This week, we took our knowledge in making connections while reading and applied it to our schema (background knowledge). Schema is a difficult concept to model, so I was trying to find a way to explain it in a way that all the kids understood. THANK GOODNESS FOR PINTEREST!!! I found a wonderful analogy for teaching schema. I first told the kindergartners that our brains are very powerful tools. In fact, when we learn new things, our brain acts like a sticker and new things stick to our brains forever! I showed them a lint roller to show the literal sense of the analogy. I placed a couple of small papers around with schema that I have gained in my life (i.e., Bowling takes lots of practice and hard work, Louisiana gets really hot in the summer, etc). I told them that I have gained schema from all the places I've visited, the movies I've seen and the books that I've read. I was able to pick up the papers from the lint roller and show the kids how my brain is like the roller. All those things are "stuck" in my brain, because I learned them from my personal experiences! It was so much fun when each of the students got to write down their schema. We were able to celebrate and talk about all the learning we have done... even at 5 and 6 years old!!! After applying the schema that we have accumulated in personal lives, we took it further and applied to informational (nonfiction) text. I chose the book "Insects," as it is a great way for students to apply schema, and even misconceptions, to their knowledge on insects. While reading, I had the kids listen to their "inner voice," which is a fancy way of saying what we think when we are reading or listening to a text. I read over a part that talked about houseflies being able to taste with their feet. My natural response was, YUCK! I told students that I thought is was kind of gross, but it was also something that I did not know previously until I read it. I wrote on a sticky note my new learning and coded it with an "L" for learn. I also wrote YUCK!!! because that was my reaction to my new learning. After modeling, I gave each of the the kinders a whiteboard with sticky notes. They wrote their new learning, and at the end, they picked our their own sticky note and elaborated more. This week was so powerful! Not only have my students learned new information, but I have also learned how absorbent young minds are! I could not have gotten a better result from that simple analogy at the beginning of the week. I love my job!!!
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Between teaching, working, and starting my master's program, I have SERIOUSLY been lacking in posting a blog from the past month. However, we have all been working hard in K2, and I am excited for you to see what has been occurring in our classroom! The kindergartners have been applying their knowledge of phonemes (sounds) to apply them to pictures and written text. One theme during learning centers were focused on spiders. We learned facts about spiders and wrote them down on paper. We created spiders using our hands as a medium to create spiders. We measured spider (paper... not real!), and even identified sounds that began with the /s/ sound! I love having learning centers, not only because of the fun ways to apply learning, but also because of the wonderful parent volunteers that come in to support your children! During our Daily 5 structure, I have been modeling how to think about a text before, during and after reading. Using a book titled, "The Art Lesson," I modeled how I listen to my "inner voice" when I read. When I had a thought, I would stop, think, and record my thinking on a yellow sticky note. By thinking about my experiences, I was able to demonstrate how I could understand the text more. The fun part was having the kids practice thinking about reading. I continued to read the book, while providing opportunities for them to think about their lives and experiences when listening. When something important stood out to them, the kids were encouraged to write their thinking on their own sticky note. As we got further into the story, I was able to listen in on the conversations that were going on during partner talk. Wow, I could not believe the amount of powerful discussions that were taking place in my kindergarten room! Kids were thinking of, reminded of, and explaining their thoughts in a way that helped them understand the story more! I loved hearing it! After the story was finished, we shared our thinking, and I set the purpose for Read to Self time by having them think about their lives in the stories they were reading independently. I LOVED seeing and hearing the thinking! During the next couple of weeks, we are going to continue focusing on thinking during reading. i have introduced the concept of making connections during reading, including text to self and text to text connections.
This past week, we also learned the importance of Veteran's Day. As we are finishing our projects, I will be posting a description as well as pictures to show our new learning. Have a great week! |
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January 2018
AuthorI sing, dance, and laugh my way through life! I love to teach, but my desire is to always learn more. I am truly blessed with the life I have! Categories |