A Classroom for Learning

After seven weeks of student teaching and blogging I figured it might be time to take a break from positing about lessons, students, art projects, or school happening and tell you about the actual classroom.

It is not a traditional classroom. But I like that. I love the setup of the classroom! However, it did take me some time to adjust and realize just how in love I am with the feel of the classroom. 

I say it’s not “traditional” as in there are no assigned tables or student name plates on the tables. The only “assigned” spot the students have is on the carpet. Students are to sit in their special spots at this time. This is where the majority of teaching takes place. 

A child size couch and saddle are favorites for carpet time. 

There are five areas where students sit to do table work; they are allowed to sit at any of these tables. Often times students rush to be able to sit in the classroom office. This could have something to do with the three chairs in this space being traditional office chairs.  

The classroom is designed to feel very homey. A framed family picture for each student can be found around the room. On each table, is a vase of flowers or plant

Each table also has its own basket of supplies - pencils, scissors, glue, markers, and crayons (as pictured above). 

Kindergartener sized seating can also be found around the classroom. Students use these areas during Daily 5, if students have free choice on their iPads, or when students are reading. 

A classroom library is filled with books and pillows. The books are sorted according to the topic or type of book they are (animal, math, ocean etc.). To help students put the books away in the correct place, a sticker is on the back of each book that matches the front of the tote it belongs in.

This is the kitchen area. During free time, this area is often filled to the max with kids. Some are doing art at the table while others play with the kitchen materials or sit on the couch and do something.  

The Walls

The classroom walls display mainly educational tools, as well as the class promise and student artwork. Boarders for the classroom walls are educational tools for the students. The front wall (by the carpet area) has the alphabet, and another wall displays numbers. 

Now you have a better idea of where I spend my days taking in all things kindergartener :)

Kindergarten Olympics

In honor of the 2014 Winter Olympics, the kindergarteners participated in games of their own. From Bobsledding to figure skating the students were able to participate in eight olympic games. 

Each classroom made their own headbands and were encouraged to wear red, white, and blue for the day. While making the headbands, students learned about the olympic rings and our American flag.  

We started with an opening ceremony and parade of athletes before the games and fun began!

The kindergarteners rotated as a class through eight different games. If you were to ask the students what their favorite game was they would likely say “Ski Jumping”. To recreate this sport, students got to jump off of a table! (Disclaimer time: the table was low to the ground and students jumped onto/landed on mats!) 

My favorite activity, was Figure Skating. We put paper plates on our feet and skated around in a figure eight.

Cones and colored tape created a Slalom course for students to race through on scooters.

Our classroom housed Speed Skating. Using construction paper for skates, students skated around the classroom “ice rink”. 

Hockey and Bobsledding took place in the cafeteria. 

Snowball Throwing allowed students to practice their throwing and catching skills. Balls of yarn were used as “snowballs” although I’m sure the students would have preferred to use real snow!

The final olympic game was Ice Dancing. Music was played as students danced around the classroom with colorful sheer cloths.

An awards ceremony closed the olympic games. Each student was given a gold (participation) medal to wear for the duration of the day! 

     

Friendship Party

Today was filled with Valentines, sugar, stations, and FUN! We had the party today since friday is an early out and staff development day. Four parents volunteered to come in and do a station with students for the party. 

One station consisted of an ice cream snack. At another, students made and decorated a heart hat. The last station seemed to be a favorite among the students, cinnamon and sugar jars!

Each student got to fill their jar with cinnamon and sugar, put a sticker on the front that said “Here is a little something sweet to make your breakfast toast a treat!”, and decorate the top with a muffin liner. 

After finishing the stations, students got to open/look at the goodies inside their Valentine’s Day box. I liked this part the most. Watching the students as they looked at each card and read who they were from. The students were really good about telling their classmates thank you as they looked at the treat each friend gave them. 

As I looked through my own box, I couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. I have been with these students for five weeks now. The connections I have built with the students and short time I have spent watching them grow made each card that much more meaningful! These are a few of the cards from my students:

Seeing "Miss U" written on these cards, it was an unexplainable feeling. They made my heart happy.

 

(Apparently, I got married and didn't even know it! :) 

Thank you Valentine's Day/Friendship Party for helping me and the students feel a sense of love and belonging!

Catch Up Time

There are a few random things I have been wanting to post about but haven’t gotten to. So, I am throwing them all together in this post!

100 Puzzles
The students are continuously working towards counting and identifying numbers up to 100. One fun idea my mentor teacher thought of was 100 chart puzzles! We laminated several 100 charts in different colors then cut them into large puzzle pieces. I have a feeling the students will love trying to put the pieces (and numbers) together to make 100.

Word Rings
We use word rings in the classroom to help students learn their star words. Each student has a ring that words are added to as previous words are mastered. Each student works at their own pace and has a different number of words on their ring. There can only be three words on each ring that the student does not know. As students learn their words, more are added. When a student knows all of the words on their ring and there are no more to add, they are a “Star Word Expert”. A bead is added to their ring to celebrate. Currently, we have four students who are experts! During free time or down time through out the day, an adult grabs a students ring and has the student read the words to them. We try hard to get through all of the rings each day (sadly, sometimes there just isn’t time to squeeze it in!)

These are the rings hanging in the classroom. Each student has their own place for their ring. 

The unused words that are waiting to be added to rings are kept in these drawers. Each word has its own drawer so they are easy and quick to access. 

Valentine’s Day “Boxes”
I have taken over art lessons so I got to make Valentine’s Day boxes with the students! Personally, I have to say they are quite precious. Cereal boxes were wrapped in colorful paper and each student’s picture was tapped to the top of a box. Then students got to turn their box into a person! We learned how to fold paper in accordion style for the arms and legs; these were glued to the sides and bottom of the body box. Hearts were cut out for hands and feet. Students were free to decorate the front of their box as if it were their shirt. I suggested students use hearts and their favorite things to decorate their shirts. 

Thursday is our Friendship/Valentine’s Day party! Going to be a fun and busy day      

Valentines for my Kindergarteners!

I decided to make nonfood Valentine’s Day cards for my students. I assumed they would be getting enough sugar and treats from their peers and didn’t need one more. Plus, who doesn’t like a little gift you can play with or use again and again!

I found the cards on a blog and fell in love (http://www.whattheteacherwants.blogspot.com). There are many different cards in the pack, but, I chose to use the four I thought the kids would like most. 

Our friendship party is on Thursday but I wanted to share the valentines now because I think they are oh so cute :)

I was the Shining Star

I got to be the Shining Star on Thursday! Through out the school year, each student has had the opportunity to be the Shining Star. Last Thursday, much to my surprise, was my day. This is a way for the kindergarten class to welcome people into their class and help them feel a sense of belonging. 

When you are the Shining Star, you get to sit in front of the class. Each student writes your name on the top of their special paper then draws your picture. They work through the drawing together on the SMARTBoard. The Shining Star is drawn and colored just as they look that day - including how their hair looks, what clothes they are wearing, any jewelry they are wearing etc. on that specific day. 

(Picture of the drawing done on the SMARTBoard the class followed along with)

When it is time for Shining Star, a song is played. The students know what the song means and quietly get their clipboard and a piece of the special Shining Star paper. I had no idea what the song meant or what the students were going to get; but the students sure did! They all had huge smiles stretched across their faces as they tried not to tell me what was going on. Finally, one student was asked to please explain to me what being the Shining Star entailed.

To start, the shining star spells their name as the class writes it down. I had the students spell my whole last night. They are use to calling me “Ms. U” and couldn’t believe how many letters were in “Miss Uhlenkamp”!   

Here are some of the students drawings. I had a hard time narrowing down which ones to post as I love all of them! Each one was just adorable. 

Fun with Lines

A few new experiences were had on Friday. I planned and taught an art lesson from the kindergarten art curriculum. I taught the lesson not to my own students, but to a different kindergarten class. Very fun! 

Four of the kindergarten classrooms do art rotations twice a month. This allows each teacher to focus on preparing one lesson every other month rather than each lesson in the curriculum. The lesson is taught to each of the four classes. So, by the third or fourth time the lesson is taught, it has been almost perfected. 

My lesson was on lines. Students learned the formal name of each line, practiced making each type of line out of paint, and experimented with what shapes could be made from the five different lines. This was a very open ended lesson (which I loved!). I introduced the students to five main types of lines then they were free to learn more about them through their own thought process and experimenting with paint. 

A few of the students even discovered what letters they could make!

As the students were working, I walked around the room and pointed out different student’s interesting ways of using lines.

Part of me thought teaching a different class of students an art lesson (with paint!) might be challenging since they had never met me and I didn’t know any of their names. Quite the opposite was true, however! I enjoyed teaching the lesson and feel it went really well.