Building Stamina
2/22/2019
As I mentioned in two of my previous blog posts, I recently read an article from The International Literacy Association, "Creating Passionate Readers Through Independent Reading," that confirmed my philosophy of best reading practices, practices that PNA embraces as well, practices that in tandem with project based learning, help us create lifelong learners who remain curious about the world and have the tools to discover more about it. The authors of the article expounded upon several key factors of the literacy environment in schools: student choice; creating time for, nurturing, and instructing through independent reading; and growing stamina. In my previous blogs, I focused on student choice and independent reading. This post will focus on the last point, growing stamina. Why is reading stamina so important? Among other things, "students are required in classrooms and in life to put sustained attention into reading tasks." Additionally, "research establishes that one cause for the difference between good readers and poor readers is the difference in the amount of time spent reading." I have mentioned before that helping students fall in love with reading is one of the main reading goals in kindergarten. Students who love reading became avid and voracious readers who read more and more, which in turn makes them more skilled readers. This primes them not only for the more reading intensive school years ahead, but for becoming lifelong learners and readers as well. Stamina is intertwined with both student choice and independent reading. Student choice in reading materials helps motivate students to read for extended periods of time and providing time for independent reading in the classroom helps grow stamina. Students' reading stamina gives them the ability to "put sustained attention into reading tasks," helps them grow their reading skills, and allows me to provide targeted instruction for individuals or small groups of students. As you can see, all of the pieces work together and build on one another. In my kindergarten classroom, we systematically build stamina in reading during the beginning of the school year. Following the framework of Gail Boushey and Joan Moser, founders of The Daily 5, students are tasked to concentrate on the following things: getting started right away, staying in one spot, reading quietly, and reading the whole time. We practice what this looks like, sounds like, and feels like - and what it doesn't (which is always a favorite). I find this to be the most effective method for kindergartners because it makes the abstract concept of reading more concrete, especially when they cannot yet read the words. They know on exactly which things to concentrate. When someone breaks stamina, everyone stops and students evaluate how they did with the four components above. Each student chooses the area in which s/he needs to grow. We then set a class goal for our next stamina practice and try again until we eventually reach 15 minutes of unbroken reading time. Growing stamina also provides a wonderful opportunity to develop growth mindset and realistic goals. Oftentimes, the class stamina starts at only 1 or 2 minutes. By celebrating growth in stamina, we establish the importance of growth mindset and working towards a goal. It is so satisfying for me to look around and see our little ones reading intently through stacks of books during reading workshop. Sometimes they need nudges and reminders, but what an accomplishment for 5 and 6 year olds to be able to read for 30 minutes each day. I know they feel a great sense of pride and accomplishment as they read through their stacks of books as well.
The Design Process
2/16/2019
Part of the authenticity aspect in project based learning is having students follow real-world processes, the same processes that scientists, authors, readers, and engineers follow. During our Iditarod sled build, we follow the engineering design process. First, I define the problem and identify the constraints for students. Like an Iditarod musher, they must design their sled for the race. The design is their choice, but their dog must be able to pull their sled and they must be able to store their supplies inside their sled. The sled must run on the school carpet and be made out of classroom materials, such as cardboard, paper, and pipe cleaners. After researching Iditarod sleds, students set off to make their own designs. They carefully planned out what they wanted their sled to look like and what materials they would use to accomplish this. Finally, it was time to build. One of the reasons this is such a fun project is because students get to share it with you. With your help, our little engineers built their sleds and were ready -and eager- to test them. The test revealed areas in which the students need to improve their designs, whether it be more secure runners, a faulty harness, or some of the decorations and details. I was so proud of our little ones as they tested their sleds. Something we work on all year, that I believe goes hand-in-hand with any design process, is nurturing and developing a growth mindset. Before testing the sleds, we discussed what would happen if a sled broke or did not slide as well as intended. Students agreed that any mishaps would really just be an opportunity to improve their sleds and make them even better for the race. After testing, students did meet the many broken sleds with a positive attitude, eager to fix their designs and try again. When I told them I was proud of their growth mindset when their sleds broke during the test run, one of our sweet little ones said, "Of course it's not a big deal. We can just try again!" When children are encouraged to be makers, artists, designers, doers, and engineers, they develop creativity as well as important life skills, skills like creativity, risk-taking, and perseverance, that cannot otherwise be taught. Individuals with a growth mindset, creativity, and design thinking are ready to tackle problems in our world - and persevere until they solve them. They are the individuals that will desire to change the world for the better and have the skills to do so. And isn't that what we want for all of our sweet little ones? Thank you for being such an important part of nurturing our kindergartners creativity and allowing us to help them explore the world in such an authentic and fun way.
An Entry Event
2/9/2019
According to the Buck Institute for Education, the leading resource for PBL, projects should be launched with entry events. Regarding entry events, BIE says: "Rather than simply announce a project, we can generate interest by creating a special event that takes our class out of their routine, and lets them know something special is about to happen. Entry events should engage and intrigue, and provoke students to want to know more. We avoid pre-teaching important content, because we have not yet created that need to know. [...] After the entry event, the students should have a need to know more. The entry event should provoke student questions. The goal is to grab the hearts and minds of your students." In my experience in the classroom, entry events certainly generate interest, engagement, and motivation for the upcoming project and study - a definite "need to know more." They also do provoke lots of student questions, and one of my goals as a teacher is to help my students learn to ask good questions - and continue asking them. (Read more about the importance of this in my blog post about the power of a question.) The entry event is often one of my favorite parts of a project, and that is certainly the case with our Iditarod project, which has definitely grabbed the hearts of our little mushers. To launch the Iditarod project, students received a special delivery - of sled dogs. They were asked to take on the task of adopting, loving, caring for, and training the dogs for the Iditarod. (All but one of our students eagerly agreed, and he was easily persuaded when I plopped a cute, fluffy puppy in front of him.) As soon as students had their puppies, they began asking questions. They had questions about the puppies, the project, and the Iditarod... all of which are now guiding our study as well as helping our kindergartners remain curious and continue questioning the world around them. This particular project had a bit of a double entry event. Because taking care of dogs is such a big task, I called in an expert. Laura Atwood, from Anchorage Animal Care and Control, came in to teach our little ones how to care for their dogs. They have been busy ever since, making sure their dogs have everything they need to stay healthy and happy. The entry events did their job perfectly. Students are now authentically and genuinely engaged in our Iditarod project, asking questions, wanting to know more, and eagerly working to answer their questions (and care for and love on their dogs) each day. |
Saania AliMs. Ali graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelors of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. She specializes in Early Childhood Education, ESL, and Special Education. Her hobbies include traveling, reading, and painting! Archives
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