We start out in a manner that may seem slow to adults, but it is a quick pace for the children. We have already started most of our specialist classes, which adds a lot of caring adults into their lives.
Our room can become messy quickly. One of the biggest challenges at the start of the year is to simply clean up when you are done with activity. It also means learning how to organize all the materials in the room. This is why we slowly add items to the shelves. Too many things can quickly become overwhelming.
Recess is often done with both preschool classrooms together. This allows the children to forge relationships with the whole grade. We also get together for Project Room activities and Open Doors.
Many parts of the room are set up to maximize social interaction. The students are learning about one another as they play in a natural way. Many friendships simply begin with a shared interest and experience.
Quiet reflection is important in a busy room. The space under the loft is filled with books that are rotated. Our creation table space and easel are busier, but often allow for this more reflective time.
Building areas are not only fun, but allow for learning. Children truly begin to discover some of the basic rules of physics while building. When working in collaboration with another person the students also have to use fairly precise language. This builds vocabulary. It also helps establish context. These are language skills that are critical later in reading and writing. People start with verbal language and then move into the representative.
Painting is always a popular area of the room. Working at a standing easel helps develop muscles that are used for writing. Using a brush also builds the fine motor control needed for writing.
We are often outside. Nature hikes and playing on the playground. It is always amazing what the children notice and these opportunities are used to teach them about how world. Bugs, leaves, ponds, trees, and animals are interdependent. Our large campus let's us go and see, touch, and hear it all!
The students often get to choose the activity they want to pick in the room. We can usually find ways to integrate academic and social learning into nearly every choice in the room. As our class becomes more settled, the teachers will engage in more one-on-one work with each child to challenge and support their learning.
We have many items in the room that are already being used by the class to develop letter and number recognition. Most of the materials that are used go beyond recognition. Math materials will typically focus on symbol to quantity. Letter materials will often focus on letter formation for writing and sound correspondence for reading.
I look forward to discussing how the room works with you at Back-To-School Night!
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