the importance of the share

The Share; an opportunity to empower and inspire.

Following any of our workshops - or learning opportunities - we have a share. The share can be one Kindergartener explaining their work to their peers, two children sharing their work in a partnership, or going on a "museum walk". Through a share, a child may be explaining how they solved a problem, rereading a book using their developing strategies, or telling of the inspiration behind their writing. I see the share as an opportunity for peer learning, for children to feel and be encouraged.

I believe we spend a lot of our day asking children to listen to us. How do we provide opportunities for language development and acquisition, when children are consistently told to listen? A share provides an opportunity for children to explain their work and thinking to their peers, to develop their language and public speaking skills in authentic and meaningful ways. We will always ensure the time for a share - sometimes as the teaching point at the beginning of a workshop and often as a way to transition out of a workshop.

 

 


Following one math workshop, ML shared her work using exploragons, a math tool for exploring geometric concepts and angles. Using the plastic sticks of varying lengths, ML built her dog, Luna. As I was checking in with children, ML explained her construction and the story behind her work.

I wonder how many of each exploragon it took to build Luna?

A question is often an invitation. ML quickly grabbed a piece of paper and markers. She drew her structure and labeled it with an L, for Luna. These strategies have been reinforced during academic choice as well as our writer's workshop. Using the markers, ML designed her own recording sheet. Counting the number of exploragons for each color, she recorded how many. During her share, the Kindergarteners said that they would like to make their own recording sheet next time. In response to her share, one child said, "I noticed the detail and all of your hard work!"

readers sound like the characters!

There are many interactive ways to explore reading concepts, such as comprehension. We look closely at the characters in a story, follow how the story goes, ask questions, share noticings and make connections. We think deeply about the characters and practice sounding like the characters as we read. Through the acting out of familiar storybooks, children are rereading, developing text comprehension, and practicing reading with expression. 

This week, the children acted out The Three Billy Goats Gruff. We talked about the narrator of the story and the characters. We discussed how each character would sound and how to show emotion through facial and physical expression. Following the children's performance, there was a shared excitement to perform more of our favorite storybooks - perhaps even for the first and second graders! The children have such an excitement to share their learning with our whole school community. Their love for literature and their genuine joy to learn together is inspiring.

Once there were three billy goats with the last name Gruff . . .

 

building letters 12.11 - 12.15

The children have many shared interests; working with learned letters, exploring patterns, and constructing with small materials. Using their interests to expand on learning opportunities during academic choice, I offered the new choice of building letters. 

A tray of large letter cards, snap cubes, wire, gems, and tiny rocks were an open invitation to construct. Some Kindergarteners explored patterns through their building. 

On the first day, KC eagerly chose to build letters. He snapped and stacked, made straight lines and curved lines. Cindy asked a gentle question; I wonder how many there are? It was all KC needed to record how many of each material he used to construct the letter m. After sharing his recording sheet with his peers, I asked KC to create a blank sheet. He drew a picture and wrote the word for each material; rock, cube, gem, and wire.

Copies of KC's recording sheet were added to the choice, inviting all letter builders to count and record how many materials they used. 

 

 

ML added an additional literacy component. Thinking about a word with the beginning letter sound, she drew a picture and wrote the familiar sentence; _____ is for . . .






When learning opportunities come from the interests of the children we work with, children are more likely to take initiative of their learning. They independently and eagerly develop and expand on an experience or concept. Academic choice is a time to listen and observe, to question and wonder - it is a time rich with meaningful teaching and learning, for the students and the teacher. 

being a green zone partner

 

Being a reading partner in the green zone means sharing interesting parts in books, connecting, and reflecting. 

Being a reading partner in the green zone means being actively engaged in reading and book conversations with your partner.

This week, we discussed successful partnerships and together thought about what it means to be a green zone partner. I asked the children, What zone were you in during reading workshop today? What zone were you in as a partner? Children were honest. Some shared that they were a little in the yellow zone. They noticed that when they got silly, their partner got silly. We discussed how the choices you make as a partner influence the learning of your peer - in a partnership, you have the power to help. You can make the choice to help another friend's learning. 

While the focus of our workshop was on working in partnerships to reread favorite storybooks, making our reading stronger and stronger, our conversations became about something deeper; the power in your choices as a partner, as a peer, and as a community member. 


In the below photographs, one partnership works together to read a favorite storybook. They support one another - pointing to words and pictures as they read the story, seeming to effortlessly take turns in the reading of each page. We end our workshop with a share. JF and DM read their storybook to the class. At the end, we discuss how JF and DM worked together. I ask how they felt during our workshop. Both children excitedly exclaim, We were in the green zone, it felt good!

 

 

rhyming - a playful manipulation of language

On Monday, we started our morning meeting with a "find your rhyme match" greeting followed by whole group work around the skill of rhyming. 

Rhyming is an important part of the Kindergartener's development of early literacy skills - helping all of the children to improve their oral language skills by encouraging playful manipulation of language. Opportunities rich with rhyming, or playing with language, provides a strong foundation for all future reading and writing. During our work as a whole group, the children produced multiple words that rhyme. I invited some of the Kindergarteners to print their rhyming words - encouraging peer support and the reinforcing of strategies for figuring out how to write a word. 

In the below photographs, AM shares that ran rhymes with fan. I invite her to write the word ran. With support, she reads the alphabet, looking for the beginning sound in ran - r. With some help from a peer, AM recognizes that ran ends the same as tan and fan! With a smile, she returns to her spot on our oval rug. It was a moment to celebrate, as the children - once again - came together to support their peer! 

Learning new skills takes time. In the midst of rushed days, we must slow down and provide children with necessary time for solving problems as a whole group; encouraging children to be patient, supportive, and to work together in constructive ways. 

 

 

 

engaging with print

During a read aloud about homes in different parts of the world, I invite children to study the pictures - to question and think about the information. Displaying the book on our screen allows all children to see the pictures and words clearly. There is a sudden burst of voices, children pushing up on to their knees, pointing to the pictures, talking about igloos and homes floating on the water. Wondering, if they live on the water, how do they have play dates? They must have a boat! 

It is always exciting when you stumble upon a topic of interest to the entire learning community. Through the literature we read during the building of our Fairy Houses, the Kindergarteners showed an incredible interest in homes around the world and the children and families living in these homes. The children's interests have inspired our read alouds, the books available during Reading Workshop, and our ongoing thoughts and reflections. We have looked at the World Map and circled the places found in the books we have been reading, we have noted differences and similarities. We have used what we know about 3D shapes to explain that a globe of earth is a sphere. We have questioned and made connections.

It was during the above observation that children also began to shout out sight words they could read on each page. The following day, using their curiosity and desire to find more sight words to guide my teaching, we reread the book about homes. With their peer AR recording how many of each word, the children went up to the front and pointed to the sight words they found. We talked about using tally marks to keep their findings organized in groups of 5. We celebrated the noticing of sight words inside of other words. We counted and compared how many. It was an exciting and engaging morning!

 


To meet the needs of all children in our learning community, we must look at the many different ways Kindergarteners engage with print and language. We search for words in books, we read signs in our environment, we look at pictures and words displayed in our classroom and school, we use labels to name and sort materials, and we connect to the various types of text being shared with us.


In the below photographs, CB sorts animal magnets, using the terms little and big. This kind of engagement with math language encourages CB to make comparisons, to categorize and sort items, to develop a foundation to use in future contexts. It is an opportunity to count and check his work, looking back at the print and ensuring that he has sorted the animals accurately. It is also an opportunity to feel a sense of empowerment!

 


TJ shares his book about The Very Hungry Caterpillar with his peers. He carefully reads the words on each page, looking for support as needed. Following his reading, two children connect to his book. CB states, I like ALL of it!

There is a changing display of pictures, words, and work in our classroom and common area. This documentation is a way to celebrate learning, to share about the children's ongoing work and investigations, and a way to advocate for all that we do in Kindergarten. In the midst of a busy day or week, I sometimes forget to stop and allow time to look at the documentation with the children. It's important to provide time for children to look and read documentation, to relive an experience - especially when they are so often the audience! Below, we take the time to look at the documentation of our Fairy Houses in the common area.

TW shares, "I like this, because I see my mom in the pictures. I just really love my mom so much!"

ML asks if I can read some of the words.

IM notices that some of the bark she shared with our classroom was used to frame the pictures and words on the wall.

representing HOME

On Monday, the children continued the reading of nonfiction literature about homes and communities around the world. I used our earlier conversation about our own homes as an invitation for the Kindergarteners to represent their homes. We talked about first picturing our homes in our minds and planning our work. The children then used black sharpie to draw their homes. 

Later in the morning, work partners had time to share their drawings with one another. Every detail had a story to go with it. OC pointed out the shingles on his roof while ML excitedly shared about the butterfly in her bedroom window. In the afternoon, splashes and swirls of watercolor were added to each drawing. Once displayed, we noticed differences in shape, number of windows, size, and color. We talked about the special parts in our homes, the cozy places we love to play and read in.  Our conversations and noticings continued to circle back to the notion that while we are all unique and different, we are also similar. 

 

 

Work partners sit close together, sharing their representations and explaining each detail.

 

 

Writers think about what they want to represent in their mind first and then put their ideas on paper using pictures and words. In the below photographs, the artists use color to enhance and add further detail to their work!

 

 

Later in the week, the children used their knowledge of sight words and their developing literacy skills to build and write a sentence. The sentence provided a title for their work. 

This  is  my  home.

The children noticed that the word is can be found in this, that there are four words in the sentence and three spaces, and that we know is and my REALLY well!