a real gem!
CATHY - St-k stick with the centers you are doing the right thing
capper - We haven't had formal training in the 4 blocks, only cursory information.
rhonda - And, I don't think we, as teachers, need to knock ourselves out with the "preparation. Keep it simple, expecially at first!
Barb/2/NE - Wow, capper, they are asking for alot, that's a big switch for some teachers!
kjc - st-k, do what you believe is right for the students!! I also got some slack from some of those veteran teachers last year when I did certain activities or wanted to do something different from what they were used to. It is your classroom and you should
Lili - Just out of curiosity... Where and when do most of you do your preperation?
Barb/2/NE - Capper, tell your co-workers about T.net archives!
Barb/2/NE - Lili, LOL at home!
CATHY - I have had no formal training in the bb but having been reading everything i canget my hands on i want to try it
meeha/ece/tx - when the children walk into a center they should know exactly what you expect ... from the moment of entry to the moment of exit -- how to use the materials correctly, how to get help, and how to clean-up the center! some teachers even include log books where the children can 'write' about what they do -- who, what, date... -- while together in the center.
capper - My concern about centers used in conjunction with reading instruction is that the kids will need more supervision than I can provide while working with guided reading, etc.
St-K - This has been a real help to me especially to get good ideas from others and support!!1 Thanks
meeha/ece/tx - if you limit the number of children in a center, you might hang a sign-up sheet for children wantingn to come in next ... when a child leaves, he/she goest to get the first child on the list.
Barb/2/NE - Cathy, good for you , our education never stops!
meeha/ece/tx - capper -- you provide only mastered skills for children in centers that do not have teacher support in that setting!
Lili - That's what I thought... In my center, the girls get some prep time on hours, but it is often not enough, and they just don't seem to understand that they need to put in some time at home also.
meeha/ece/tx - capper -- you provide only mastered skills for children in centers that do not have teacher support in that setting!
Lili - That's what I thought... In my center, the girls get some prep time on hours, but it is often not enough, and they just don't seem to understand that they need to put in some time at home also.
Barb/2/NE - excellent ideas meeha! Plan and anticipate!
meeha/ece/tx - Lili ... i plan at home, in my office -- other than what i need to do 'on the spot' when the lesson FLOPS right in front of my face! :-)
meeha/ece/tx - well, can we spend the last few minutes talking about assessment? someone had some questions about that, too!
Barb/2/NE - Meeha, we call that "Plan B" when the lesson flops! LOL
kjc - Lili, I also do a lot of planning at home!! I only wish I got paid to do that!!:) :)
CATHY - We are trying to revise our report card and i am looking for any suggestions
meeha/ece/tx - Barb ... I've seen a lot of "plan b" this past year!
CATHY - Do you all do a formal report card
meeha/ece/tx - Lili ... they couldn't afford it! too much time spent there!
St-k - yes
kjc - cathy, our county has a formal report card for all grades.
rhonda - I do a formal card, but it just doesn't give enough info. I've always been into writing narratives and/or a checklist of some kind
meeha/ece/tx - Hmmm, Barb -- there has been a lot of talk on the email ring about that recently -- would you like to see a meeting to address issues specifically related to formal classroom assessment?
St-k - yes mine is parish based
Barb/2/NE - Cathy, report cards are a funny thing! Sometimes to hear the comments from parents, they sometimes feel their child is doomed to average-hood if they don't receive A's
CATHY - Good idea i would like some help with report cards
St-k - me too
meeha/ece/tx - rhonda -- yes ...other than my individualized learning plans i do portfolio and narrative type assessment ... i think the colleection of work over time is far more valuable than one-time per 6 week assessments!
meeha/ece/tx - I'll get with Kathleen and we'll schedule such, then! thanks for the suggestion!
meeha/ece/tx - Barb ... need a rope? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>>>>>
Barb/2/NE - OK Meeha! Summary?
meeha/ece/tx - well, thanks for being here tonite to discuss, errrr, ummmmmmm, classroom organization issues (under the guise of lesson plans!)
meeha/ece/tx - How's that summary, Barb?
kjc - thanks for a great chat guys!!:):)
st-k - thanks again for All of your help everyone
meeha/ece/tx - st-k and kjc and CATHY -- it was nice meeting you tonite, hope you come back and vbisit with us again soon -- don't forget to try the main chatroom, too! we're the friendliest site on the web! :-)
meeha/ece/tx - bye now!
