Research in Kindergarten

We are finishing our study of the world this week. We have learned about all the different continents and read several fiction stories about these different continents. We began our research by talking about what research is and how grown ups do research all the time. They look in books to find information and they don't write using information just in their head. We then signed up for what continent we wanted to learn about.

Around the World in Kindergarten

We are continuing to work on our new unit about the continents. It is a steady battle of teaching the standards or teaching the unit. This one is engaging to the kids by having them gain schema through the use of nonfiction text on the continent and the fiction stories involving the continent.
We activated prior knowledge (APK) through brainpop jr. by watching the video on continents and oceans then we read a book/atlas on Europe. This was part of the N part of the GANAG model (new knowledge). While we read this book, they took notes (another high yield strategy), either by drawing pictures or taking notes with words. The first one I am very proud of... this student came to my classroom knowing nothing and really struggled with the social dynamics of a classroom. Just look at all those sounds he was able to get down as well as the concept of details in a nonfiction text. The next one is from a higher student who is able to take those notes as well as make a judgment about what place she would like to visit.

digestive presentations

We technically began unit 6 during the week of testing, but didn't really get into the meat of it until testing was over. We having really been working on taking notes in our reading response notebooks. We really struggled with translating their great thinking to paper at the beginning of the year and reading response notebooks have been a great place for them to record their thoughts about a particular book, interact with the objective, and a place for them to practice anything new we work on. As a teacher it is wonderful that all of their materials are in one place. I walk around while they are working and score them on our objective score sheet, it makes grading beyond super easy! Well we began our unit by having students take notes on the digestive system by reading a few books and watching several videos. We discussed how to organize our notes and site our sources. Everyday it still blows me away that I am having 2nd graders do research, take notes, and site different sources. I didn't do that stuff until high school.

After we had taken notes on the digestive system as a whole we worked on taking notes on a complex text. I have a variety of student text levels in my room all the way from a DRA 3 to a DRA 40+, so for some it would be more difficult then others. We have an example page from our book and practiced taking notes on that.

Then we practiced taking our note sheet and using that information to come up with 3 key facts and then a concluding statement about why scientists think this information is important. This went right along with what we had already learned about having students create meaning with the 3 questions of "What does it say?" ( taking notes), "What does it mean?" ( summarizing key facts ), and "What does it matter?" (why is this information important). After we we practiced with our class sheet, we broke up into groups to take notes on our individual chapter. Students took notes while reading in their reading response notebooks.



After students finished their notes independently, they got together in their groups to discuss their thinking and what they thought were the most important key ideas from the text. This hits several CCSS objectives, such as "Describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text" "Identify the main purpose of a text" " "Write informational texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts to develop points" " Participate in collaborative conversations with diverser partners".

In the group were designated leaders who lead the conversations and made sure everyone had an opprotunity to talk. After they had created their 3 key points, students then put notes away and worked together to create their concluding statement. This statement was about why this chapter was important and why someone should read it. After this we came back together and talked. For many students the concluding statement was the most difficult. They wanted to summarize the learning, instead of telling why it was important. Then we worked on how to take that information and make it into our presentations. Students were given various jobs including creating diagrams, reading and inputting information into a smartboard presentation, and leading and supervising both groups.



They did wonderful! After they were done we used smartnotebook recorder to record the information and create a window movie player video to upload to our class webpage so they could share with their parents. All of the students showed alot of pride in their work and were very happy with the end result. As I was picking the leaders, I picked one student who is a resource student who at times has difficulty with authority. He has great potential, but he himself struggles to see it. At the end of the group project time, I was reminded again why it is important to not look at the student before me, but beyond that to what they can be. I have another child in my room who has been struggling a lot this year and we are looking at a variety of ways to help him. He really struggles with group work and staying focused. So my "leader" sat down with him and had him look for how to correctly spell all the words in the presentation. He did this with no direction from me, but because that was his job. He said it was his job to help all his group members to do their job, and this was a job he could do. :) 

Read Across America

Well last week was a bit of a challenge! We had our district testing...just makes me think about ITBS coming all too soon. So on Friday we had a day I look forward to all year...Read Across America. A celebration of reading and all things Dr. Seuss.

We got to have guest readers in our room and read with stuffed animals all day long!  

First off...our principal, Mrs. Kinkade. She read Horton Hatches An Egg. The kids were enthralled! We have been talking about being fluent readers and after she left several of the kids said, "Mrs. Davis she was a very fluent reader!"

Then we had our literacy coach, Ms. Simpson come in. I was enthralled in the story, I forgot to take a picture. All I can say is, "Dave!" Then later in the afternoon came Mrs. Toney, our assistant principal.

She read Pigsty. (Quite appropriate for some of the kids in my room.) Hopefully they learned the "moral" of the story and will work to be responsible and take care of their stuff. 

Finally at the very end of the day we had our PE teacher come and read to us. I know it is very memorable to kids. In fact, while Mr. Brown and I were discussing the time and place in the hallway, a 5th grader who I had in 2nd grade came up and wanted Mr. Brown to come and read the same story (that she had heard in 2nd grade)  to her class.  

At the end of the day...it was a reminder of the joy of being a teacher. To see kids just laying around...reading to their animals...listening to some special people in their lives reading to them. Sometimes I think I get caught up in pushing them to meet this standard, meeting with all seven (yikes!) small groups, or wrapping my brain around these new CCSS that I forget the joy in playing a small part in the lives of some pretty neat 7 and 8 year olds and seeing them fall in love with reading.