This morning's literacy centres were designed to be festive, with a repeat of the "make your own hand turkey," playdoh and a cornucopia-based "Merci pour" page that I created for the students to complete. What was interesting for me to see was the unique 'spin' that they put on these activities! I saw everything from a "monster dinde" to a beautiful pastoral scene with a rainbow, grass and a happy-looking little oiseau in the distance. :) I am sad that so many of the students left their work at school... it's such a great example of how active the right-hemispheres of their brains are at this age. They truly are capable of innovation! The class cleaned up exceptionally well this morning, and were rewarded with a handful of the biggest pompoms that I could find in the jar. They were ready on the tapis for gym avec Mme. Murray, and I was very proud of their efforts!
I was called in to cover the Grade One class for a few minutes during my planning time, and this happened to be during another practice fire drill. Mme Murray and I had been helping the JK/SK students out of the school during our last two fire drills, so I was curious to see how well they did... good news! They worked together very well once again. :)
The students enjoyed their nutritional break and first recess outside in the Kindergarten yard. We then embarked on a nature walk to admire the colours, shapes and sounds of l'automne, and to collect some leaves as well. When we returned to the classroom, the students changed into their indoor shoes and we met at the carpet for a few minutes to sing "Bonne fete" to one of the students, who had brought along some special treats to share with the class. :) We also enjoyed a visit from l'ours de l'anniversaire who sang us a rocking version of "bonne fete" en anglais. When our little celebration had concluded, I had the students explore some of the bins that we will be using in our sorting unit. It was nice to see them playing cooperatively and they really seemed to enjoy interacting with the math manipulatives. I circulated throughout the classroom to get a better idea of how each student connected with these materials.
For the remainder of the day, I attended a workshop for teachers who are new to Kindergarten. What a great learning experience! :) I have always loved school and have been missing university since I graduated, so it's great to have the chance to attend workshops that are so applicable to the present situation! :) I will pass on a few facts that were communicated to us this afternoon that I found to be particularly interesting:
*"Pretend play is the primary mode of learning during the preschool years and continues to be important into the primary grades."
*"Regulating one's thinking, emotions, and behaviour is critical for success in school, work, and life. Research has found that young children who engage in intentional self-regulation learn more and go further in their education. One of the best ways for children to develop self-regulation is through play (Self-regulation: several complex processes, across all developmental domains, that allow children to control their attention, thoughts, emotions, and behaviour and respond appropriately to their environment). Also interesting was the concept that 'children learn to regulate thoughts, feelings, behaviour and emotion by watching and responding to adults' self-regulation."
*"Research suggests that four and five-year-olds given 15 minutes of free play will spend a third of this time engaged in spatial, mathematical, and architectural activities. Studies also show that this kind of play, especially with blocks, helps children discover principles such as symmetry and geometry and sets the stage for more advanced skills used later on in mathematics and geography."
*The speakers at this workshop spent a good deal of time reviewing the stages of brain development from ~ 2-7 years. If you are interested in learning more about Early Brain Development and "How early experiences affect our children's schoolwork and relationships throughout primary, junior and intermediate grades," you are invited to attend a presentation on November 23 at John Black P.S. between 7 and 8 PM. There is also a very interesting-looking speaker coming to James McQueen on October 19th (I'm sorry, but his name escapes me at the moment!). He will be speaking on the topic of "Raising Emotionally Healthy Children." I think that I will be there, even though I don't have kids! Haha! It just seems like good information to know as a teacher, and maybe I can bring some of that insight into the classroom. Apparently this guy has also written a book about how boys and girls learn differently. I might have to be a complete geek and purchase a copy for the dude to autograph! ;)
Hope that you all have a fantastic weekend with la famille!
Mlle Craig
Hewitt]
[a chart that the leaves were taped to. The students sorted by colour, shape and size today. Bravo!]
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