Kristina Pantoja ED 310 10 Kindergarten Fall 2012

classroom pedagogy

curriculum
At the elementary school I am currently assisting at the reading and writing curriculum for kindergarten includes the following programs/ideologies. However, the teacher is free to choose how to practically implement the material in the classroom. A. Lucy Calkins Reading Workshop Calkins, Lucy. A Curricular Plan for The Reading Workshop, Grade K, 2011-2012. Portsmouth: Hememann, 2011. N. pag. Print. Lucy Calkins material is widely used throughout public schools in the United States. Her constructivist views of indirect teaching are praised throughout classrooms across the country. Her goal is to help children live a richly literate life by providing them with strategies and methods in order to become lifelong readers. I think Calkins material is effective within the classroom and creates an atmosphere that encourages readers to have conversations about text that involve their schema so they may have richer, deeper conversations. How I would incorporate Calkins Reading Workshop in my kindergarten classroom; a. Small groups based on ability can move within groups based on achievement gives better, more focused instruction on the present strengths and/or needs students get opportunity to converse with peers

May get stuck Being with higher students could improve student levels
b. Addressing students as readers empowers students sense of purpose c. Need for supplemental resources in order to teach practically Calkins provides a wonderful overview of the Readers Workshop in her book, but fails to give teachers practical resources and lessons to transfer the ideas into practical lessons. Teacherspayteachers.com (may not be allowed in all districts)

Negatives:

B. Lucy Calkins Writing Workshop Calkins, Lucy. Launching the Writing Workshop. Portmouth: Heinemann, 2003. Print. Unlike Calkins book about setting up the Reading Workshop, her book about setting up the Writing Workshop contains a very practical outline on how to set up the workshop teach the material in a practical way. There are writing units that include fteen minute teaching sessions. Some sessions that last a day, or others that need to be followed up with more mini lessons. The session title identies the topic of study. Included in the sessions are small ten-minute long mini lessons that enable teachers to listen in on authentic teaching language and responses by children. Each mini lesson is divided into four components: 1.) Connection: children access schema, 2.) Teaching: instructional language of the actual lesson, 3.) Active Engagement: children try or discuss what theyve been taught, and 2

4.) Link: situate what youve taught into the larger context of all theyve been doing as writers/authors. After the minilesson, there is a time to confer where one-on-one conferences with your students concerning their writing. Also, there is an after-the-workshop share for reection, a list or ways in which a teacher could develop several more minilessons patterned after the one they showcased. Lastly, there is an assessment section that provides guidelines for understanding, monitoring, and documenting what student writers have accomplished and where they are headed next. How I would incorporate Calkins Writing Workshop into my kindergarten classroom; a. Use lessons in the book and accommodate to t the needs of my classroom and the timeline of which I or the team of kindergarten teachers choose to exucute the lessons b. Use of additional resources if needed. Worksheets, etc.

C. Zoo Phonics Zoo Phonics are songs and actions to enforce sound recognition with visual recognition of the letters of the alphabet. This includes posters and ashcards with characters on them to remind students what phonetical sound the animal makes. Positives: Gets students active and engaged in the learning. This is particularly benecial for ELL and special education learning environments because it links bodily movements to alphabetic understanding. They can relate the sounds and try to sound things out when they see the letter in a word. This gives them context clues to assist in the development of reading and writing. Helps boys to achieve by using pictorial mnemonics, body movement, and physical games and activities. Makes language concrete and playful. Negatives: Only includes one phonetic sound per letter. This excludes the other sounds a letter can make. English is NOT phonetical- it is erratic in its rules and exceptions. This may be hard for students to understand when they get into higher level writing. The teaching of other strategies to spell and sound out works is necessary in English. Sounding out with leave many students frustrated with the lack of correlation between the sound and the correct spelling of words in English. How I would incorporate Zoo Phonics in my kindergarten classroom; a. Frequent use at the beginning of the year Students need to be aware that each letter of the alphabet carries meaning and a certain sound that makes up a word Students need to know what sounds each letter makes in order for them to attempt spelling Gives students a base of which they can begin to spell and sound out words. Text can make sense to them while they write and read. b. Activities Teach students the sounds and motions (1 a day?) Use ashcards provided in order for students to recite the sounds Give students a sheet of the Zoo Phonics animals to keep in their writing binders, so they may refer to them when they are writing

D. Handwriting Without Tears Curriculum uses hands-on, educationally sound instructional methods to teach handwriting. (http:// www.hwtears.com/hwt/why-it-works) Instruction Based on the Three Stages of Learning: Teaches children to write correctly and easily following these three developmental stages: 1. Imitation: The teacher demonstrates the letter formation. The child imitates the teacher. 2. Copying: Children are asked to copy a model of a practice word by looking at the word. 3. Independent Writing: Children are asked to write a word without demonstration and without a model. They have to write from memory. How I would incorporate Handwriting Without Tears in my kindergarten classroom; a. Daily practice of a new letter b. Start with magic c c. Model, model, model correct and incorrect ways of writing the letter d. Use of poems and sing-song voice Little line down, kick! e. More movement standing up drawing in sand or other textures, not just on paper

culture
A classroom culture is dependent upon the following characteristics; The class itself How do the students interact? Where do they come from? Do they have similar/different experiences? Do they get along? Family life

The teacher Excited? Want to work with kids? Equipped with strategies and skills? The strategies/procedures Are there clear expectations? Is there honesty? Is there a code of conduct? How are things accomplished?
In my kindergarten classroom I would create culture by; Addressing the Class Asking the above questions Being assertive and intentional about relationships The Teacher Welcoming Accepting Approachable Excited; share love of reading Personal; share about family/experiences Strategies/Procedures Greeting each child every day; hand-shake and a smile Opportunities for students to greet each other- practicing social skills Good things; asking students questions about good things in their lives (Participation) Intentionally partnering some students with others; leaders with lower students Involving students in tasks; Table mangers Star of the day Help them be responsible and independent

expectations
Expectations in a kindergarten classroom are essential. Because it is the rst time many of the students have been in school before, expectations need to be explicit and modeled numerous times. How expectations will be established; Bathroom: explained and modeled Bus: explained and modeled Lunchroom: explained and modeled Hallway: explained and modeled, but with strategies set in place stay on the track song in preparation for the hallway zero promise Transitions tiptoe Behavior towards other students Create a code of conduct with the students Have students sign the code of conduct and refer back to it when necessary Gives them ownership of their behavior

discipline
In order to effectively run a classroom a teacher needs to assume certain responsibilities to be prepared to teach. These responsibilities include; Time to plan Developmentally appropriate lessons Standard-based objectives Clear objectives Resources & materials Collaboration with other grade level teachers

Time to observe Teachers need to time to observe their classroom or other classrooms to rene what is best for Planning appropriate and measurable assessments Reteaching
Students also need to assume responsibility in their learning journeys that will require them to become disciplined in certain tasks. Students need be disciplined in the following; Procedures Expectations (which will be modeled explicitly) When developing classroom rules, each arrangement will be different with each group of students that enters my class each year, therefore developing a set list of rules and expectations is asinine at this point. Discipline procedures and expectations need to be build upon the class culture. However, I believe the following discipline theories to be most effective; their students

Behaviorism Although I do not agree with all aspects of behaviorism, I think aspects of it are important to

implement within a kindergarten classroom because many students need to be trained to follow certain rules. For example; bathroom and hallway rules Positive Discipline Habits and rhythm setting are important for kindergarten students to know what to expect at school and begin to make them responsible for their learning as far as procedures go It is helpful especially, during the rst month or so of school when students can become emotional about being at school all day. Kindergarteners can also be squirrely and nonverbal cues are powerful and helpful to keep them on track

Responsibility Training My CT: group rewards Good way to help students feel responsibly for their actions: effects the whole class Positive Reinforcement (secondary; stickers, starts (Bucket Filling), etc.) Powerful for kindergarteners Thrive off good deeds Love to please Assertive Disciple (see notes) Positive Classroom Discipline (see notes)
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strategy
1. Play How we play is how we should teach. Play is the most natural expression of learning. Initiative vs. Guilt (ages 4-5) Explorers, need to gure everything out If you make them feel bad about what they are doing, they will no longer do it Pleasing Use play to learn

Verbal communication Interactions with peers

2. Modeling Need EXPLICIT instructions over and over and over again 3. Scaffolding Modeling and then turning it over Become independent increases condence ready to learn new things with a solid foundation 4. Inquiry Kindergarteners have a lot of questions! Work to answer questions. Curiosities are natural and we naturally seek answers to satisfy them Dont just present information, but ask about it Mental modeling I wonder Inquisitive knowledge 5. Discussion/Collaboration Verbal communication is HUGE for kindergartners They have a large vocab in their head, but cannot always articulate it in words. Talking with peers is comfortable and allows them an outlet to esh out words and explanations. Eye-contact Responses Gives an opportunity for students to teach other students 6. Analyze/Evaluate/Reect Ask students; why am I teaching you this? Why is this important? Ask them to write down something theyve learned (sticky note example) Thinking metacognitively 7. Choice Choice is powerful! Give students the choice to choose their activities (give them options) Opportunities for students to choose books (high interest) with their leveled books