Field Training 3 - Cairo University PDF

Teacher Guide for working with Kindergarten Children Pro. Heba Hussein Talaat 2024/2025 2023-2024  ‫‪Practicum 3 part A‬‬ ‫رؤية الكلية ورسالتها والقيم الخاصة بها‪:‬‬...

Teacher Guide for working with Kindergarten Children Pro. Heba Hussein Talaat 2024/2025 2023-2024  ‫‪Practicum 3 part A‬‬ ‫رؤية الكلية ورسالتها والقيم الخاصة بها‪:‬‬ ‫‪-1‬رؤية الكلية‪:‬‬ ‫كلية التربية للطفولة المبكرة – جامعة القاهرة لها مكانة رائدة ومتميزة في مجال‬ ‫إعداد معلمي الطفولة المبكرة وقادرين على التعامل بشكل تنافسي مع المؤسسات‬ ‫اإلقليمية والعالمية‪.‬‬ ‫وتتنبثق رؤية الكلية من رؤية مصر‪ 2030‬و هو إتاحة التعليم والتدريب للجميع‬ ‫بجودة عالية دون تمييز‪ ،‬وفي إطار نظام مؤسسي‪ ،‬كفء وعادل‪ ،‬ومستدام ومرن‪.‬‬ ‫وأن يكون مرتكز على المعلمين القادرين على التفكير والمتمكنين فنيا وتقنيا‬ ‫وتكنولوجيا وأن يساهم أيضا في بناء الشخصية المتكاملة وإطالق إمكاناتها إلى أقصى‬ ‫مدى معتزين بذاتهم ومستنيرين ومبدعين‪ ،‬ومسئولين‪ ،‬يحترموا االختالف‪ ،‬وفخورين‬ ‫بتاريخ بلدهم‪ ،‬وشغوفين ببناء مستقبلهم وقادرين على التعامل بشكل تنافسي مع‬ ‫المؤسسات اإلقليمية والعالمية‪.‬‬ ‫‪ -2‬رسالة الكلية‪:‬‬ ‫تلتزم كلية التربية للطفولة المبكرة– جامعة القاهرة بالعمل علي إعداد طالبها‬ ‫للتميز أكاديميا ومهنياً وثقافيا وتكنولوجياً من خالل التطوير المستمر للبرامج‬ ‫األكاديمية في ضوء المعايير القومية لالعتماد ومتطلبات العصر و إجراء البحوث‬ ‫العلمية لالرتقاء بمجال الطفولة المبكرة وتقديم كافة الخدمات و االستشارات التربوية‬ ‫والنفسية لخدمة المجتمع والمنافسة محلياً وإقليمياً‬ ‫من هذه الرسالة الرئيسية مهام أساسية ؛ تتمثل في‪:‬‬ ‫وتنبثق‬ ‫تكوين معلمي كلية التربية للطفولة المبكرة تكويناً مستم اًر‪.‬‬ ‫‪-‬‬ ‫إعداد معلم متميز قبل الخدمة‪.‬‬ ‫‪-‬‬ ‫مهنياً بشكل متناسب مع طبيعة العصر الرقمي‪.‬‬ ‫تنمية معلمي الكلية ْ‬ ‫‪-‬‬ ‫ترقية البحث التربوي بما يساعد على إنتاج المعرفة التربوية‪.‬‬ ‫‪-‬‬ ‫‪2‬‬  ‫‪Practicum 3 part A‬‬ ‫‪ -3‬القيم الخاصة بالكلية‪:‬‬ ‫‪ -1‬االنتماء‬ ‫‪ -2‬الموضوعية‬ ‫‪ -3‬الشفافية والنزاهة‪.‬‬ ‫‪ -4‬العدالة‪.‬‬ ‫‪ -5‬االنضباط‪.‬‬ ‫‪ -6‬المشاركة‬ ‫األهداف االستراتيجية في ضوء التحليل البيئي والخطة االستراتيجية للجامعة‪:‬‬ ‫فييي ضييوء رؤييية كلييية التربييية للطفوليية المبكييرة ورسييالتها والتحليييل البيئييي والخطيية‬ ‫اإلستراتيجية‪:‬‬ ‫الهييدف األول‪ :‬تحسييين جييودة النظييام التعليمييي بمييا اتوافييل مييع اليينظم العالمييية والتطييور‬ ‫التكنولوجي للمعرفة‪.‬‬ ‫الهيدف الثياني‪ :‬توظيي الصيي التكنولوجيية اثكثير فعاليية (بيرام ‪Black bord ,‬‬ ‫‪ )Thinky‬ف ييي ع ييرل المعرف يية المس ييتهدفة و ت ييداولها ب ييين الط يالب و اعض يياء هيئ يية‬ ‫التدريس ‪.‬‬ ‫الهييدف الثال ي ‪ :‬التنمييية المهنييية الشيياملة والمسييتدامة للطييالب والخ يريجين باإلشييترام مييع‬ ‫المؤسسات المهتمة بتطوير المهارات المهنية للمعلمين‪.‬‬ ‫الهدف الرابع‪ :‬تطوير البرام والمقررات للطيالب والخيريجين بميا اتناسيب ميع التطيورات‬ ‫العالمية الطالب و الخريجين في ضوء متطلبات التحول الرقمي ‪.‬‬ ‫‪3‬‬  ‫‪Practicum 3 part A‬‬ ‫الهييدف الخييام ‪ :‬تييوفير بني يية تحتييية قوييية داعميية لل ييتعلم فييي ضييوء متطلبييات التح ييول‬ ‫الرقمي‪.‬‬ ‫الهدف السادس‪ :‬محو اثميية الرقميية للطيالب المعلميين إل ازلية العواقيل ليدم تكنولوجييا‬ ‫التعليم في العملية التعليمية بشكل فعال‪.‬‬ ‫الهيييييدف السيييييابع‪ :‬تط ي ييوير ق ي ييدرات الجه ي يياز اإلداري بالكلي ي يية بم ي ييا اتواك ي ييب م ي ييع التط ي ييور‬ ‫التكنولوجي والتحول الرقمي‪.‬‬ ‫الهيييدف الثييييامن‪ :‬دع ييم المش يياركة المجتم ي يية م يين خ ييالل عق ييد االتفاق ييات وبروتوكي يوالت‬ ‫التعاون بين الكلية ومؤسسات القطاع الخاص والمجتمع المدني‪.‬‬ ‫الهييدف التاسييع‪ :‬الييدعم الفنييي المتميييز ثعضيياء هيئيية التييدريس بالكلييية ميين خييالل إتاحيية‬ ‫تقنيييات تييدريس وتعلييم لييير تقليدييية بمييا يسيياعدهم علييى تحقيييل التنمييية الذاتييية المسييتدامة‬ ‫والتي سوف تنعكس بشكل إيجابي على مستوى الخريجين و الخريجات‪.‬‬ ‫الهدف العاشر‪ :‬تطوير آلية للتقويم المستمر للقدرة المؤسسية والفعالية التعليمية وتطوير‬ ‫إدارة نظم الجودة‪.‬‬ ‫‪4‬‬ Chapter 1 Content: Chapter 1: 3-15 Environments For Kindergarteners Chapter2: 18-43 planing activities for kindergarten children Chapter 3: 44-80 Routine Time for kindergarten children Chapter 4: 81-104 Transitional Activities for kindergarten children Chapter 5: 105-153 Learning Centers for Kindergarten children Chapter 6: 154 - 175 Group Time & Small Groups References 176-180 5 Chapter 1 ENVIRONMENTS FOR KINDERGARTENERS Definition of the Environment Environments that support Kindergarten children’s learning are essential if we want all kindergarten children to be successful. Classroom Arrangement and Organization: The classroom is organized to promote interaction and learning. Desks, tables and workstations are clustered together; work areas have a variety of learning materials to encourage group projects, experiments, and creative activities. The sand water table, computer station, play area, and reading area are organized for interactions, which Vygotsky theorized promotes cognitive and language development. Also, a high-quality kindergarten classroom is one in which children’s feet at home. Children’s work is prominently displayed, and they feel a sense of ownership. Here are some things you can do to provide high-quality kindergarten environments: Provide many materials that support children learning to read and write. Learning to read and write is a high priority of kindergarten, so be sure to offer a wide variety of all kinds of books and writing materials. 6 Chapter 1 Organize the children into groups of different sizes and ability levels. This provides for social interaction and cooperative learning and encourages children to help others (scaffolding). Use a variety of different instructional approaches such as: ▪ Small group ▪ Large group ▪ Seat work ▪ Center time ▪ Free activity choice time ▪ Individual teacher one-on- one work with children ▪ Free play time Develop your classroom arrangement so that is supports district or national learning standards. For example, to meet reading content standards, make books easily accessible to students. Also, make sure the classroom has a comfortable area for group and individual reading times. Adapt your classroom arrangement so it meets the learning and social needs of your children. For example, set aside time for students to work in groups, assign group projects, and assign projects dealing with different cultures. Collaborate with your children to “personalize” your classroom. Make your classroom home-like and cozy. Use plants, rugs, beanbag chairs, and so on. 7 Chapter 1 Make supplies and learning materials accessible to children by storing them on open shelves with labels (using pictures and words). The Social Environment: The social environment consists of the immediate physical surroundings, social relationships, and cultural setting in which children function-and interact. To help create a supportive social environment, all children of all cultures, genders, socioeconomic levels, and backgrounds should be valued and respected. Teachers treat children courteously, talk with them about in- and out- of school activities and events, and show a genuine concern for them as individuals with specific needs. Unfortunately, not all children get the respect they need and want at home or at school. Some children, especially children with behavior and attention problems, can be subjected to verbal abuse by teachers and children. Also, for shy children, the social environment can provide them with the social interaction they need, but they may have a difficult time initiating the interaction, and teachers need to help them find playmates. In contrast, under the direction of an unaware or uncaring teacher, classroom activities and social interactions may encourage isolation and separation. In developing positive teacher- child relationships, which is a key element of the social environment, remember to: 1. Engage in one to one interactions with children. 8 Chapter 1 2. Get on the child’s level for face to face interactions 3. Use a pleasure, calm voice and simple language. 4. Provide warm responsive physical contact. 5. Follow the child’s lead and interest during play. 6. Help children understand classroom expectations. 7. Redirect children when they engage in challenging behavior. 8. Listen to children and encourage them to listen to others. 9. Acknowledge children for their accomplishments and effort. Tips for Organizing a Kindergarten Classroom: Starting the year off right is foremost in the mind of the new Kindergarten teacher. Submersed into a new role as classroom teacher she finds herself searching for answers to make the first days of school a success. Begin by organizing the classroom; it is the key to starting the year off right. Organization Steps & Ideas Use these steps to start the year, any time during the year when you need a change, or in years to come. 1. Consider Physical Layout. Take an objective view of the physical layout of the classroom. Consider the stationary things in the room, in other words, the things that cannot be moved like the windows, black board, bulletin boards, sink (if available), outlets and closets. Sometimes computers must be stationary as well, due to the Internet connection. 9 Chapter 1 2. Flow of the Classroom. Think about the flow of the classroom. When students enter into the classroom where will they go first, next and so on? Ideally mailboxes should be placed near the doorway for easy access at the beginning and end of the day. Is there anything between the entrance area and the student's desk that may be distracting? For example, if Kindergarten students pass the Dramatic Play area when they walk in, they be distracted each morning. 3. Functionality. Next, think about how to place the desks so that the blackboard or dry erase board is easily visible to all students. Desks should be placed in groups or pairs to foster social and intellectual interaction between the children. One way to test this is to actually sit down in each chair after you have placed them. Art materials like scissors, glue and crayons and writer notebooks, word work notebooks, poetry notebooks and so on should clearly identified and near the desk area for minimal movement from one activity to another. This can be done by labeling the tables with a color and have a coordinating color bin for each table to place their supplies. Kindergarten teachers will make frequent use of an area rug or meeting area. Think about the flow from one area to the next. Is it safe? Is it close? When excusing students to their seats, can they get there without stepping on one another? Make preparation 10 Chapter 1 for students with physical needs as well. Again, a good test is to sit on the rug after it is placed where you'd like it to be. Messy areas like science or art should be close to a sink, if available. 4. Label the Room/Centers. Once the room has been set and materials placed, label the room. This is especially important in a center based room. It should be clear to anyone who enters where the math center is and what is happening there. Make displays purposeful. Today's classroom should show active involvement in learning, not just cute displays and artwork. Let the room to reflect what is happening currently and update regularly. 11 Chapter 1 5. Literacy, Literacy, Literacy. Next when someone walks into the door what is the first thing that he or she will notice? Ideally that it is a literature rich classroom. The room should shout to the visitor, "We read here!" To foster a love of reading, books must be easily identified in every learning area. For example, in the science center the children have access to books about general science and the nonfiction theme they are learning about. Most of the books should be placed near and around the rug/meeting area. Books should be clearly organized and labeled according to theme or author. Pictures and words will help new readers. For example, if you have a theme basket about food, then the word food is accompanied by pictures of food. This will make clean up a breeze for you and the students. 12 Chapter 1 6. Personal Needs and Flair. Last, you want your room to feel comfortable to work in. It will be a reflection of your personality. Think about the material that you need quick access to, is it readily available? Rolling carts are great for dry erase markers, numbers, letters or any small material that you need to have nearby or may need to move. 7. Dividing the classroom into interest areas: The space is divided into interest areas or learning centers equipped for distinct kinds of play. The areas are chosen to reflect children's natural interests. 8. How teachers select materials for the interest areas: The materials in each interest area are carefully selected to reflect children's interests and developmental levels. Teachers choose many open-ended materials — materials that can be used in a variety of ways, such as blocks in all sizes, art materials, and fabric pieces. Teachers seek out natural, found, and recycled materials, such as shells, twigs, rocks, carpet pieces, used containers, and old clothes. 9. Teachers consider it especially important to have plenty of real items that reflect children's lives, for example, cooking tools, small appliances that no longer work, dress-up clothes, and other objects and tools from children's houses and yards. 13 Chapter 1 These items reflect children's home cultures and allow children to imitate adults. 10.Storage and labeling: To help children find and put away materials themselves, materials are stored in consistent places in the classroom, on low shelves or on the floor, and in containers that children can see into and handle. 11.Shelves and containers have labels that make sense to children; for example, the labels might contain words, drawings, tracings of the object, photos, or an example of the actual object. Consideration in planning classroom:  Importance of cooperative learning.  Importance of active learning.  size of your classroom.  How many children in your classroom?  Increasing role of technology in education.  Furniture divider.  Provides for learning Opportunities. (Accommodate a variety of learning styles) sit alone, beanbag chairs, rocking chair, comfortable stuffed chair, sit with peers.  meeting area. 14 Chapter 1  Ergonomic and comfortable for all who inhabit the space. (Physical needs, child size)  Safe furniture.  Pleasing furniture.  Storage. (Personal storage, containers)  High quality learning centers.  Effective environment (relation and support program) Home a like environment:  Welcoming to children  Divided into usable space for different functions.  Includes private places to escape.  Includes places for people to gather together.  Provides comfortable furniture and different types of seating.  Contains different types of lighting.  Filled with real. Functional items (dishes, pottery, pots and pans, tools)  Contains objects that have personal meaning such as framed art and collections of natural items.  Filled with images of inhabitants through photos and mirrors.  Includes living things (plants, flowers, animals)  Contains softness (rugs, pillows, wall hangings, curtains, tablecloths)  Provide richness of texture and color without being overwhelming.  Provides attention to detail. 15 Chapter 1  Contains beauty.  Reflects values of inhabitants.  Reflects of inhabitants Culture and ethnicity.  Reflects the surrounding social and cultural community.  Provides enough materials for all the children  Allows children to find, use, and return materials independently  Encourages different types of play  Allows the children to see and easily move through all the areas of the classroom or center  Is flexible so children can extend their play by bringing materials from one area to another  Provides materials that reflect the diversity of children’s family lives. Design Elements:  Softness.  Textures.  Color  Lighting  Celling  Walls  Design Palettes.  Varied surface levels  Noise  Crowding and density. 16 Chapter 1 Sample of Kindergarten classroom 17 Chapter 2 Chapter2 planning daily activities for kindergarten children 18 Chapter 2 How to plan daily activities for kindergarten children Children need time each day to play, read, eat, interact, and engage with the world around them. Designing your schedule and space to support effective routines helps promote children’s development and learning. we will focus on providing a schedule that is flexible but meets children’s need for routine and play.  Objectives  Identify the six elements of an effective schedule for preschool children.  Describe and design strategies to help children be successful in routines.  Identify parts of the day that may be most challenging for you and your preschoolers.  Develop a schedule that works for your classroom. What are Lesson Objectives? A lesson objective (or a teaching objective or a learning objective) is what the teacher wants the children to have learned or achieved by the end of a lesson. It's also known as a WALT (We Are Learning To). Learning objectives are often differentiated depending on the ability levels of students, and they should be such that children can see what they need to do to progress. Ideally, a learning objective should be something that children didn't know before the start of the lesson. That way, teachers can avoid any repetition in their classes. They should also look to continue from the work done in the previous lesson, and end where the next one is due to begin. Because of this, some 19 Chapter 2 teachers like to use planning overviews to help them organize their learning objectives. If this sounds like something you could use a hand with, then you might find it helpful to browse Twinkl Plan It. The importance of aims and objectives in teaching: It's important that children understand how the lesson fits into the greater scheme of learning, which many teachers take to mean that learning objectives can't just be written on the board. Rather, it implies engagement. So, when a child is learning independently, teachers often ask them to write the learning objective at the top of their page, so they know exactly what they are trying to achieve. A child might also receive a sheet with the learning objective written on it, which they are able to stick in their books. The real importance of aims and objectives in teaching is that it provides something measurable against which teachers can test the learning of their students. Without a measure, it is difficult to know whether the students have made progress. When a teacher has a clear goal, it is easier to communicate this to their students so that everyone in the classroom understands the purpose of the lesson. It is believed that this kind of understanding is a crucial factor in students' motivation, and correspondingly in their overall ability to make progress. Therefore, the importance of aims and objectives in teaching lies with how they serve both the teacher and the student. They are viewed as a critical part of effective assessment for learning as they help a teacher to plan their schemes of work. And if they reach the end of a lesson and they find out that not enough of their students made progress during the lesson, they can use this information to inform their future planning and use a similar lesson objective in the future. 20 Chapter 2 What is most important is that students are taught to recognize the importance of aims and objectives in teaching too. It's also key that they are taught to reflect on whether they think they have met it or not. We have a range of tools available at Twinkl to help teachers with that goal. For example, we have a set of helpful Visible Learning Reflection Traffic Lights Display Posters to use during your lessons. At the end, each child can stick their name on one of the 3 posters to show if they understand what has been taught. what are lesson objectives? Here are some examples of teaching objectives that you could use, depending on the subject that is being taught: 1. After a lesson about bullying, students should be able to explain the difference between a friend and a bully by writing a short paragraph. This should include a thesis statement as well as a call to action. 2. Students will be able to accurately describe their own scientific observations after a week-long terrarium unit. 3. After a lesson on storylines and narrative, students should be able to identify the rising action, climax, and falling action on a plot diagram. 4. Once students have finished an independent reading activity, they should be able to recommend the book that they read to other students and create a single-paragraph book review. 5. Students will be able to summarize their day's events in a personal journal once they have had a lesson on reflective writing. These Editable WILF WALT Display Signs can be displayed in your classroom. They are editable, meaning that you can decide what objectives you want these signs to say. These can 21 Chapter 2 also be useful in helping you to answer the question, "what are my lesson objectives?" How to write Lesson Objectives So, they're aware of what is expected of them during the lesson, children need to know the lesson objective. Because of this, teachers will often have the lesson objective written on the board before their lesson starts. As well as this, teachers usually write the lesson objective on their lesson plan to keep track of what they're teaching their children. Looking for guidance on how to write lesson objectives? Different schools, subjects, and teachers may all have slightly varying approaches. So, if you’re new to teaching or in need of a refresher, we’ve got some general guidance for creating an effective lesson objective. When you’re planning a lesson, you need to establish a clear objective. This objective must be clear to all the pupils. They’ll need to know: ▪ WHAT they are learning. ▪ WHY they are learning it. ▪ HOW it links to their wider learning. Ideally lesson objectives should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relative and Timely. Only at the end of the lesson, or series of lessons, will you know for sure if your lesson objective was specific enough to be measured through some form of assessment. Lesson objectives should also be specific statements of what learners will be able to do by the end of the lesson. They are not the activities or outcomes of the lesson, but the learning gained from those activities and outcomes. 22 Chapter 2 To know how to write a lesson objective, you need to be clear about what you want pupils to be able to do or know by the end of the lesson. You also need to know their prior learning. This will help you to design a learning sequence in your planning that takes them from what they already know (or can do) to the next level. Once you’re clear on what learning needs to take place, you can formulate your lesson objective. It’s also a good idea to keep the primary national curriculum handy to ensure your lesson objective corresponds with the aims set out for your year group and the subject you’re teaching. As we’ve already mentioned, a great way to frame your lesson objective is to use the initialism WALT or ‘We are learning to….”. The key for writing good objectives is to keep them clear and challenging enough for all learners. Step 1: Identify the noun or noun phrase for what you what the children to learn. e.g. adjectives Step 2: Use Bloom’s Taxonomy to decide on the level of learning. e.g. comprehension Step 3: Identify a measurable verb from Bloom’s Taxonomy. e.g. describe Step 4: Add additional information to add context to the learning. e.g. We are learning to describe a cave using adjectives, and explain our ideas. What is Bloom’s Taxonomy Bloom’s Taxonomy is a classification of the different outcomes and skills that educators set for their students (learning outcomes). The taxonomy was proposed in 1956 by Benjamin Bloom, an educational psychologist at the University of Chicago. The terminology has been recently updated to include the 23 Chapter 2 following six levels of learning. These 6 levels can be used to structure the learning outcomes, lessons, and assessments of your course: ▪ Remembering: Retrieving, recognizing, and recalling relevant knowledge from long‐term memory. ▪ Understanding: Constructing meaning from oral, written, and graphic messages through interpreting, exemplifying, classifying, summarizing, inferring, comparing, and explaining. ▪ Applying: Carrying out or using a procedure for executing, or implementing. ▪ Analyzing: Breaking material into constituent parts, determining how the parts relate to one another and to an overall structure or purpose through differentiating, organizing, and attributing. ▪ Evaluating: Making judgments based on criteria and standards through checking and critiquing. ▪ Creating: Putting elements together to form a coherent or functional whole; reorganizing elements into a new pattern or structure through generating, planning, or producing. Like other taxonomies, Bloom’s is hierarchical, meaning that learning at the higher levels is dependent on having attained prerequisite knowledge and skills at lower levels. You will see Bloom’s Taxonomy often displayed as a pyramid graphic to help demonstrate this hierarchy. We have updated this pyramid into a “cake-style” hierarchy to emphasize that each level is built on a foundation of the previous levels. 24 Chapter 2 Here’s a handy table of sample verbs to help you with choosing a measurable verb: You can find our more about lesson planning with our informative Teaching Wiki. And if you need ideas for how to make learning activities more engaging, take a look at our Teaching Wiki all about Teaching/Learning Materials (TLM). 25 Chapter 2 Daily Kindergarten schedule:  Preschool children are sensitive to their settings, and their behaviors and interactions with other children and adults are often different in different situations (Vitiello, Booren, Downer, & Williford, 2012). This means that preschool-age children are likely to have unique learning experiences when involved in various types of activities. To help preschool children develop the diverse skills they need to succeed, they should be exposed to different settings and activities throughout the school day. Providing a daily schedule will “allow for long, focused investigation periods and clear routines that children can count on for communicating with peers in whole-group experiences, some in which all will gather to discuss topics and processes related to the emergent inquiry,” (Broderick & Hong, 2020, p. 11).  Creating an effective schedule is like putting together a puzzle or a favorite recipe. There are certain “ingredients,” or 26 Chapter 2 elements that go into an effective schedule. The order and style of those elements are up to you. This lesson will introduce you to the six elements of an effective schedule. Then you will have a chance to consider how best to arrange these pieces for your classroom. The schedule is the big picture of the main activities you and the children engage in daily. Routines, on the other hand, are the steps done along the way to complete the schedule. Routines help provide a pattern and predictability to one’s day. Both elements help to promote autonomy and self-regulation in children. This lesson will also address how to create and support your classroom routines.  Elements of an Effective Schedule  There are six elements of an effective schedule. They are  Free-Choice Time  Outdoor Time  Large Group Activities  Small Group Activities  Transitions  Routines 1. Free-Choice Time Children need many opportunities to engage in play and to follow their interests. An easy and effective way to provide these opportunities in the preschool classroom is to give children free- choice time. Free-choice time is time during the school day in which children make their own choices about what activities they engage in. Typically, this involves children choosing to play at 27 Chapter 2 one or more interest areas in the classroom (see Lesson One for more about interest areas). The teacher’s role during free-choice time is to make sure each child has the opportunity to pursue their interests and to make the most of these learning opportunities. This can involve monitoring the number of children at each interest area to ensure certain areas are not overwhelmed and making yourself available to children to support their activities. Children learn best during free-choice time when teachers actively scaffold their learning (Chien et al., 2010). According to research that has looked at preschool children’s behavior in different settings and activities throughout the school day, children are more involved in activities that allow them independence and the opportunity to make choices. For example, Vitiello et al. (2012) found that children are more engaged with activities during free-choice time than they are during teacher-structured activities. This can likely be explained by the fact that children are more likely to remain interested and to keep working at an activity when they chose the activity in the first place, rather than the teacher choosing the activity for them. In free-choice time, preschoolers were also more engaged with their peers (Vitiello et al., 2012). Research tells us children who are more engaged in activities with their peers early on do better in school when they are older.  A substantial portion of the day should be dedicated to free- choice time in the classroom because this time is especially important for preschoolers. In most programs that operate eight hours or more, this means at least 60 minutes (Cryer, Harms, & Riley, 20012) should be dedicated to free-choice activities. This amount of time is critical for preschool-age children to engage in lengthy play ideas. The goal is active engagement. The materials 28 Chapter 2 you provide and your supportive interactions with children can help them become and stay engaged and can help children reach learning goals. 2. Outdoor Time Like indoor free-choice time, outdoor time is also an important part of the preschool day. Outdoor time is similar to free-choice time as it often allows children to direct their own play and learning and to follow their interests. In addition, preschool children are highly engaged with activities and in play with other children during outdoor time (Vitiello et al., 2012). However, unlike free-choice time in the classroom, outdoor time allows for greater opportunities to strengthen large muscles and interactions with the natural world. Research shows children who spend more time outdoors are more physically active and, therefore, less likely to suffer from health problems in the future (Hinkley, Crawford, Salmon, Okely, & Hesketh, 2008). At least 60 minutes per day should be spent outdoors, weather permitting, for programs that operate eight hours or more (Cryer, Harms, & Riley, 20012). In full-day programs, this amount of time should be spent outdoors in both the morning and the afternoon. Outdoor time can take different forms. In some preschools, children may have access to an outdoor fixed playground area in which they can choose where and how to play. Children often are most physically active when they play with portable equipment such as balls and bicycles, regardless of whether or not they have access to fixed playgroup equipment. Teachers can provide these types of equipment, as well as other traditional outdoor toys like chalk and bubbles and create outdoor interest areas for children to choose from. 29 Chapter 2 Many of the same materials you provide indoors can be used to promote engagement outdoors as well. In addition to traditional outdoor toys like bikes, balls, and chalk, consider providing dramatic play props, sand and water tables, pencils and paper, a basket of books in the shade, and blocks or natural materials for building. Also consider bringing the class pet (like a rabbit) outdoors if appropriate. Doing these things will help children stay actively engaged and provide opportunities to extend their learning. 3. Large-Group Activities Preschool children also benefit from large-group activities that are initiated by a teacher. These activities involve instruction or discussion focused on building children’s inquiry, academic, and social skills. Many interesting things can happen during large-group time. This time provides an opportunity to read stories to the group, sing songs, discuss the daily schedule or calendar, encourage children to share special events or items, welcome a guest visitor or new child, and build classroom community. Research shows that teacher-guided, large-group time may be especially important for helping preschoolers develop early literacy skills. Large-group time can also help children strengthen their skills in paying attention and learning to control their behaviors. It is important to remember that teacher-directed large- group times should be kept short. Young children learn best if group times are 15 to 20 minutes or less (Hemmeter, Ostrosky, Artman, & Kinder, 2008). 30 Chapter 2 4. Small-Group Activities Small-group activities offer a chance to focus on important learning goals in a personal setting. These types of activities are ideal for promoting children’s active engagement. Wait time is reduced because fewer children are involved, and children get to spend more time actively manipulating materials. Small-group activities also allow children to interact with their peers combined with one-on-one attention from the teacher. This time provides opportunities for teachers to observe and document the ways children interact with the materials and can help determine a focus for inquiry. There are many ways teachers can use small-group activities to promote engagement and learning. Teachers may read a story during small groups, offer a science experiment, work on an art project, play a board game with children, or do any other activity that requires extra adult attention. Similar to large-group activities, small-group time should be kept to 15 minutes or less per group. Small groups are a perfect option to have available during center or free-choice time. 5. Transitions Transitions are unavoidable in preschool classrooms. There are times during the day when children must stop one activity and start another, for example, cleaning up interest areas and lining up to go outside. Transitions are often a difficult part of the preschool day, and child engagement can be low during this time. Even though some transitions are necessary, teachers can do their best to minimize transitions and keep children engaged. Both preventive and individualized strategies can help create smooth transitions. 31 Chapter 2 To minimize transitions, consider all of the activities in your day that require all children to do the same thing at the same time. First, ask yourself: Are all of these transition times necessary? For example, the importance of small-group time was mentioned above. However, this does not mean that small-group time needs to be a separate block of time in the preschool day. Instead, you could make children’s free-choice time longer and include small-group activities as choices within the free-choice time period. That would allow you to eliminate the transition between free-choice time and small-group time. Next, ask yourself: Do all of the children need to do the same thing at the same time during transitions? For example, consider the transition between large-group time and snack time. Instead of sending all the children to wash their hands at the same time, perhaps you can send a few children at a time to wash their hands while you keep the rest of the children engaged with songs or discussions. Then, when a child returns from washing hands, you can indicate that it is the next child’s turn. You can also consider whether some children can transition on their own. For snack time, you could decrease the number of whole-group transitions by offering “open snack.” Here, teachers simply prepare the snack table and offer it as a choice where children come and go from this space as they are ready. Sometimes, an adult sits at the table to assist. In other classrooms, independence is promoted by laying out placemats or picture cards to indicate how much food to take and what to do when you are finished. In addition, some teachers create a checklist on which children can mark whether they ate snack; this can help teachers track which children may need reminders to try snack before that option is closed. Open snack can not only decrease 32 Chapter 2 transitions but can help teach children to be aware of the signs of hunger or thirst within their own bodies and gives them greater control over meeting those needs. There are also other ways to keep children positively engaged during transitions. Like adults, children appreciate knowing ahead of time when a change is coming. Before the end of an activity, it may be helpful to give children a “5-minute warning” when there are 5 minutes left before it is time to clean up. You can use child-friendly tools like a timer to help children know when the transition will occur. Singing songs with accompanying movements (e.g., hand clapping) during transitions such as clean up or handwashing may help keep children focused on what they are doing and prevent long waiting times in which children have nothing to do. Finally, make sure to have materials such as books, puzzles, and puppets available for children who are waiting to begin the next activity. 6. Routines Routines are an important part of the classroom day. Routines in preschool classrooms include things such as arrival time, bathroom time, clean-up time, naptime, and departure time. Many routines, such as meals or group time, are necessary and helpful to building a consistent classroom community. Planning is the key to successful routines and the routines should match the children’s stage of development. For preschool children, this means that routines should support children’s developing abilities to do things on their own but should not be too complicated for prschoolers to learn and remember. Some children engage in these routines with no problems. Other children have a harder time. There are things you can do to help all children make the most of these daily routines. First, you 33 Chapter 2 need to think carefully about what you want children to do. Think of a routine like morning arrival. What do you want children to do when they enter the room? Be specific and consider using a predictable sequence instead: Sign in, put coat in cubby, wash hands, and find a quiet activity in an open interest area. See how these details could help all children be more successful? It is often helpful to plan your routines as if you need to explain them to a new teacher or child. What details would that individual need to know? If children are struggling with a particular routine, it can be helpful to observe where the routine breaks down. Think about a routine that your class struggles with. Maybe children in your class have a hard time during drop-off. Spend some time watching the children as they arrive. Do they complete any of the steps?  What directions do you find yourself repeating over and over? If you watch the children and notice that they often stop to look at toys or greet friends before they put their coats away, this gives you important information. This probably means your room is set up in a way that creates distraction in the morning routine. Perhaps cubbies are too far away from the door. Perhaps the walkway to the cubbies goes straight through interest areas where children congregate. Think about designing your room in such a way that it guides children into successful routines. There is a clear path from the door to the sign-in sheet, then to the cubbies, then to the sinks, and finally the room opens up.  Think the same way about other routines.  Are snack spaces situated near the sinks and kitchen supplies? 34 Chapter 2  Are extra clothes near the restroom?  Are garbage cans located conveniently around the room?  All of these factors can help ease transitions and minimize distractions.  The best routines have a clear beginning and end. For example, for a mealtime routine, children will know “I wash my hands, sit at the table, sing a rhyme with the class, eat my food, clean up, and brush my teeth.” Do not forget that adults need to teach children these routines directly. Also, remember you can use songs or visual supports to help routines. Examples include color-coded feet on the floor so children know where to stand when lining up to go outside or a series of pictures and words to remind children the proper steps in handwashing.  Communicate Your Schedule  Once you have designed an effective schedule, it is important to communicate this schedule to the children and other adults. You can eliminate many problems simply by helping children understand the schedules and routines in the classroom. The best way to do this in a preschool classroom is through a visual schedule. Visual schedules use pictures or objects to represent times of the day. Often these pictures are combined with words to help encourage preliteracy skills.  Visual schedules work best when they are part of your daily routine. They are helpful as reminders for all children, but especially useful when a new child is going to transition into the classroom or when a personal event may make a child cling to something familiar. Here are ideas to make a schedule work for you: 35 Chapter 2  Make it a part of your daily routine. Mention it at the beginning and end of each large-group activity.  Make it fun. As you finish an activity, let children remove that schedule piece, turn it over or put a checkmark on it with erasable marker.  Give children choices. Let the class vote on how to arrange your schedule together as a group each morning. For example, ask them whether story time should come before or after snack.  Provide a job chart. This enables children to feel they have an active role in the classroom, and it allows them to actively demonstrate responsibility.  Individualize it. Consider making individual picture schedules for children who are struggling. You could make a circle-time schedule, a center (or interest area) time schedule, or a full daily schedule for a child who needs extra reminders about where to go and when.  Remember to create a schedule to share with adult coworkers and families, too. This can be typed and posted on a bulletin board or sent home to families. Consider their feedback. Everyone feels better when they know what to expect each day. How you organize your time is just as important as how you organize the space in your classroom! It is essential to provide a schedule that is structured yet flexible enough to meet children’s needs. Watch this video to learn about the six components of an effective schedule for preschool children: free-choice time, outdoor time, large-group time, small-group time, transitions, and routines. 36 Chapter 2 Here are tips to help you make the most of your day: ▪ Provide at least 60 minutes of free-choice time each day. Move around to support learning goals while children engage in interest areas. ▪ Provide at least 60 minutes of outdoor time each day. Provide many of the same indoor interest areas outdoors. ▪ Keep large- and small-group times short. A total of 15-20 minutes is best. ▪ Keep children engaged during transitions. Problem behaviors are most likely to occur during wait time. ▪ Provide warnings before transitions. Although children may be used to the sequence of routines in your classroom, many young children may find it challenging to switch immediately to a new activity, especially if they really enjoy what they are currently working on. Giving auditory or visual cues you are about to transition to another part of the day (e.g., “clean-up time is in 5 minutes”) can make these transition times easier. ▪ Use visual supports to help children know what to do and to stay engaged. For example, attaching color-coded feet on the floor can give children a place to stand and be an instant color- matching activity. ▪ Incorporate movement and music into daily routines and transitions: fly like a bee to the door, gallop like a horse, copy a clapping pattern, or sing a silly clean-up song. ▪ If a child struggles with transitions, give the child an important job such as helping set the table, inspecting the interest areas to make sure they are clean, or giving transition warnings to classmates. ▪ Be structured in your classroom routines. Predictable routines help children know what to expect and to feel secure. The 37 Chapter 2 security children feel by knowing what to expect allows them to fully engage in play and learning in the classroom. ▪ Be flexible in your classroom routines. Both structure and flexibility are important. If a routine is not working, rethink it! Be comfortable with making the most of unexpected events. Flexibility still implies that you are following a plan; you can simply stretch or shorten the amount of time you spend on each activity. If there will be a change in the daily schedule for some reason (e.g., a special visitor that day), make sure children are aware of the change, and include visual cues about schedule changes whenever possible. ▪ Make sure the physical environment supports your routines. For example, move personal storage or morning check-in as needed to support arrival routines. ▪ Teach all children the skills to navigate routines by using the following strategies: ▪ Modeling: Demonstrate steps in the routine to the child while explaining aloud what you are doing (e.g., handwashing). ▪ Using Peer Partners: Ask a child who knows a routine well to demonstrate the routine to the child who is struggling. ▪ Using Prompts: Although you have visual supports for routines in your classroom, some children may benefit from verbal reminders regarding specific steps (e.g., for handwashing: “OK, you have turned off the water. What is the next step?”) ▪ Giving Encouragement: Provide specific, positive feedback when the child navigates a routine successfully (e.g., “I saw that when you came to school today you went straight to your cubby and put your things away”). 38 Chapter 2 What Should A Typical Kindergarten Schedule Look Like? ▪ Important Factors To Consider While Planning a Kindergarten Schedule ▪ Now that we understand the importance of a kindergarten schedule, let’s quickly look at some factors we must consider while planning a nursery timetable for the little one. ▪ Decide whether you want to have a half-day or full-day kindergarten schedule. ▪ Make sure it is easy for your child to comprehend. ▪ Balance it in such a way that children have a chance to work on open-ended activities that allow for creative thought. ▪ Each activity should be given adequate time, including some transition time as well. ▪ Think and include some daily activities you wish your child to practice. ▪ The schedule should be flexible in case there is a special event or for activities to continue, if the child is interested and not ready to move on to the next activity. ▪ Ensure that you explain the schedule to the children so that they know what to expect next. ▪ Once you figure out the schedule, make sure you create some sort of visual schedule somewhere for the kids to reference and for you to refer as well. ▪ List all of the daily “non-negotiable” times, for example, lunchtime, that you cannot avoid. 39 Chapter 2 ▪ Plan activities in such a way that they are built in harmony with each other. ▪ Make sure to plan the ending of the day in such a manner that it is flexible. ▪ A schedule should never be set in stone. Notice behaviour changes in your child and detect patterns. Tweak the schedule if required. Sample of Full-Day Kindergarten Schedule Let’s take a look at the sample preschool schedule that is commonly followed by schools. You can use this one to make a personalized schedule for your child. 1. Arrival & Morning Routine (8:00 am – 9:00 am) Utilise this hour in the morning to get the kids all ready for their day and kickstart their learning adventure. Children then arrive at school and are all set to have a productive day ahead. 2. Morning Prayer & Calendar Time (9:00 am – 9:45 am) Children, along with teachers, recite a morning prayer and greet their friends. After this, the teacher shares any announcements for the day and goes over the daily schedule, letting children know what special activities they have ahead of them. A teacher can sometimes also write the schedule on a board. It helps children to have some kind of visual representation to go refer to for each part of the day. 40 Chapter 2 The teacher also talks about the day and date, and also if it’s a special day, like children’s day, teacher’s day, etc., highlighting the a date in the calendar and time in the schedule for the same. 3. Phonemic/Phonics Lesson (9:45 am – 10:15 am) As the kids become attentive and ready to learn, phonemic/phonic lessons can be gradually introduced to children, if not already covered. A teacher can also incorporate visual aids, like an anchor chart or images, for this. This makes the learning process a fun and engaging for children. 4. Free Play (10:15 am – 10:45 am) After a little warm-up lesson, kids have a little free play time. Here they do whatever they want, like drawing or playing with toys. This is done in teachers’ presence. 5. Transition & Poem A teacher uses transition songs/poems to reinforce embracing learning and sitting in the study area. Children recite and revise the poems they have previously learned or are introduced to new poems/rhymes songs. 6. Snack Break (11:15 am – 11:30 am) Time for the little minds to take a break and eat something. It’s not a lunch break, but a small mini break where kids can have small healthy snacks and also relax. 7. Read Aloud (11:30 am – 12:00 pm) 41 Chapter 2 A teacher reads stories aloud to kids. This gives the children a chance to work on their listening skills and this eventually increases their attention span and concentration power as well. 8. Writing & Sight Words (12:00 pm – 12:30 pm) Here children are encouraged to engage in some independent creative activities, like writing letters. A teacher can also introduce or revise some sight words with kids during this time. 9. Lunch (12:30 pm – 1:00 pm) Time to take a break so that kids can have lunch. Kids are taught to sit comfortably and have their meal, while trying to have their lunch independently and sitting for the meal’s duration. 10. Math Lesson (1:00 pm -1:20 pm) Time to teach kids some early math concepts, like counting, name of basic shapes, etc... This helps them think, visualize, and try things on their own) 11. Specials (1:20 pm – 2:00 pm) Here children are encouraged to focus on special activities like art, music, or dance. This helps them unwind, let loose and explore some movement or flow of creative juices. 12. Science Or Social Science (2:00 pm – 2:30 pm) Children are taught something related to science, like float and sink, or current affairs to keep them updated about what’s 42 Chapter 2 happening around them. This helps broaden their horizons, not think but still be introduced to new things. 13. Dismissal (2:30 pm – 3:00 pm) Children gather their books and get ready to go home on a happy note. A good, phased exit, gives them time to collect their belongings, meet their mates, and prepare to go home. The kindergarten schedule is such a totally different world compared to other grades. With little children ones, it becomes a lot trickier. We hope the information we covered above about the kindergarten schedule will help you learn about kindergarten schedule. 43 Chapter 2 3 44 Chapter 2 Make changes from activities or locations- even though some changes flow more smoothly than others. It is when children are unsure problems occur. Some of the daily routines are arrival, washing and toileting, resting, eating, and departure. Arrival Time: children who have an arrival time routine is particularly important in helping children adjust quickly to classroom life. (We use the term “arrival time” to mean the twenty minutes or so between a child’s entrance and the start of the morning). you can communicate what children should do when they arrive: ▪ Put things like coats and backpacks away. ▪ “Sign in” on the attendance chart. 45 Chapter 2 ▪ Say hello to your friends. ▪ Do your job, if it is one that can be done during this time. 46 Chapter 2 Welcoming the Children: We all like to be welcomed because it makes us feel special. Teachers and caregivers can make the children in their program feel special- and get the day started right- by providing a warm welcome for each and every arriving child. Especially warning is the sound of one’s own name, which children love to hear. Simply saying, “Good morning (Marwa)” Following are some suggestions that could be used as welcomed activities: Good morning to you Ready: Use this simple welcoming song as you greet the children one-on one at the door. The tuner is a familiar one and sentiment is simple, yet effective, for getting the day stated on the right foot. Set: look directly at the child as you sing. Go: sing the following to the tune of “Happy Birthday” Good Morning to you Good Morning to you Good Morning dear Amal Good Morning to you 47 Chapter 2 48 Chapter 2 Sharing Accomplishments with parents: Arrival time gives children a chance to share their work. A block building that a child has been working on for days, an entry in a writing journal, a new painting that demonstrates emerging artistic skills- those are all accomplishments a young child may be eager to talk about. During arrival time, you might also encourage children and their parents to: ▪ Read a favorite story together. ▪ Review the morning schedule. ▪ Visit the pets. ▪ Admire work the children have done in the centers. Gathering News of the Day: Collecting children’s “news of the day” is anothe -r effective arrival time activity, one that supports their emerging literacy.By asking children for their news, you give them a chance to talk about what’s happening in their lives outside the classroom. Children will talk about all kinds of things such as a shopping trip, a movie, even what they had for dinner. 49 Chapter 2 Other Arrival- Time Activities: Between the time parents leave and morning meeting begins, children should be able to choose from a limited number of free-choice activities that require little clean-up. News of the day is one. Others include: ▪ Working with play dough. ▪ Drawing and writing. ▪ Looking at books in the library area. ▪ Building with math manipulative at a table. Introducing Class Pets: As children become comfortable in their new classroom, you might want to introduce class pets. Pets provide an opportunity to teach how to care for living things that are dependent on us. Goldfish and tropical fish require more maintenance than snails. Parents or Local pet store owners may be willing to share their knowledge with you. Morning Meeting: Helping children function well in a group should be a 50 Chapter 2 vital part of any early childhood curriculum. Morning meeting- the time when the class gathers together on the rug to discuss the day, its schedule, and other issues- provides just the right setting for such lessons. It’s the perfect context for teaching children how to behave confidently and fairly in a group, and how to take turns talking and listening to each other. 51 Chapter 2 Meeting Manners: Just as children are taught table manners, they need to be taught meeting manners. This may not be as easy as it sounds, especially when it comes to talking in turns and listening to one another. Meeting Agenda: What do you talk about during morning meeting? Structuring the discussion around children’s interests and your expectations is a good rule of thumb. News of the Day Reading the news of the day, which you can collect from students at arrival time, is a good way to begin Daily Schedule: Creating a Schedule That Children Can Use: To help children learn their daily schedule, hang a set of cards on the wall, window, or bulletin board in the meeting area every morning, before the children arrive. On each card, draw a picture that represents one of the day’s activities, and write the 52 Chapter 2 word for the activity below the picture. Make sure the cards are large enough so that the children can see them easily. After a few weeks of reviewing the schedule you can post all the cards before the children arrive. Ask volunteers to read the cards as you point to them. Once the children can recognize the words, ask questions like, “what comes before music? What is the last thing we will do today? After recess, where do we go? “This is a good way to foster a greater understanding of terms such as “before”, “after”, “next”, “last”, and “first”. 53 Chapter 2 Morning Message: After you’ve covered the day’s schedule, direct the children’s attention to the morning message, which is best presented on a chart of oversized lined paper. you can use colored markers and pictures You can use colored markers and pictures cues with young children to help them make sense of words. Write the message, either Notice before school or during the morning arrival time. A simple, consistent message is most understandable. If you always begin with a “hello” sentence written in the same color, children will quickly learn how to read it, even though they may not yet know the names of the letters in the sentence, or the difference even between letters and words. 54 Chapter 2 Weather Calendar: In many early childhood classrooms, teachers devote much of morning meeting to discussing dates, days of the week, and months of the year, but these concepts can be very abstrac to many young children. Instead, you may want to use calendar to record the weather. Kindergarten children often draw suns, clouds, raindrops, and snowmen. If a child’s drawing doesn’t capture the weather clearly, ask her for a word that describes it and write it below her picture 55 Chapter 2 Class Jobs: In the beginning of the school year, you should spend part of meeting time reviewing the job chart. Ask each child to read the chart and tell the group what jobs he has for the week and at what point in the day he plans to carry it out. Discussing jobs during meeting allows you to remind children of their responsibilities and to explain what particular tasks entail. 56 Chapter 2 Assigning Jobs: If you want your students to feel powerful in their new classroom, they need to know that there are many things they can do on their own. In the first few weeks, they will have learned to store classroom materials and personal materials, use the attendance chart, and keep track of the day’s schedule. Children have a new job assignment every month, so Teachers have to assign new jobs only 8 times each year, and keeping track on a class list on their computers. They have 10 minutes at the end of the day for “Job Time” and don’t line up for dismissal until the room is clean and jobs are done. To help children identify their job assignments, create a pocket chart. Line pockets up in rows of three or four, allowing extra space at the bottom for adding jobs later in the school year. Under each pocket, write the job title. On each pocket, draw a representative picture..  Classroom Helpers I divide the children into 6 groups for the school year. Each group is represented by a color. There are 6 jobs and 6 groups (6 colors). I make a small poster listing the jobs. Next to 57 Chapter 2 the job is a piece of velcro. I attach the color cards to the velcro. The people in that color group do the job for the week. Each week the color cards are rotated so that by week 7 everyone has had a turn doing each job. My jobs are attendance and lunch count, helper, line leader and caboose, librarian, and janitor. Because the students have a week to do the job they are able to decide among themselves how they will share the job in their group. They are usually very cooperative and the teacher doesn’t need to remember which individual is doing what. 58 Chapter 2  Managing Classroom Jobs, Behavior I have a pocket chart with five rows, and five columns. Each column is labeled a day of the week, to be used for daily helpers. Each row is labeled with moveable arrows attached to clothespins. The classroom chores, such as Leader, Messenger, and Clean-up… are labeled and moved at the beginning of each week. Each pocket is labeled with a Velcro tag with each child’s name. Each morning, the children place a blue crayon to show they are present. I give out color changes for misbehavior. (Green – time out) (Yellow – miss one activity) (Red – miss two activities) (Black –office or call home). I explain these colors like a traffic light: green – go; yellow – slow; red – stop. 59 Chapter 2 60 Chapter 2 New Materials: At morning meeting, you might also discuss new materials you’ve brought into the classroom. For example, if you’re introducing as measuring cups, show the cups, explain what they are, and ask the children where they should be stored. Some children may want them in the sand/water table. Others might suggest the cooking center. When all suggestions are in, have the children vote. Explain that the suggestion that gets the most votes wins. Later, as a class you can decide if the measuring cups should be moved. Preparation for center work (learning centers, learning corners) Morning meeting can also be used to advise children on ways to extend activities at different centers. If the children have been playing house in the dramatic play area. For instance, ask the group for others ideas. One child might propose playing supermarket. Another, bringing a sick pet to the vet. Let the group vote and proclaim the result, “Today, if you want to go to the dramatic- play center, it will be a vet’s office. After twenty to thirty minutes of sitting, most children are 61 Chapter 2 eager to get up and move. Sending them off to work in centers shouldn’t be difficult. At the beginning of the year, it’s important to reserve the end of morning meeting for reviewing choices children have for work more time and helping them make their selections. As the school year progresses, children will become more independent about figuring out where they can go. Regardless of the time of year, though, center options must be clear for the children to make informed choices. Clean up Time or (Washing & Toileting) Clean up is important part of work time because it determines how quickly and easily children will be able to begin working at the center the next day. It also determines how quickly and easily children move to the next activity of the day. Introducing an efficient clean-up routine can be slow going at the beginning of the year, but spending time to build competence will pay off in the long run. Moreover, there are some centers have specific times they encourage children to wash and use the toilet (before eating, 62 Chapter 2 resting, or outside times). Some children need to be reminded frequently to use the toilet and wash their hands and other children recognize and meet their own needs.  Clean-Up Signals: To let children, know that cleanup time is approach in it’s important to pick an easily identifiable signal to use near the end of work time. The room will be noisy because children are working in all centers. A song, or bell, or even a xylo phone maybe difficult to hear. A better signal may be a flip of the lights. Have your students practice responding to the signal by stopping what they’re doing and being silent. Tell them to look for you by the light switch and to listen for an important announcement. Then, let them know they have five more minutes until clean up. 63 Chapter 2 When those five minutes are up, ask the child in charge of giving the official signal to do his job. Wash Your Hands Song | Music for Kids | The Singing Walrus - YouTube 64 Chapter 2  Clapping Patterns: Other teachers use a clapping pattern. At clean-up, you begin clapping out a rhythmic pattern. As the children hear it, they join in. Once everyone is clapping ask the group to stop, and then make your announcement. Rest Time: Young children tire easily. Rest is often the only time during the school day when they can relax, make up for lost sleep, and recover from the work of socializing with so many peers.Setting children down can be a challenge, Often, they find it difficult to lie still and be quite among friends or in a place other than home. But rest is essential in pre-k and kindergarten, and it’s up to you to make sure al the children get about forty- five minutes of it a day. Before we share suggestions about how to help children rest, though, we want to clarify why rest is so important. You’ve probably heard parents ask, “Why do you let the children sleep when they could be doing something important like learning alphabet?” Convincing parents that children should rest maybe you first big challenge. 65 Chapter 2 66 Chapter 2  The ABCs of Catching Some ZZZs There aren’t many children who can fall asleep anytime or anywhere. At the beginning of the year, encourage children to bring a soft toy and small blanket from home, to help them feel secure. Most children will choose to leave a security object at school some, However may choose to shuttle their very favorite object between home and school. That’s okay, as long as they reminded to bring it in each day.  Stories security Toys and blankets: Where you store these objects is important. Many state and local health departments require teachers to store children’s blankets separately. If children have individual cubbies, use them as safe, hygienic spots for blankets and toys.  Preparing the Rest: Finding enough space for children to lie down may be a problem, too, especially if you have a small room. But if they clean up well after morning work time, you can use the block and meeting areas for rest. 67 Chapter 2  Setting the Mood: Lower the shades, turn off the lights in stages, put smoothing music on your tape or CD player, and ask children to use their “quiet” voices as they settle down. Don’t expect children to stop talking right away; give them time to slide gradually into the silence of rest. Say things such as, In five minutes, it will be time to stop talking” or “In two more minutes, I’m going to turn off the last night, and then it will be time to stop talking.” You might also try reading chapter books to the non- sleepers, without showing the pictures. Encourage children to create pictures in their minds as you read.After you’ve read for twenty or twenty five minutes, walk around the room and give any remaining children who are awake picture books or magazines to look at on their own. You might also consider giving them small puzzles or buckets containing legos, table blocks, or connecting cubes. Just be sure to tell them to play quietly because other children are still sleeping. 68 Chapter 2 Eating/Snack/Lunch Time: Eating can be a special time, but it also provides a time for relaxation and nourishment. Short day programs may provide only a snack; however, long day programs usually provide a morning snack (or breakfast), lunch, and an afternoon snack, providing part of the total daily nutritional requirements for each child. Eating experiences can help the child become familiar with different kinds of food, practice group living (manners), and learn about foods and customs of other people. Snack time is an important part of the school day because it gives children a chance to refuel on many levels: physically, socially, and emotionally. When they sit down to break bread, they get a much-needed break from the business of learning. This is their time to relax and revitalize. 69 Chapter 2  Scheduling: If your class has lunch around noon, It’s best to schedule a snack for mind-morning. But if lunch happens mid-to late- morning, as some do, then schedule snack time in the afternoon. For children who say in the classroom past three o’clock, serving another snack in the late afternoon is a good idea. Regardless of when you schedule snack time, allow about twenty minutes so the children have ample time to converse, eat and clean up.  Setting Up: Once you’ve decided on the right time for snacks, assign helpers to set the tables and distribute food. If you use a job chart, your helpers will be able to identify themselves easily. Snack helpers usually need adult supervision to set up. Give them cups and napkins and ask them to place a settings to in front of each chair at the tables. As children match the number of settings to the number of chairs, they develop an awareness of one to one correspondence. To give snack helpers the time and space to do their jobs, have another adult read a story to the rest of the class in the 70 Chapter 2 meeting area, away from the tables, before snack time begins.  What’s the snack? What you serve can be as simple as crackers and juice or as complicated as homemade muffins and fresh-squeezed orange juice. If you have appliances in your classroom, as well as the time, desire, and license to cook with children, the snack menu can vary considerably. Whenever possible, make things from scratch.  Get Cooking: Cooking is reading, math and science all rolled into one. By doing it in small groups, you can introduce many important skills: reading for specific purposes, measuring ingredients, and observing how properties change as concoctions are mixed, blended, baked, boiled, roasted, fried, or frozen. Select recipes yourself and invite children to bring some from home. After gathering the ingredients you need, read the recipe aloud from a chart. Too help younger children to decode the text, make sure pictures represent procedures clearly. 71 Chapter 2 Departure/ Dismissal Time: This period of time children are getting ready to go home. So gather the children on the rug for the final meeting of the day. If they’ve been working independently, they’ll want to discuss what they’ve done. You may need to talk to them about a notice to parents explaining a field trip, a school event, or any number of things. And finally, you and the children need to say goodbye.  Summing Up the Day: When everyone is one the rug, you could begin by reading a short story. A story can help settle the group and gives you another chance to share a favorite piece of children’s literature with them. If there isn’t time for a story , you might read a poem or lead one more song. You can also have children report daily news. Ask them to suggest significant events that should be entered on the calendar. For example, “Thomas built a really tall building in the block area.” “Adriane held the rabbit for the first time.” “Jana, Noor, and Gamila made muffins for snack time.” The 72 Chapter 2 day’s “news reporter” decides on the one item to record for the day. Instead of showing the children the “correct” way to spell each word, accept what they tell you. By using developmental spelling like this, you give the children an important message: it’s okay to write only the letters or the sounds you hear. Teaching Suggestions: Following are some suggestions that could be used:  Quiet Game This “quiet game” might help during dismissal…. the kids love it and most importantly, it’s QUIET. All you need is a Nerf ball. The children spread out in the room. One person (usually the winner of the previous game) gets to make the rules i.e. throw underhand, throw overhand, right arm stays behind your back, catch with left hand and then throw with right hand, etc. The children take turns throwing the ball to a classmate. If the classmate misses or does not catch/throw the ball correctly, he or she is out and must sit down. The children must also stay in their original position. If anyone talks or makes a noise they are automatically out. The last person standing is the winner 73 Chapter 2 and gets to make the rules for the next game. 74 Chapter 2  Use a song I use a song to dismiss my students. I constantly have music playing in my classroom and the students know the cue to clean up for dismissal. This takes a lot of practice but is quite impressive when the students can do it. 75 Chapter 2 76 Chapter 2 77 Chapter 2 78 Chapter 2 79 Chapter 2 80 Chapter 2 Chapter3 4 Transitional Activities for kindergarten children 81 Chapter 2 When a teacher plans the daily schedule, are there provisions for the in-between periods (described by Berk,1976) as periods between activities, generally involved in reading, wandering, exploring, and waiting)?. In studying several different kinds of nursery schools Berk reported that transitions occupy from 20% to 35%of activity time in nursery school (depending on the school, the particular day, and the skill and planning contributed by the teacher). These periods consume a sizable amount of time, which can be either utilized or wasted. Those who make teaching look so easy and flow so smoothly attend to both transition and curriculum components. Transition periods can make the day flow smoothly, or they can make the day seem choppy and out of control. Onc ethe children get ahead of the teacher and the schedule. It is change activity or location. Activity changes include arrival of the children, opening time or free play, completion of an activity, moving between activities (sometimes from more desired to less desired ones, such as 82 Chapter 2 napping), waiting for anactivity to begin (such as waiting for ride, a visitor, or a group member), and preparing for departure. Change of location includes going outside or to another room, lunchtime, napping, field trips, and departure. Separation of the children from the parents or from the center to home may cause some children to feel anxious. A wise teacher will have several available techniques for working with children under these circumstances. At times children may see transitions differently than do adults and will delay resist, refuse, or ignore interruptions to pleasurable or interesting activities. Teachers should show respect for the children at these times by discussing with them the changes and expectations. Ordinarily the children will want to take responsibility when they know what is to be done, what is expected or what comes next. Cleanup can be enjoyable activity and a good learning experience for the children. They should be involved in it, and teachers can encourage their participation by giving them attention and honest approval. Situations where children just wait while the teacher cleans up 83 Chapter 2 the present activity and prepares the following one are inappropriate. Well-planned transitions, those that are of interest and meet the needs of the children in a particular group, add much value to a classroom. Lest there be a misunderstanding, transitions are not to be interrupted as another period for academic performance. True, knowledge and opportunities are there, but transitions are used for a change of pace and place, even though learning occurs simultaneously. Consider the following as advantages. Good Transition Activities: A good transition activity will accomplish one or more of the following enable the child to see the conclusion or completion of an activity; allow for child involvement and independence; set the mood for the next activity; reinforce idea salready learned; reassess the present knowledge of the child; serve as a valuable teaching time in all areas of development; help the child build good relationships with others, and add interest and variety to the daily schedule. 84 Chapter 2 Thus, the activity should do the following: 1. Provide a variety of experiences. Using the same finger play or song day after day may discourage children from coming. Make it so exciting that the children will be there in order not to miss. 2. Encourage selfcontrol. When moving from one room or location to another, try putting something on the floor for the children to follow (yarn or paper objects such as footprints) or give them a particular way to go (e.g., jumping like a frog)until they have established the routine. 3. Then try saying that all those wearing shoes (or green, or stripes) can go to the next activity or place. 4. Still later on, just tell them what is expected (“we’re going to lunch now”), and let them take responsibility for getting there. It removes the external control and helps them build internal control, independence, and self-confidence-very important steps. To reiterate this point; at first give the 85 Chapter 2 children a specific idea of how to go and where they are expected to go; then move to verbalization and independence building. Teachers who must always tell children how and what to do not have confidence in the children or themselves. 5. Prepare the children for what is to follow (snack, story, going outside). A transition period maybe used as specific preparation for an activity or as a quieting time for the children. 6. Meet the needs, interests and developmental abilities of the children. Transition time should encourage participation, provide some learning, and be enjoyable and flexible. The teacher should watch the children for clues as to length, type of activity, and expectations. 7. Be started by the teacher when the first children arrive in the area. Other children will finish their activities and join the group. If a teacher waits until all the children are there before she begins, there is no incentive for the children to get there. “Why hurry so you can wait?” 86 Chapter 2 Tips for Better Transitions:  Have the next activity or location prepared before terminating the present activity.  Allow a realistic amount of time for the transition.  Give sufficient warning about the impending changes.  Avoid having all children move at once. Forming lines And waiting for others create noise, crowded situations, competition, frustration, and aggression.  Have a positive attitude and act in a calm, respectful way with a conviction in your voice that the children will follow the requests.  Allow for requests of and suggestions by the children.  Use planned and spontaneous transitions to reassess new  concepts to be taught or to reinforce knowledge previously taught.  Avoid transition periods that are too long or too short, too boring, or too demanding.  Use the same careful planning and considerations as For other activities. Appropriate transitions help children move through the routine with ease.  Plan some transitions to quiet the children (to relax, to Settle down, to think and reason, to apply and reinforce concepts); plan others to stimulate participation, cooperation, or activity. 87 Chapter 2 If teacher of young children is asked what part of the day is the most troublesome or frustrating, the answer is generally “When we’re changing from one activity to another!” This is especially true with an inexperienced teacher. A bit of organization and planning, however, can change a dreaded period to one of pleasure and reward. When one works with young children transitions occur frequently, from the time they enter the door until they leave for home. Young children can be interested in an activity for a long period of time-in fact; they sometimes need to be reminded that it will soon be time for another activity. In developmentally appropriate program, individual children move more frequently than those in more traditional or academic programs. In an effect to find ways to reduce random behavior during transition from one activity to another, the teachers should review the plan for the day before the children arrive. A few extra minutes spent on transition activities will be well worth the effort. During the meeting, a song can be can be reviewed, any activities using props readied, and specifics 88 Chapter 2 discussed with other teachers if their assistance is needed. A few extra activities should be ready to use when needed. Preparation before children arrive pays off while they are there. How can children be encouraged to clean up their toys and materials before moving on to the next activity? Possibly by observing when they begin to lose interest and then stepping in to suggest that the blocks be put on the shelf or to assist in clearing up the art materials and putting things away. Possibly by giving a few minutes warning. Several studies have focused on the amount of time teachers and children spend in transitions. Berk(1976) found that for children under the age of 6 years, transitions were the most prominent activity in all schools studied, ranging from 20% of the time in the community daycare center to 30% to 35% in all settings, including a Head start and a Montessori preschool. That is a lot of time when children may not know what is expected of them, and can increase aggression, class disruption, or deviant behavior. Reporting on the behavior of passive and aggressive children who were not provided with 89 Chapter 2 positive transitions, Wolfgang (1977) observed that the passive child: 1. Remains stationary, showing no response to commands. 2. Withdraws to some quiet place. 3. Or silently does what he or she is told. Meanwhile, The aggressive child responds by: a) destroying materials, b) Throwing objects, c) Becoming verbally aggressive. d) Or running and forcing the teacher to chase him or her. In the daily activities, most teachers plan for curriculum areas, such as art, free play, and music, but neglect transition times- and then wonder why they are so difficult to manage. When teachers do not know what to expect, how can the children know? Teachers who write into their lesson plan the specific activities to be used at transition times find control of the children much easier. Teachers should also try to delay unnatural breaks in classroom activity, minimize interruption of activities, and when possible, allow completion of an activity before introducing another. 90 Chapter 2 Transition times are not merely time- consumers; they can be very valuable teaching times. Much learning and feedback comes at times when the group is small and time is available for informal conversation. Transition can be a time of relationship building or a time for relaxation or emotional or physical release. Teaching Suggestions: Following are some suggestions that could be used as transition activities. Use only those that are appropriate for your group of children and add other ideas of your own.  Animal: Have an animal concealed until group time. Then bring it into the group or take the children to the animal, whichever is more appropriate. Discuss, touch, and enjoy the animal. 91 Chapter 2  Ball Toss: As each child (e.g. Ahmad) comes to the group, The teacher says, “Ahmad is ready”. Toss or roll a soft ball to the child, who returns it. Repeat as each child arrives.  Body Cards: The teacher shows large cards on which have been drawn different positions the children use their bodies to represent the symbols. Another way to use body cards is to have silhouette figures cut out of tag board. The teacher holds up an example, and the children form that position with their bodies. (look at the following figure). 92 Chapter 2  Chalkboard: With the teacher drawing stick figures, supply a story. It is surprising how rapidly the story content changes. Some children who don’t ordinarily express themselves become verbal in such a setting. Accept the children’s ideas and let the story flow freely. If children are able, have them draw some of the story on the chalkboard. 93 Chapter 2 Enforcing Themes: Example 1: When a theme concerns air, use a canister vacuum with hose to blow rather than suck air. Place the opening directly up, put a ping-pong ball on opening, and turn on vacuum. Ball bounces up and down. Example2: For theme on magnets, tell the story. Mickey’s Magnet (Branley & Vaughan. 1956). Demonstrate how Mickey kept spelling and picking up pins. Then divide children into groups and give those objects and magnets. Let them determine which objects are attracted.  Exercises: Exercises such as “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” help to reduce some of the tensions and physical needs of children. Many exercises can be used. With children sitting on the floor, legs outstretched, have them touch the opposite knee with their fingers. Try it with an elbow, then the nose. Have the children pretend they are rag dolls. Help them relax by first hanging their heads, then moving their arms limply, then their legs, and so on until they are on the floor. 94 Chapter 2 Have the children walk around the room as they think animals would walk, using their own creative imaginations without patterning from teachers. When stimulating activity occurs just before a quiet period, it is important to provide an activity immediately after it to relax the children. Some of the finger plays on following pages work nicely for this purpose. 95 Chapter 2  Feel Box: Take a small cardboard box (about 16 by 8 by8 inch. Or a size that can be easily handled by a child) and cut out one side. On each end make holes large enough for the child’s hands. Have the child put his hands in the ends and hold the open side away from himself so that he cannot see inside the box, but so that the other children can. The child closes his eyes while the teacher places an object through the open side into the box. The child feels the object and tries to guess what it is. 96 Chapter 2  Films: Films should never take the place of actual experiences, but they can be used infrequently as supplements to firsthand experiences. Carefully evaluate each film as to length, concepts taught (including vocabulary), interest for children, and value to be gained from the film. Consider also whether this is the best way to teach a particular topic.  Finger Plays: Children enjoy doing as well as seeing. Finger plays should be short and interest to the children; some help teach number concepts. Teacher should know the finger plays well before attempting to teach them to the children; make sure all teachers with the group do the finger plays the same way. Following are some favorites (some by authors unknown, some used by permission) along with some body actions for children. 97 Chapter 2 One Little Body: Two Little hands go clap, (Do actions as mentioned) Clap, clap! Two little feet go tap, tap, tap! Two little hands go thump, thump, thump! Two little feet go jump, jump, jump! One little body turns around; One little body sits quietly down. Quacking Ducks: Five little ducks went out to play, (Hold up five fingers) Over the hills and far away. (Fingers run away) When the Mother duck said, (Make Quacking motion with both hands) “Quack, quack, quack,” Four little ducks come wadding back. (Four fingers return) Four little ducks went out to play; (Four fingers run away) 98 Chapter 2 (continue words and motions until ………….) No little ducks came wadding back. BUT, when the mother duck said, (make deliberate quacking motion) “QUACK, QUACK, QUACK!” Five little ducks came waddling back! (All fingers return) 99 Chapter 2 100 Chapter 2 101 Chapter 2 Guessing Games: Say: “I am thinking o something that __________ (give a couple of clues). Can you guess what it is?” (Use animals or transportation vehicles, describe a child) Children can also take a turn giving clues. 102 Chapter 2 103 Chapter 2 Guests: Often bringing a guest into the school is easier than taking children on a particular field trip. By bringing the guest to school, the children can enjoy the experience in a familiar setting. This is often helpful. A doctor, father of one child in the center, came to the school with his black bag, Rexene backed off, saying, “But I don’t want a shot today.” She was assured by the teachers and the doctor that he had not come to give shots that day. This particular doctor was a bone specialist. After showing the children all the things he carried in his bag, he asked, “Have any of you ever known someone who had broken a bone?” some did, and some did not. He went on to explain how he helped people when they had a broken bone. He applied a cast to a teacher’s arm for demonstration- none of the children would be his patient! How real the experience was to the children! They expressed sympathy to the teacher, as if she really had a broken arm. (Teacher can invite other persons such as Carpenter, musician). 104 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Learning Centers for kindergarten children 105 Chapter 4 Learning centers are areas in a kindergarten school or a classroom that define a special focus or that afford a specific opportunity not otherwise possible. Centers often planned for young children may include a discovery or science center; Dramatic Play Centers including a Home living Center, a block –Building Center, and other Dramatic play centers, learning; language, and Readiness materials center, an art center; a book center a music center; and a Center for large Muscles activities. Space for sleeping, resting, and eating, apart from the above or in a multiple use of the above, may also be proved as needed. These Centers divide a classroom in such a way as to allow children to make choices, to move freel and independently, and to grow in areas of need. They also give opportunities for a large number of children to learn individually or in smaller groups so that the teacher can take advantage of moments of readiness, keen interest, and desire. In a more structured grouping, these activities might not otherwise be possible. 106 Chapter 4 Learning Centers tend to invite a child a come and see, come and do, come and learn. A wise staff is alert to the responsibility to invite, guide, and encourage children to explore all the centers and ultimately learn in several. The staff should offer enough opportunities to learn concepts so that, 107 Chapter 4 whether a child selects one center or another, the end result will be the learning necessary for that particular child’s growth. By helping each child find that there are alternative ways of learning the same thing, the child will discover what the best way is for him or her to learn. Room arrangement, materials and equipment, staff, a