Final Activity (Fall 2011)

 Dramatic Play Center 

In The Beginning...

We have been in kindergarten for over a month and the dramatic play center in my class is visited daily by almost every child. Before I set up my classroom in August, I sanitized all the equipment that went into the area. This is my first year at Alberton Elementary, and I needed to make myself aware of what equipment I had available to use. Basically, I had what was issued by the Department of Education the year before. In addition, there were a few other items such as tebby bears, some dress-up clothes, and a full-length mirror. From my previous teaching experience, I knew I needed a few more things to add to the center. I went to yard sales to pick up a farm set, dinky cars, cowboy hats, and boots. I also added notepads and pencils for the children to write on. Typically, the children played house, restaurant, and farm. Please see the photos below to see what the dramatic play area looked like before we transformed it.

Looking into the Dramatic Play area.

 The children enjoy using the puppet theatre.

The gray and blue tote is filled with dress-up clothes.

On the shelf behind are a variety of puppets, dinkies, a police car, firetruck,

a farm set, a basket of animals, a tool kit, a computer keyboard, and paper and pencils.

The pink tote has dolls and accessories.

The green tote has more dress up clothes.

There is a table and stools and a full-length mirror.

This is the kitchen set.

The shelves beside it are filled with play dishes and food.

There is a cash register on top of the shelves and

 a dish of magnetic letters on the floor for the children

 to use on the side of the filing cabinet.

Considering A Change...

Last week, I asked the boys and girls if they would like to change the dress up area into something different. The very thought of changing the area excited the children. I gave them some time to think about it and then at learning center time I asked the children for their ideas. Please see below what each child suggested...

An Ice-Cream Shop It Is...

With four children mentioning an ice-cream shop, we decided to go ahead with the idea. The next day, we brainstormed what we needed. The excitement was continuing to grow.

The Next Step...Researching The Internet And...

...Shopping

I looked on various kindergarten blogs and web-sites for ideas for creating an ice-cream shop. I also called Sears to see if they had any large boxes that may be available for our ice-cream truck. Luckily, they had one, so my husband picked it up for me (team work...) Next, I went shopping at the Dollarama to buy the needed supplies. Please see the photos below to see what we did to begin the transformation...

The Transformation...

I printed off a menu from the internet

and laminted it so the children could use

a dry-erase marker to check off what the

customers ordered.

I bought pompoms and styrofoam balls to

look like ice cream. I printed off labels, laminated them and

taped them to the ice cream containers.

A dollar store plastic tablecloth is used to make a cover

for the table and a pretend set of curtains to go over the

window that was made with paper and electric tape.

I brought in some ice cream dishes from home.

I put tissue paper in the squirty bottles to look like syrup

 that the children can squirt over the ice cream.

A hook holds up the aprons.

A dry-erase board was hung up,

along with a basket to hold dry-erase markers.

The children can write specials, orders, or anything else they would like.

I still left a tote with other dress-up clothes for children that did not want to play ice-cream shop.

I borrowed this ice cream machine from a friend.

I could not believe how lucky I was to find this...

A basket of ice-cream supplies

A few new notepads that look like order forms.

The children may practice their writing.

I left the kitchen set for the children to play with.

I left some of the other toys on the shelf for the children

to have other things to play with beside the ice cream shop.

Two boxes covered in white paper make a great

ice cream truck.

It is all ready for the children to decorate however they like.

The children were so excited when they entered the classroom and saw the new dramatic play center. We wrote in our journals about what the children would like to do in the ice-cream shop. Before we wrote, we brainstormed together what else we needed and what they still wanted to do.

Some writing samples...

I also made some vocabulary cards

 that the children may use for their writing...

                The children began decorating the ice cream truck.

...And the playing and learning continues... 

Prince Edward Island's play-based kindergarten curriculum, recognizes and values the importance of play as the heart of learning. The children in my class are given time and opportunity to play in the center. As they play, I observe and document what I am seeing and hearing. I record the type of play I see, the language development I hear, any problem-solving I see and hear, any writing the children produce, the childrens' thoughts and feelings, and anything else that I feel is important. (realizing it is all important...) With their ideas, I try to provide a variety of props to facilitate their play. When appropriate, I ask questions of the children- to better understand their thinking, their play, their relationships, and their prior knowledge and experiences. The child is the lead and I am the facilitator.I am responsible for making any adaptations that may be necessary so that the center is accessible to all students. I also need to be mindful of socio-cultural diversity and of the variety of home and family situations that the students in my class may come from. 
     
Through playing in the ice-cream shop, many curriculum outcomes are possible. In the Early Literacy strand, it is possible for the following: 1.1,1.2,1.3,1.4,1.5,1.6,1.7,1.8,1.9,2.4,3.1,3.2,3.3,3.4,3.5,3.6,3.8,   
4.1,4.2,4.3,4.5,4.7,4.8,4.9. In the Early Numeracy strand, it is possible for the following: 1.1,1.2,1.3,1.4,1.6,1.7,2.1,3.1. In the Social Studies strand, it is possible for the following: 1.1,1.2,1.3,2.2,3.1. In the Science strand, it is possible for the following: 1.1,1.2. In the Creative Development strand, it is possible for the following:1.1,1.2,1.3. In the Health and Physical Development strand, the following are possible: 1.1,1.2,1.3,3.1,3.2,3.3.
    
We will keep the ice cream shop in business as long as there is interest. I look forward to learning more about the children as they play. I am curious about what possibilities lie ahead for the dramatic play center... 
    
In the meantime, the best part about this ice cream shop is I can eat all the ice cream I want and not worry about gaining a pound... 





Time Management

Time Management

By

Darcie Pike-Wilkie

          Teaching requires much more than being in class from 830-230 with the children. I am required to attend a staff meeting on the first Monday of each month after school. I also am on the Primary Literacy Committee which meets on the second Monday of each month after school. I am on the Book Fair Committee that organizes and prepares for two school book fairs each year.

          Each morning, I arrive at school at 745 am, to ensure that the classroom is prepared for the students. The first bus arrives at 8am and the last around 825 am. The students depart at 230pm and I usually remain in the class after the students have gone home for at least an hour each day. (Much more than that, particularly at the beginning of the school year) At this time, I am tidying up the room, preparing any activities I need for the next day, and planning for future activities. I also type my own weekly class newsletters to go home to supplement the school newsletter. This is also when I check my group-wise e-mails and enter my attendance on Student-Achieve.

          Three times a year, I am required to complete progress reports for all of my students. I do these after school and at home. I also have two scheduled parent- teacher interview days after school hours, usually into the evening to accommodate parent’s schedules. I also meet with parents as needed throughout the year or make phone calls to touch base with families.

          Many weekends, I find myself at home and in my classroom, doing more planning and preparing. I am often looking up new ideas on-line, reading books and articles, and brainstorming. 

          I have also been given the opportunity to attain my Bachelor of Education part-time while I am teaching. This takes a considerable amount of time each week also.

          With the demands of the teaching profession, my academic commitments, and my personal life, time is something that must be managed well.

Alberton Kindergarten

Date__________________________________________________________

830	Bell, Attendance, Send Lunch Order to Office, Book Returns Sign-In Activity- Morning Meeting- O Canada, Shining Star, Calendar, Message Shared Reading-      Big Book-      Poems. Rhymes, Songs- Sounds- Sight Words- Review/Revisit
9-10 (20 minutes per station)	Work Stations 1. 2. 3.
10-1015	Recess
1015-1030	Bathroom Routine, Snack
1030-1130	Learning Centers
1130-1145	Read Aloud
1145-1215	Recess (Teacher’s Lunch)
1215-1245	Bathroom Routine/ Lunch / Independent Reading
1245-115	Phys Ed/ Music  (Teacher’s Prep Time)
115-130	Rest time
130-2 (children visit one station per day)	Work Stations 1. 2. 3.
2	Circletime/Read Aloud
215	Prepare for home
220	Line up for busses
Notes/ Reflections

Alberton Elementary School Students' Rights and Responsibilities

Alberton Elementary School

Students= Rights and Responsibilities Constitution

The staff at Alberton Elementary attempt to make the school community a stable, ordered and caring one.  The children are encouraged and expected to be cooperative, to make sensible choices and to exercise self-control.  Emphasis is placed on students= rights and the responsibilities that ensue.  These rights and responsibilities become the constitution under which the rules and consequences are generated.

Our rules are based on common sense and general consideration and concern for the welfare and safety of all children.  Consequences to poor behavior will usually involve loss of some privileges such as play time.  We believe discipline should be firm, fair and based on mutual respect.  Parents will be informed if children persistently fail to co-operate with acceptable behavior.

Right: All children have the right to be safe at our school.

Responsibility: Students have the responsibility to play safely, act responsibly and obey safety rules.  Students must obey bus driver=s instructions and treat all people in the school in a respectful and courteous manner.

Right: All students have the right to an education.

Responsibility: Students must take responsibility for their own education.  This means that students must work to their ability and respect teacher instructions.  Students must organize their work effectively and put their best effort into their work and activities.

Right: All students have the right to a healthy, clean school environment.

Responsibility: Students have the responsibility to do their best to keep their desks, lockers, bus, playground, and school clean, neat and organized.  Showing respect for the school property, other people=s property and janitor=s instructions is essential.

Right: All students have a right to express themselves in a free, open and positive environment.

Responsibility: Students have the responsibility to listen carefully to others when they speak.  Students must learn to accept and respect the efforts of other students in art, music, athletics, and oral speech.  Knowing when to speak and when to listen are important skills.

 

Right: All students have the right to participate in school events and activities.

Responsibility: Students have the responsibility to play fairly, act responsibly and participate to their ability in any event or activity.

Right: All students have the right to be happy and have fun.

Responsibility: Students have the responsibility to play safely and fairly.   Students should act positively, share with others, and treat each person with respect and dignity.

CONSEQUENCES

Students who do not follow the Students= Rights and Responsibilities Constitution will be subject to the following actions:

1.       Students may be asked to redo work that has not been completed or has not     been completed in a neat and organized way.

2.       Students may be assigned extra work.

3.       Students may be put on detention in school at recess and/or noon hour.

4.       Parents may be called and asked to help discipline the student.

5.       Students may not be allowed to participate in certain school events, activities   and teams.

6.       Students may be suspended from the school bus.

7.       Students may be suspended from school.

Collaboration

Collaborative Work

By

Darcie Pike-Wilkie

I was recently reminded of a conversation I had with a colleague of mine last year. I had mentioned wanting to establish a relationship with the grade one teachers, in effort to help ease the transition from kindergarten to grade one. With my recent move to Alberton Elementary School this year, now would seem like the perfect time to get to know the grade one teachers personally and professionally. Although this write-up will only refer to one meeting that occurred between Mrs. HeatherJeffery and myself, it is my hope that there will be many more discussions and sharing of ideas.

Initially, we began talking about guided reading. Our school is just beginning a new guided reading program in which all the students in the school will be doing guided reading at the same time each day, and that there will be multi-grade groupings, dependent upon reading levels. Last week we had received an e-mail from the school board giving us benchmarks with time frames for our students. Heather relayed to me that although we are encouraged as educators to go deep and broad within the book levels, there is pressure to get to a certain level by a certain date. Sometimes the two goals contradict themselves, creating anxiety and strain. I certainly understood what Heather was saying, as I too am expected to have my student s at a certain level by a certain date.

We then shared our thoughts about phonological awareness, which brought us to a discussion on Jolly Phonics. Heather said she could see a difference when she began using the program with the children. They could make connections with the actions and the sounds. She found the greatest improvements with the short vowel sounds using the jolly phonics program. We felt that by me introducing the sounds with the jingles in kindergarten, a solid foundation would be laid and would flow nicely into the grade one program. Our discussion then went on to blending sounds, particularly blending three sounds at the beginning of the year. Presently, her students are struggling with this, although they can identify the sounds in isolation. This is something I can definitely pay close attention to in kindergarten and provide support and practice. Something I want to introduce in kindergarten for the first time this year is Elkonin boxes. I am hopeful that this will help the students in segmenting and blending sounds of words.

One other area we had a discussion on was the children’s self-help skills. Perhaps we need to make parents more aware at Welcome to Kindergarten in the Spring that the children need to work on self-help skills before kindergarten begins in the fall and that the parents can encourage this at home. We need to make parents aware that self-help skills are actually part of the kindergarten and grade one curriculum and are included on the progress reports.

As I was meeting with Heather, two other educators entered her room asking to borrow different items. I was thinking to myself that Heather must be a great resource if three of us were asking her for different things all within that half hour. I look forward to building a relationship with her and thereby ease the transition of kindergarten students to grade one.

As I was leaving the room, I was very encouraged to see Heather beginning to use learning centers with her students for the first time.  The kindergarten children in my class are already familiar with work stations and small groups. Perhaps this is an area that I can offer support to the grade one teachers as we have been doing centers for many years in kindergarten.

Planning For Possibilities #2

Planning for Possibilities                                    Week of October 3-7

Intent/hopes for children’s learning this week: (outcomes)	Health and Physical Development:Health and Well-Being: 2:4 Recognize and discuss safe and unsafe situations Early Literacy: 1:1, 1:2, 1:5, 1:7, 4:2
Materials and environmental aspects to consider when supporting children’s learning	Bic Fire Safety Video Program, Discussion cards, LCD Projector, VCR, Book- Clifford The Firehouse Dog, camera, Fire hats, boots in dress-up area. Mural paper to create group Thank you for Alberton Fire Dept., paint, markers, paper for drawing/ writing about the rules they remember about fire safety
Planned activities to support children’s learning	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
	Introduce Fire Safety Week	Lesson #1- My Friend The Firefighter. Watch video part 1. Discussion using discussion cards. Read Clifford the Firehouse Dog.	Lesson #2- Stop, Drop, and Roll. Watch video part 2. Discussion using discussion cards. Have each child practice stop, drop, and roll.	Lesson #3- Crawl Low Under Smoke. Have children practice crawling low under smoke. Visit from Alberton Fire Department for safety discussion. Children explore pumper truck, fire rescue unit, spray hose, ask questions to firefighters	Lesson #4- Safe For Play/Keep Away- discussion on what is safe for children to play with and what is not. Use discussion cards. Have children create mural thank you- paint handprint, write what they liked about the fire dept’s visit. Have children write about what fire safety rules they recall.
Documentation	Photograph children during presentation from fire department. Put children’s writing about the fire safety rules they recall in their portfolios along with their photos. Any relevant anecdotal notes
Educational Displays	Bulletin Board Display- Children’s writing and photos. Add curriculum outcome to display to create awareness. Add photo and info to classroom blog.
Differentiated Instruction
Reflections/Summary	Review fire safety in weeks to come