* It skips around a lot. In unit one (18 lessons), you'll have a lesson on counting, a lesson on addition, the introduction of shapes, a lesson on subtraction, a lesson on comparing, and you'll revisit each one once down the line in the later part of the unit. My kinders barely have a chance to try to understand the concept.
* There are a lot of full out pictures that the kids have to add to. For instance, it might be a playground scene and they may have to ensure that there are four children on swings, or four balls in the picture, etc. Some of my kids hated those.
* The TE is just not very teacher friendly. It demands a lot of reading, which we don't get time to do except on our own time at home. (We have no prep time at school except for the 1/2 hour before school that our contract calls for.)
* There is a twin workbook set, a "Homework/Remembering" book set, and a bunch of other extras.
* The manipulative pattern blocks, shape sets, etc. are all made from FOAM. Now this makes it nice and lightweight, but I had a number of students that would have tried to bite them. So I pulled out very few of those things for class use unless I was supervising. They used the wood and plastic pattern blocks and tiles that I already had. All of those tubs take up space, too.
What I like about it:
* Very little.
This is Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Math Expressions, California.
If he doesn't have an IEP then you need to start the ball rolling for child study, intervention, or whatever you call it when you meet with the parents and staff to get him tested.
In either case, be sure you are documenting what is happening in the classroom.
On 10/02/16, Stressed wrote: > I have an autistic child in my class who does not talk as in > conversations. This child has memorized cartoons and > repeats the dialogue to almost yelling all day long. This > child will be quiet and work on assignments when the > resource teacher is in the room. I have used picture > schedules behavior picture cards without ant hope. > When I show him a card and tell him no scripting he yells > no! Everyone leaves with a headache at the end of the > day. This child has become violent at times hitting, > spitting and throwing things. The other students are > becoming frustrated. I dread going to work each day. > Help!
Hi everyone, I know I can google ideas for a mystery- themed book week but would love some tried, tested and true ideas! Looking for school-wide ideas plus K ideas in particular. Thanks for your help!
Used to chat hear regularly. Met some very nice people. (Kids, family and job kind of took up my time! Still teaching Kindergarten. Wondering if some of you old friends are still out there? riley
Ideally this time shouldn't be used for testing but ideal and reality aren't always the same thing.
On 9/26/16, Jennifer Meadows wrote: > HI---I am a team lead to a new team and I am trying to help > my teachers understand what they need to be doing while our > kids are at what we call Big Centers. Big Centers consists > of dramatic play, art, reading and math/science areas. I > need advice...words of wisdom that I can impart to my team > to help them understand what they should be doing while > they are there...its not just a time to do nothing, talk on > your phone, etc. I want them understand they should be > making notes, talking with and to kids, watching and > observing. I thought having more input from other teachers > would be beneficial.
Once again, Cheryl Hatch, preschool teacher and creator of http://www.preschool-plan-it.com comes through with invaluable tips for teachers of the younger set.
Challenging Preschool Behavior: What is YOUR role and Responsibility in it, and, are we unintentionally escalating the behavior?
Any classrooms out there interested in a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom letter exchange project? I'd be willing to organize it, or if anyone is hosting an exchange and needs a couple more classes to participate, please let me know. Thanks!
KaraOn 9/10/16, Kinderme wrote: > Any classrooms out there interested in a Chicka Chicka > Boom Boom letter exchange project? I'd be willing to > organize it, or if anyone is hosting an exchange and > needs a couple more classes to participate, please let me > know. Thanks! Sounds great please share more information. Thanks!
TolergIs anyone interested in getting a Chicka Chicka Letter exchange started for the fall of 2017? I teach Kinders and would love to participate!! Grace T.
Does anyone do any fun units in Science or Social Studies that they would like to share? I'm looking to make a few changes in that area. Thanks so much for your input!
In the Spring, I do a plant unit with my K's, though I don't think it's anything earth-shattering. I collect glass jars from parents during the year (pickles, spaghetti sauce, salsa and other acid-based foods come in glass jars). Then I have the kids put a few red kidney beans (the kind you buy at the grocery store in a little bag) inside paper towels, get the paper towels a little bit wet, and then put the jar in our windows. They get to watch the bean sprout. Of course that leads to the "parts of the plant" booklet that we do.
We hatch chickens from eggs. True, last year we only got one chick, but it was exciting.
I just started a unit on Sound, since I have a K/1 combo this year. Our first "experiment" was with wooden rulers, hanging 9" over the end of a table, holding the other 3" tightly onto the table, and pressing the open end. What sound does it make? What causes that sound? (Vibration.) Next one will be rubber band on a paper cup. I may get the glass jars out early and let the kids "play tunes" on them, towards the end of the unit. Admittedly this unit came from a book on Science units, not sure who the publisher was.
As for social studies, we started with citizenship and will roll into community workers. I touch on history all year, every time there's a holiday that has a historical background.
CindyOn 9/11/16, DonnaR/CA wrote: > On 9/10/16, Cindy wrote: >> Does anyone do any fun units in Science or Social Studies >> that they would like to share? I'm looking to make a few >> changes in that area. Thanks so much for your input! > > In the Spring, I do a plant unit with my K's, though I > don't think it's anything ...See MoreOn 9/11/16, DonnaR/CA wrote: > On 9/10/16, Cindy wrote: >> Does anyone do any fun units in Science or Social Studies >> that they would like to share? I'm looking to make a few >> changes in that area. Thanks so much for your input! > > In the Spring, I do a plant unit with my K's, though I > don't think it's anything earth-shattering. I collect glass > jars from parents during the year (pickles, spaghetti > sauce, salsa and other acid-based foods come in glass > jars). Then I have the kids put a few red kidney beans (the > kind you buy at the grocery store in a little bag) inside > paper towels, get the paper towels a little bit wet, and > then put the jar in our windows. They get to watch the bean > sprout. Of course that leads to the "parts of the plant" > booklet that we do. > > We hatch chickens from eggs. True, last year we only got > one chick, but it was exciting. > > I just started a unit on Sound, since I have a K/1 combo > this year. Our first "experiment" was with wooden rulers, > hanging 9" over the end of a table, holding the other 3" > tightly onto the table, and pressing the open end. What > sound does it make? What causes that sound? (Vibration.) > Next one will be rubber band on a paper cup. I may get the > glass jars out early and let the kids "play tunes" on them, > towards the end of the unit. Admittedly this unit came from > a book on Science units, not sure who the publisher was. > > As for social studies, we started with citizenship and will > roll into community workers. I touch on history all year, > every time there's a holiday that has a historical > background. > > > > Donna
What do you all teach for online/digital behavior skills?
In my classroom, there are 10 iPads, 5 iPods (when I bother to charge them up) and 2 old desktop computers. Plus my own teacher iPad and desktop, neither of which the students are allowed to touch.
My students are instructed that they have to stay on a particular app or website. I teach them how to get around ads that pop up. If they change apps or websites, they lose the digital privilege. They are taught to log on to an app when needed, and how to log off, and how to stay under your own log-on (and why). They *have* to use headphones, and the only ones allowed to put the headphone jack in/take it out of the iPad or computer, are adults. This has worked for me for three years, and I've no real need to teach any further online etiquette.
However, our K-12 district thinks otherwise. They want ALL students to do this set of 3 lessons on some website. One lesson covers cell phone etiquette. Well, my kinders don't have cell phones and if they are using their parents' cell phone, that should be up to their parents to teach. Another lesson covers cyber-bullying. I'm not sure that this applies to my kinders, either, as we aren't on any apps or websites where students talk/write to each other.
The program they want us to use for this is Digital Passport. Does anyone use this in kindergarten? Do you find it effective or a waste of time?
...See More Making deals with students is not effective teaching. It teaches students that when they grow up, everything will be negotiable, and they will take no responsibility for their actions or work. (You may find some of the examples in the article silly and funny, but they are all actual "deals" that have been observed in classrooms.)
So, what works better than making deals with students?
* It skips around a lot. In unit one (18 lessons), you'll have a lesson on counting, a lesson on addition, the introduction of shapes, a lesson on subtraction, a lesson on comparing, and you'll revisit each one ...See More