Creative Curriculum: Photo's 2017-2018

Creative Curriculum Google+ Community

Sample Schedule Expectations- Organization of the Instructional Day

Creative Curriculum Fidelity Documents:

Beginning of Year Checklist

IA Self Assessment

Teacher Self Assessment

Classroom Visit Tool

Long Range Planning supports:

One of our facilitators (Michelle O'Reilly) shared a planning document that she is using with her new CC team and I thought I would share it with you just in case you might find it useful. It is not required that you use it, but if you don’t have anything it might be helpful. Here is the viewable link on Google Drive: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TY5wOc6Lb5DxU_e15H5KsEkGtTL5qBNXk8ceslXAZ8U/edit?usp=sharing. If you choose to use it you can make a copy and save it to your Google Drive.

Frequently Asked Questions~

Subject: E books

Anyone know the exact steps to get the Ebooks CD to work in the CMS computer. I am with a teacher now and we have put the CD in and nothing happens. When we try clicking files to open we just keep getting additional files to open.

Can anyone help me with some steps?

Thanks!

Tiffany Johnson, Pre-Kindergarten Literacy Facilitator

• Open the “my computer” or “this computer” folder.

• Open the dvd window inside that.

• Click the line “mainBook” with the red adobe icon (not the folder)

I had a teacher last week who did all that and it didn’t work- she had to put in a sharewell ticket to get adobe updated

Michelle O'Reilly, Pre-K Literacy Facilitator/Coach

Interest Areas (Volume 2)

1. In the CC classrooms do your teachers still use some type of system for limiting the number of children in a center? Yes. It is important to limit the number and it is appropriate to do so in CC classrooms.

2. Do they move a ticket or clip to the center they are working in with only a limited number allowed to be there at a time like in the OWL rooms? Each of my CC classrooms does it a little differently. Whatever system works for you is OK.

3. Do they use separate signs for the library/writing areas or is it on one sign with 4 or so total in that area? Some classrooms still have a separate writing center and others combine it with the library center. I am encouraging teachers to use their writing center for the discovery center if their science table was small. It is more important to have a large discovery (science) area and a smaller writing center since writing is supposed to be incorporated into the interest areas. It is OK to have a writing area, it is just not necessary since is it supposed to be integrated into the other interest areas.

Interest Area slides ~ Sand and Water

KW- (Exploring the Topic) & L-'Webbing' Summary (Investigations)

NOTES/TIPS:

• During the first week of every study you will begin to connect students thinking to print as you create the KWL chart during your large group discussion. As you refine your instructional practice of utilizing a KWL graphic organizer, here are some strategies to apply:

  • Week one, Exploring the Topic, is when you create the K & W part of the KWL...The 'L' is added as a summary after students investigate the topic.

  • Although most examples online DO NOT have visuals, it is an expectation that our charts will have a way for children to remember what was written on them. Teachers will:

    • write the students responses in complete sentences

    • identify the student who shared their knowledge

    • alternate colors of markers for each student response

    • add simple visuals for further clarity when appropriate

  • Summarize student Learning systematically during a large group time.

Web of Investigations

• Build the web as the unit progresses by focusing attention on the investigation question.

• Jot what the students know already about the investigation question. If students aren't sure about something add their question to W of the KWL chart.

• Add simple pictures to help students 'read' the web.

• Sloppy is OK...no need to rewrite the information that was recorded for 'neatness' sake. In fact, that may hinder the student ability to recall information from the chart if you rewrite it without them present.

• Write/draw first then circle…that way you aren’t trying to squeeze text/visuals into a confined space : ).

• Remember the purpose of the web: organize thoughts, identify what they already know, recall information (re-reading), and add new learning. You may add new learning to the web at any time. Remember to summarize the new learning with the students in large group and add the summary in sentence form to the L of the KWL chart. Make connections between the KWL and the web as appropriate.

• Continue to add to the web when new learning occurs even if the 'investigation' week is over.

• Tips from Literacy Facilitator/Coach Michelle O'Reilly, 2017: Webbing Ideas

Refining the KWL in the photo's above:

• Add student names to the complete sentences

• Add L section to summarize new learning in sentence form.

Classroom Environment~

Photos taken at Charlotte Bilingual Preschool (Reggio Emilio & ECERS)

Question of the Day~

What is Question of the Day? The Question of Day is a way to get kids thinking as they enter the classroom each morning. It is a planned activity related to the current unit of study that gets the school day started.

• A question of the day is a graphing activity that can be used to teach young children how to collect and organize data in a graphic representation as well as teach them how to analyze the data.

• Question of the Day is a fun way to get kids learning RIGHT when they get into the classroom each morning.

• It is a great classroom management technique to get the school day on track right from the start.

TIPS~

• Teachers might use the student’s picture as the year begins and then switch to the students name card and may progress to the student writing their name.

• In the beginning of the year, students will need help from the teacher. As the year progresses, this will be like any regular routine such as students’ putting their belongings in their cubby.

• The question needs to be intriguing enough to lead to further discussion BEYOND the simple yes or no response into some type of conversation, reaction, interest, or curiosity.

• Balance the questions so that there is a reason to feel like it was okay to answer with a “no.” We don’t want the children to get the impression that somehow saying “no” was a wrong answer. We the children to understand that the question wasn’t about a right or wrong answer but rather it was about participating in a discussion or making their own decisions…

• Question of the Day can also serve as an attendance system, the teacher can quickly look and see which name cards have not been claimed and mark those students absent.

• Many objectives can be supported by using the Question of the Day.

  • From a mathematical standpoint, graphing and answering questions can help students understand and use mathematical language. During Large Group the Question of the Day can be briefly discussed. Students can count the numbers of students in each column and write the numbers at the bottom. The teacher can ask specific questions regarding the data using mathematical language such as “more”, “less”, “equal”, etc. The “Turn and Talk” engagement strategy may also be utilized during this time.

  • Reading the questions can support the development of emergent literacy skills. When children engage in this type of activity they are learning to recognize their names in print, understand that print has meaning, track the print in a question and use picture cues to help them understand the text.

• Discussing the Question of the Day should take no more than 5 minutes and students should be allowed to switch their answer during Center Time.

Program connections:

ECERS-R, pg. 160 #16: Encouraging children to communicate-Numerous instances of communication activities must be observed taking place during both free play and group time. Look for lively participation involving many of the children in response to questions asked by the staff…

Creative Curriculum: The Foundation, pg. 74 (pg. 83), “Reviewing the children’s answers to the ‘question of the day’ often leads to interesting discussion of content area concepts. Sometimes it makes sense to discuss the children’s responses during the day’s first large-group meeting. Sometimes you will want to wait until the end of the day.”

Creative Curriculum fidelity tool: Use 1i Posts and discusses a question of the day with the children

Creative Curriculum Coaching to Fidelity book, pg. 21: Observe the arrival routine. Notice how the teacher interacts with the children as they answer the question of the day. Brainstorm for additional questions of the day. Point out how the teacher could use these to customize and investigation or extend the study.

TSG 22c-Compares and Measures: Represents and Analyzes Data~Interprets graphs-Level 4

Articles~

Question of the Day

Question of the Day Teach Preschool

Question of the Day in Preschool (PURPOSE)

Question of the Day Best Practices (Google Drive)

OWL Question of the Day suggestions (2018)

Parent Connection~

Subject: Link to Parent Connection Resources

From: Charlotte Rice, Creative Curriculum Consultant

"Hello all! Below is the link to the Parent Connection CD. I was able to get approval from Breeyn Mack to share this only with CMS since it is technically only for the 6th Edition customers. Please make available to all of your staff. I have included this link for upcoming PD sessions."

Log-in: https://teachingstrategies.com/protected/classroom-family-resources

Password: THn#9xzU4rdc!%3

WOW Experiences~

"A teacher shared with me a great resource for virtual field trips called Kid Vision on you tube. Here is the link to the one for a construction site https://youtu.be/y9SWPRlKFng. This lady takes groups of kids on field trips to several places which could be used in CC for Wow experiences. She even has one to a baseball field which we thought would be fun for the balls unit and she has one to a recycling center for the RRR unit.

Also one of our amazing Pre K subs many people know (Ms Pennington) gave me the idea of contacting high schools to ask for student volunteers to come to the pre k classes as Wow experience visitors. She said that students are required to do volunteer hours and some high schools have wood working or mechanic programs which they could come talk about for the constructions unit. Or maybe a football player or several other sports for the balls unit." ~ Tiffany Johnson, Pre K Literacy Facilitator