Learning & Play
4/5/2021
Every student learns at their own pace, and in their own way. However, one thing that's true about all Orca friends is that they love to play and learn! So how can we, as teachers, meet their academic and enjoyment needs? That's easy! Games! Academic games are a great way to engage students of all different learning styles so they will learn while having fun. Here in the Orca's class we have been playing games such as "dice roll race" for math, "alphabet matching" for literacy, and many more! These games can be self-guided or teacher guided, and are an amazing way to allow the students to explore their education by play. With these games, students have the opportunity to work together to build up their knowledge in math, science, literacy, and social studies as well as their abilities to work together with friends. It is vital for a child's development to allow them to build their own knowledge. Growth Mindset
5/23/2020
Growth mindset is the idea that your intelligence isn’t fixed, and seeing challenge or difficulty as an opportunity to improve and learn. Throughout the year, our Early Kindergartners have worked on overcoming frustration and persevered through challenges. They have shown growth mindset while building blocks in the block center, while resolving disagreements with peers on the playground and while practicing literacy and math skills. Students continually worked to improve their skills, leading to greater growth and ultimately, success. In these past few weeks, teachers and students at PNA showed growth mindset as they continued education through distance learning. When our daily routine and contact with each other was disrupted, we used a growth/ innovative mindset to connect with each other in new ways. With the help of technology, our students were able to continue communicating and interacting with their peers and teachers. I enjoyed interacting with my students on Zoom as we played games, discussed our passion projects and of course our weekly Show and Tell! It has been a pleasure to be your child's teacher this year. I would like to thank you for your patience and support as we adjusted to the drastic changes during the last few weeks. I am extremely appreciative of our wonderful students, parents and the PNA community for their positivity, flexibility and resilience. I wish you all a happy and healthy summer!
At PNA, we implement project based learning which is a teaching method where students learn actively in meaningful and real world projects. In our EK class, students engage in PBL projects to solve real world problems and investigate topics that are important to them and their community. Even though we may be ending the year virtually, we believe that Project Based Learning is the best way to engage and instruct our students.
Project Based Learning Includes... Driving Question(s): Each student chose an Alaskan Animal of their liking. The students then set out to find answers to several questions about their animal. For example, “what does my animal look like, where does it live and what does it like to eat?” Students explored vocabulary words including appearance, habitat and diet. Critical Thinking Research: Students used knowledge about colors, shapes, and textures to describe their animal. Afterwords, they used a variety of materials to create their animal replica. They practiced important preschool fine motor skills while cutting, pasting, painting and coloring. The students used many different materials from homemade play dough to cardboard to make their animal creations. Their creativity shined in this part of the project! In the upcoming days, the students will research their animal's habitat and create a model based on their findings. Collaboration/ Communication: This pandemic has made it especially challenging for students to collaborate and communicate with each other. However, we are using communication platforms such FlipGrid and Zoom to allow student and teacher communication to continue. During this week's whole group meeting, students had a chance to become the 'teachers' and share facts about their animals and present their animal replicas with the class. It was amazing to see the hard work they put into their projects! Technology Integration: The students have used a variety of online resources to do their research. Next week, they will create a short video on FlipGrid explaining their animal's appearance, habitat, diet and some fun facts. They may also showcase their animal replicas and habitat models in the video as well. I can't wait to see their wonderful creations! Project based learning allows students to be creative as well as develop deep content knowledge, critical thinking skills, and communication skills. It also releases a creative energy among students and teachers. Check out this website to learn more about PBL: https://www.pblworks.org/what-is-pbl EK Show and Tell -Online
4/25/2020
Now that distance learning has become the new normal for teachers and students all over the world, creativity is at an all-time high as we are trying to figure out ways to reach and teach our students. As we move forward with online learning, I took a moment to reflect and asked myself 'What is something that brings our class together?' and 'What do my students enjoy the most?'. Show and Tell has always been a special part of our EK classroom and is a time the children look forward to. Zoom has been a great platform for us to continue our weekly Show and Tell.
Students present an item that they are excited and passionate about. This week they presented something that makes them happy. It is always a pleasure to see their faces light up as they explain the significance of their item. My favorite part of Show and Tell is to hear the sweet compliments the students give each other. This positive social interaction can boost a child’s self-esteem as they realize that their thoughts and ideas are valued. Show and Tell is a structured question and answer activity. Oral Language skills are strengthened as they use descriptive words and full sentences to describe their item. Show and Tell has many benefits for young children. This experience helps to build effective speaking and listening skills. It also promotes emotional development in children as they share their interest with the class. It also teaches children how to be patient and wait for their turn to present their own item which can be a challenge for preschoolers. An online Show and Tell session is not exactly the same as what we do in the classroom since the children don’t get a chance to physically play with each others' items. However, I am glad that the students are continuing to gain the benefits of a Show and Tell activity on zoom! |
Anna RamseyArchives
April 2021
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