*Winter Wonderland!*

Over the past few weeks we have been focusing on two very fun themse - Winter and Bears. Obviously there are many items from both of these that overlap and because of this, we just roll with it! Today I have included pictures of some of the lessons focused on winter, however, you will have to wait for a post about bears in the days to come, as we are still working on some really exciting lessons!

"The Hook" - I begin each new unit by opening the floor to my students (I talk enough during the day, it's there turn!) and giving them the opportunity to share what they already know or to offer any questions they have. I love seeing the reaction of students when they enter the classroom and see something new. They can barely contain themselves as they wait to hear what the newest topic is! In the slideshow below you will see a few highlights from this unit including two seperate charts to help organize and support our learning, as well as activities that we completed integrating reading, writing, math, and science skills and objectives.

OLE! Our Trip to Mexico!

My students and I recently completed one of my favorite units of study in our Kindergarten curriculum - MEXICO! This unit typically takes 4 full weeks to complete and is one of the most talked about memories of kindergarten among students. Many ask why we cover this in the winter vs. around Cinco de Mayo, which would seem like the logical choice. Well in all honesty, in an effort to be politically correct, we are able to have a very fun and festive celebration at the end of December!

To begin, we hook students by transforming our classrooms with bright, colorful decorations and artifacts from Mexico, for example posters, maracas, banners, music, and more. We begin by reading Blue Bug Visits Mexico by Virginia Poulet and discussing the different lands of Mexico, as well as the climate. With my assistance, students color a map of Mexico and use the key to make note of these special lands. Students also make a suitcase and pack it with items they can't survive without during our travels. We display our suitcases on a large bulletin board, as we will need to access them throughout our trip (i.e. store completed projects and papers in them for easy take home!). A picture is worth a thousand words! Enjoy the picture walk below that will help guide you through our recent travels. Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about particular lessons and I can explain further!

Our Suitcases:

Land of Mexico Book

  

    

Mexican Flags:

Flag Compare and Contrast

Student Engagement

When you walk into our classroom, you will find students sitting in silence at desks  organized into rows. FALSE! This is kindergarten! Students are learning when they are engaged. Plain and simple.

Throughout a day in our kindergarten class, you will find students learning new skills on our carpet, reinforcing skills in small groups, and applying learned skills independently or with a partner at their seats or on the floor. More importantly, you will see students using a variety of modalities to accomplish these tasks. Students are learning when they are talking, moving, and participating in hands-on activities.

Talking - Yes it is in my job description to teach the students in my class, however, I am not required to talk from the 8:30 bell to the 3:20 bell! I have found that the more opportunity I give my students to talk with one another and share their ideas, the better listeners they are when it counts. Strategies such asthink-pair-share always work well, but switching it up keeps students on their toes and prevents the rolled eyes and "I'm bored!" For example, rather than having students simply raise their hands and share when called on, I may have them sit in a circle and pass a ball around sharing on their turn. Another way to make sure students are engaged and attending is to have them share in pairs and then report their partner's thoughts to the class.

Movement - Kindergarten today is drastically different from what adults today remember. Even so, it is important to remember that my students are only 5 years old and need to opportunity to be kids! Between activities and during transitions, you can find my students engaged in songs, dances, and academic games. Not only does this help students get their wiggles out, but it's also just fun! I also give students the opportunity to find a work space that matches their needs. For some, a chair does not work well for their learning style, as can be seen to the left. Students are given the opportunity to use a clipboard on the floor, sit in a bean bag, move to a table by themselves, or even sit at my desk. 

Hands-On Learning - I find that when my students' hands and bodies are busy, their minds are busy, and therefore engaged in learning. I do anything I can to involve students in the modeling and teaching process, as well as provide them different ways to approach each task and still getting to the desired outcome. To the left is an example of a student using one of our many math manipulatives to help support his completion of the assignments. For the same activity, some students worked independently with no manipulatives, while others chose to collaborate with a partner, sharing the responsibilities.