Routines and Expectations for Learning

Our Class Schedule

The blue activities indicate the morning activities. As we learn the routines and procedures, I will add pictures of the students as a visual reminder of what happens throughout the day. The blue represents the morning activities and the pink represents the afternoon activities.

Our Classroom Rules

We co-created our classroom rules to determine what will help us do our best learning. I tell students that Mr. O'Connor & I both have two jobs: teach you and keep you safe. Our classroom rules help us to do our jobs and help them do their best learning.

Whole Group Learning

To help students keep their space and focus attention, I use these gestures and pictures as reminders.

3- Choose to sit criss cross, mountain, or mermaid.

2- Hands in lap.

1- Raise your hand to share.

Interest Areas

Peace Corner/Calm Corner

A calm down corner is a designated space in a home or classroom with the sole intent of being a safe space for a child to go to when they feel their emotions are running too high and they need to regain their emotional and physical control. Students can choose to hold a stuffed animal, draw/write a note, or read a book. We are adding calm down tools to the corner as a class.

Library

A classroom library center is a clearly defined space that young children can use independently to browse books. The classroom library plays an important role in creating a high-quality early childhood learning experience that enriches language and vocabulary development.

Arts & Crafts

Children use symbols and patterns of artistic expression to communicate their ideas and feelings. We use arts & crafts to aid in young children's abilities to look at art, talk about art, create art, and develop an awareness of the visual arts in their everyday lives. Eye-hand coordination and body-brain development are enhanced when children explore the visual world .

Technology

Each student is assigned an iPad for use in the classroom and on in the event we need to switch to virtual learning. Students will have access to RAZ-Kids, an online guided reading program with interactive books. Other apps and programs can be found on the Student Resources tab.

Construction

Block play helps children develop motor skills and learn about basic concepts of architecture and engineering. The design process used by engineers—a methodical, creative, and recursive approach for problem solving—transforms the block center into child-centered hub of collaborative play.

Dramatic Play

Dramatic Play offers opportunities for young children to develop socially, cognitively, linguistically, physically, emotionally, and ethically. Young children thrive in pretend play when making sense of their world and gaining new knowledge through the manipulation of realia, dress-up clothes, and writing materials relevant to each dramatic play setting. For example, for our Pets unit, we will create a veterinary hospital stocked with books about various pets, play medical instruments, and medical history forms for children to complete.

Writing

Writing is embedded into each learning center to encourage communication using print. Young children’s writing tends to progress from scribbles, to mock letters and symbols, to developmental spelling with limited control of mechanics, and then to increasing use of conventional spellings of words. For the youngest children, “writing” to express their ideas may involve drawing and dictating as well as actually forming letters and words. We encourage children to communicate using print, to gain insights into each child’s thought processes and growing literacy by studying what they write.

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