Getting Started in Kindergarten: Launching Learning Blocks

     "What’s math?" I’ve just told the children we are going to “do math” and this is what I hear.  I’m surrounded with socks and sorting circles and wondering how I am going to answer this. I realize that in my efforts to get this train rolling, I may have forgotten something.  It never occured to me that maybe their first lesson should have been about the "big idea" of math (leave it to Kinders to always let you know what you need to do).  So now I do a two-day launch for each learning block.  Here are my launch suggestions to avoid your own “derailment!” 

sock sorting lesson

What’s the Goal? Let chidren know where the train is headed before they get on board. Talk about the goal/purpose for each part of your day in terms of “What good readers do, writers do, mathematicians, etc.”  I use children’s books such as Max’s Math by Kate Banks or Rocket Learns to Read by Tad Hills to illustrate children taking on these roles.  Create charts of these goals to keep you on track all year long.  

     

What Does it Look Like?  Just as a train is made up of many cars, your learning block is probably broken down into smaller segments (i.e. mini lesson, worktime, sharing).  Since these are not visible in the daily plan/schedule that you post, help children "picture it" using a graphic, such as a pie chart, to show how it is broken down.   

 

What Does it Sound Like?  You wouldn’t use the same voice in the sleeping car as you would in the snack bar! Each segment of your learning block requires different voice levels. I use the The Three Bears  to help my Kinders hear the difference between soft, loud, and "just right" voices.

Using soft voices like Mama Bear while reading

You’e Got This! Once your Kinders have some idea of the goals behind each learning block and a picture of what it looks and sounds like, it’s time for you to embark on a trial run.  keep the content light in order to keep the focus on the structure.  Introductions and explorations of materials are great for this! Continue to use this same structure from here on out to keep things consistent.

exploring pattern blocks

You can find the full plan for launching learning blocks here! 

     

Thanks for stopping by!

Jackie

  

Time (Flow of the Day)

     Summer learning included a week long stay in Ontario, Canada where I attended the Transform Ed Workshop Series, given by Joanne Babalis.  There she shared her Masters' research on the seven layers of Inquiry-Based learning. The second layer, and the focus of this post, is time. Other blog posts discuss the other layers that include image of the child, space, materials, listening, documenting and planning.
     I noticed that what I call a schedule, is often referred to as the "Flow of the Day" by Canadian teachers.  While both serve as a timetable, the difference in wording is intentional in the way that it impacts classroom learning. The word schedule means to plan an event to take place at a particular time.  In the classroom, a schedule is usually displayed in a linear format and lists the subject areas in the order in which they will be taught.  There are usually many subjects with specific time allotments allowed for each.

    The word flow means to move in a steady, continuous stream.  Teachers who use a "Flow of the Day" define specific contexts for learning (i.e. whole group time, centers, etc.) but break their day into larger chunks of time with less transitions. Often these timetables are displayed in a horizontal format and while there is a clear plan for the day, teachers are flexible and responsive.  If children are in the “flow” of a project, they may be allowed to continue while motivation and engagement are at an all-time high. 

     I spent some time thinking about my own timetable and how I will use this to best match my image of the child in the coming school year.  In an effort to create larger chunks of time, I broke the day up into four main blocks: reading workshop, writing workshop, math workshop, and discovery time and folded in some of the smaller segments that were typically separated out. For example, I made shared reading part of reading workshop and shared writing part of writing workshop. I took math tubs out of the morning slot and wove it into the afternoon block of math workshop.  Snack will be self-guided and happen as part of discovery time.  

     There will be a secondary “flow” within each of these larger chunks (i.e. warm-ups, mini lesson, work time, sharing) and because it is repeated throughout our day, the children will be supported by this predictable structure while still having large chunks of time to explore a specific focus (i.e reading, writing, math, integrated studies).  

     What will your timetable look like and how does it match your image of the child?

Thanks for stopping by!

Jackie