The Full Story
*(Please click on images for a closer and deeper look!)*
Instructional Practice
District 2 Pre-K Center: Tweed: 2019-2020
During my first year of teaching, I had the honor to start in a pre-k classroom at Tweed. I was a co teacher alongside with Ilene Lerea, an experienced teacher who not only showed me the ropes of teaching, but ensured that I was learning outside of the classroom by taking any additional courses that would provide me with resource to keep on learning. Take a look ahead at some of the things I could do with my children as I ensured to meet them where they are.
My First Day of Teaching with my coteacher Ilene Lerea: 2019-2020 School year
Our Pet Hermit Crab
Learning about our pet hermit crab targeted many areas of development. Children were invited to vote for a name. I encouraged children to use their counting skills to figure our what the name of the hermit crab will be. I encouraged our weekly pet helper to ensure that our hermit crab was well fed and kept. With this, I scaffolded opportunities for many other acts of care and love in the classroom. We learned how to care for another living thing in our classroom and talked about its physical characteristics that contributed to its living and functionality.
Match the Number
In order to assess children's knowledge around math and numbers, I invited children to join me in a matching game. I also learned that when children could match the numbers, another skill could be assessed. "If I am holding the number 1, what number comes next? Does anyone have the number that comes next?" This activity lead to children being able to count and use these cards independently in the Table Toys Center.
Interview with Custodian, Mr. Arkim
Children received the opportunity to interview custodian, Mr. Arkim and ask questions about what he does around the building. They also got to learn where the trash goes as Mr. Arkim was a frequent visitor of our classroom ensuring it's daily cleanliness. With this activity and opportunity for engagement, students learned that they could ask any other visitors some of the same questions. I was able to provide and demonstrate a stronger and more connected community and children generalized their learning.
Our Classroom Tree
In this classroom space, a special tree was designed by the children who spent many of their days there. I invited children to join in on the Tree creating journey. Children added attributes to the tree as the unit of study went on. We went over the parts of the tree, what grows on trees and who lives in trees. I allowed for this to be an ongoing project and children were enthusiastic about seeing how much our tree changed as the weeks went on. I invited and created small groups where children created different fruits and animals with paper and art materials to represent their ideas and stick on the tree.