Access:
ECE
(2 - Proficient)
(2 - Proficient)
About this exemplar
This section features a candidate's work with their pre-kindergarten and first grade students at a public charter school in the Baltimore, MD area. At their school, 95% of students are Black. The school is a Title 1 school, with over 95% poverty.
Access means all children, regardless of their race, gender, or economic status, should have equitable opportunities to participate in high quality educational programs and extracurricular activities and to be supported by caring adults helping them reach their full potential. Moreover, "a culturally responsive, asset-based approach emphasizes the importance of leveraging out-of-school practices" to provide a holistic education to students (Wright et. al, 2016). In other words, students need access to to be connected with opportunities and resources in and out of school. Unfortunately, many students and their families face barriers to participate in opportunities or gain access to resources outside of school. I found this to be especially true when I began teaching in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. My Pre-Kindergarten students were missing out on experiences of going to places and thus were not building deep schema, or background knowledge, that students need to be successful in school.
In this section, I will demonstrate how I researched and analyzed opportunities for my students and their families and then created myriad resources and planned activities to academically benefit my students and their families. Specifically, I built partnerships with families to help them establish robust, literacy rich environments in their homes. Additionally, I provided a window into non-traditional STEM related career fields, in a virtual setting, that aligned with our learning objectives.
Early literacy development starts at home and plays a significant role in children's overall success in school. Reading is the foundation to all subjects. However, it’s about more than just knowing how to read. Students also have to enjoy reading. Myriad scholars discuss the crucial element of motivation to read as a factor in reading success (Malloy et. al, 2013; ReadingRockets, 2014; Afflerbach, 2018). In fact, Afflerbach (2018) specifically says that “reading development and success are influenced by motivation, prior reading experience, and self-efficacy” (p. 25). Students who are unmotivated to read, or feel they are not good readers, will struggle throughout their learning journey, and possibly in life. Early childhood is a vital time period to begin building a love of reading by surrounding children with books and with adults who also value reading.
Unfortunately, “literacy gaps in children from different socioeconomic backgrounds exist before formal schooling begins” (American Psychological Association, 2017). Two factors that affect early literacy achievement are (1) parent/caregiver lack of awareness of how to develop their child's early literacy and (2) having limited access to sufficient reading materials. Providing students with their own library cards, information about the library, and knowledge of how to check out books, will increase their access to a variety of books and educational materials. Additionally, providing detailed information to families about how to build a home library through free book programs will set students and families up to read together for years to come.
I knew from working with my students on Zoom and conversations with families that their access to books and reading materials were limited. Moreover, with libraries being closed to public use during the pandemic, it was even more crucial that I help families find an affordable way to create or expand their at home libraries. In doing research on how to engage families in expanding their knowledge of early literacy and access to appropriate reading materials, I found the idea of expanding student's personal libraries had potential for long-term impact. This meant it could have meaningful impact beyond the initial receiving of books. And, for students with younger siblings, access to books could provide benefits to more than just the students in my class. Rather than a one off book donation, I wanted to empower families to know how to access books on their own for years to come. There are myriad resources available, but many families miss out simply because they don't know about them. I provided access by doing the research, scheduling guest speakers, sharing information formally and informally, and creating a newsletter and website for my students and families. I distributed these to my students and then followed up with families to see if they were successfully able to expand their libraries.
Research and Planning Access Opportunities
In Teaching for Transformation I, I examined my virtual pre-kindergarten students' needs and explored potential resources that would be valuable to their academic success. I discovered that my students had limited access to sufficient reading materials, which affected their early literacy development. I also learned through conversations with parents/caregivers, that there was a lack of knowledge about the resources available in our community. As teachers, we have an obligation to not only share our knowledge of resources, but provide avenues for families to access these resources.
Because of the research I did, I was able to provide two access opportunities related to early literacy that my students would not have had without my efforts. As you'll see below, because I provided information and support, families were able to increase their home libraries and have an improved understanding of how to effectively help their child build literacy skills at home.
Research paper on potential resources that would be valuable for my pre-kindergarten students in the 2020-21 school year.
Strengthening Partnership with Families
Since school was held virtually during the pandemic, I had a rare and vivid window into the homes of all of my students. Caregivers were heavily involved in helping their you children during school time and witnessed first hand their child's literacy strengths and needs. Since caregivers were engaged in their child's learning environment beyond traditional interaction, I knew it was vital that I provide them with tools to be more successful. I knew that many of my families would benefit from some support in understanding early literacy. A quick way I shared my insights was by using our school communication app, Remind, to send helpful links to families.
However, I knew that wasn't enough. So, I reached out to the local library to see how else I could help connect my students and their families to library resources- even when buildings were shut down. I knew that having access to the many services that the library provides could result in positive long-term impact on my students' literacy development.
This is an example of a message I sent to my Pre K families in the 2020-21 school year. I often shared resources with families and colleagues that I learned about through my JHU coursework.
Planning and Scheduling Phase
In Spring 2021, schools and libraries were still shut down across Baltimore City. The majority of my virtual pre-kindergarten students had never had the opportunity to experience going to the library. Knowing the importance of access to early literacy materials, I researched ways to bring the library and books to my students. I connected with a local Librarian who was interested in doing virtual visits and story time with our class. She explained that she could do a virtual library tour and provide information and forms to register for library cards. I corresponded with her over a couple weeks to schedule a virtual library tour and get her access to our zoom room. She needed a school email account which could only be created by our technology coordinator and needed approval from our Principal. In the slides to the right, there are yellow boxes explaining each picture. You can see that it took many back-and-forth emails with multiple people to create an accessible virtual visit.
A sample of the email correspondence with a local librarian. Yellow boxes in each slide give a summary of how the emails demonstrate my effort to provide impactful access to my students.
Promotion Phase
Once the virtual library tour was scheduled, I needed to spread the word to my students and their families to ensure as many students as possible would attend. I reminded students daily on Zoom in the week leading up to the tour. I also sent messages via Remind App to let families know when it was coming up. Finally, I posted a link to the library registration form on Google Classroom. Samples of the message and library registration form are pictured below.
A message to remind families about our guest speaker.
Library registration form I sent to families.
Implementation Phase
On the day of the virtual library tour, 14 out of 18 students attended and participated. Students were engaged during the tour and read aloud. Moreover, families were present and many expressed interest in obtaining a library card once they heard about all the amazing services offered by the library. Most families did not realize the library still provided so many opportunities, such as "take and make" craftivities, despite buildings still unopen to the public. Bringing this resource to light also strengthened the meaningful connections I was working to build with my student's families.
A screenshot of our virtual library visit with a local librarian during a time when buildings were shut down. Though this is a regionally obvious opportunity, I learned through conversations with families that most did not have library cards and did not know about the many services the library was still providing during the pandemic.
Follow Up Phase
If you scroll through the emails to the right, you'll see that my communication with the librarian continued beyond our virtual field trip. The first slide is an immediate follow up where she shared highlights from the experience and attached information about library services and registration- which I shared with my students/families. The next three slides are months after our virtual visit. The librarian brought us "take and make" art projects and "read to reef" bookmarks. The "read to reef" challenge rewarded students with free tickets to the National Aquarium if they read a certain amount of books in a month! I know at least four of my students participated in this event!
The librarian checked how many of my students had library cards now, and I was happy to hear that 14 students were library members! This meant that 10 students had registered for cards since the library tour. In other words, because I brought this opportunity to my students and encouraged their caregivers to act, they now had access to all of the academically enriching services the library provides.
Samples of follow up email correspondence with the librarian after our virtual field trip. This proved to be a beneficial connection for the rest of the year. I included notes in yellow boxes on each page. I was most excited to hear that 14 students now had access to the library thanks to my efforts to educate families about this public service.
Planning Phase
After the library tour, I knew that I could still do more to help my families not just access books, but build robust home libraries. In researching local resources, I discovered the Maryland Book Bank and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. These two nonprofit organizations give away free books to families. As part of my Teaching for Transformation I coursework, I completed a detailed action plan for how I could support my students in expanding their access to books at home. Starting on page 8, I describe six steps I planned to take towards this goal. Additionally, I took immediate steps to share these resources with students so they could benefit from them right away.
An in depth action plan for bringing valuable, long-term impact resources to my students and their families.
The Imagination Library program sends a new book every month to children ages 0 to 5 year. This completely free program is available to residents of Baltimore City, where my students live.
The Maryland Book Bank is a nonprofit organization located in Baltimore. They provide free, gently used books to children from under-resourced areas with the goal of cultivating lifelong literacy for all students.
Promotion Phase
Using the Remind App, I sent information about both resources- Imagination Library and Maryland Book Bank- to my students' families. I encouraged families to enroll in the program and offered support in book pick ups if needed, to make the programs truly accessible. I picked up a box of books for a family that lacked transportation. I know from conversations and surveys that multiple families enrolled in the Imagination Library.
A message with encouragement and a link to sign up for Imagination Library. Pictured are all the books my own child received from the program.
Me picking up a box of books from the Maryland Book Bank to deliver to a family who did not have transportation.
Implementation Phase
Now that they had more books, it was vital that families knew how to utilize this resource to the academic benefit of their children. I used our online learning platform, Seesaw, to create assignments that not only provided information about how to effectively read with children, but also required family participation beyond what is traditionally expected. In other words, the assignments were more for the grown up than for the student. I wanted families to practice asking the right kind of questions to best support their child's early literacy skills.
Sample Assignments
In the slides to the right are two examples of assignments I used as a way to promote family engagement in their child's early literacy development. With their recently increased access to books, I knew families could complete the "Reading Strategies for Families" and "Your Favorite Book" assignments. Both of these online assignments required families to work with their children to read and discuss a book. The "reading strategies" also provided adults with helpful tips to more effectively develop their young child's literacy skills and knowledge. These assignments continued the learning partnership I was developing with my student's families.
SeeSaw assignments for students and families to practice reading strategies together.
Link to Student 1 Video **Redacted**
Student 1 using the "echo read" strategy with a caregiver. In this video, the caregiver says, "I'll read, and then you say what I say." As they are reading, she notices that her child is having some difficulty repeating long phrases. She says, "I think we should do it another way." Then, she starts chunking the words into 2-3 word phrases (which is more appropriate for Pre Kindergarten). This video shows that caregivers learned reading techniques from the resources that I provided. Additionally, it increased the time that students spent reading with a loved one. One of best parts about this video is the joy that my student is having reading with her caregiver! A side note: this student is in my first grade class this year and she is one of our top reading students!
Link to Student 2 Video **Redacted**
Student 2 using the "echo read" strategy with a caregiver. In this video, you can see that they are reading a book that they got from The Dolly Parton Imagination Library. This caregiver is carefully reading with her child and chunking the story so that the student can successfully repeat the words. This student is being introduced to propery reading fluency by echoing an adult reading fluently. Moreover, this child is also so happy in the video.
This video shows that, because of my efforts, this family has a book to read and age-appropriate early literacy strategies for supporting their developing reader!
Link to Student 3 Video **Redacted**
In this video, a student is sharing her favorite book that she got from the Maryland Book Bank, after I shared information and encouraged families to sign up for the program.
She says, "Fancy Nancy is my favorite book because she read a book about a girl that is a hero and brave, just like me." This student made a personal connection to this book, which makes reading a more enjoyable experience for young learners.
Link to Student 4 Video **Redacted**
This student is sharing their favorite book that they got from the Maryland Book Bank. She says, "this book is about sweet strawberries and strawberries is my favorite."
My mission was to help families access more books and empower their young learners to love reading. Seeing all the videos of students making personal connections to their new books was amazing!
Access to Literacy Resources Year Round
In an effort provide long term access to valuable literacy materials to my students' families, I synthesized myriad resources into a newsletter and website.
Pictured to the right is an evidence-based, interactive newsletter with links to useful resources such as culturally diverse book recommendations, family reading strategies, reading games, learning apps, and educational YouTube videos.
I also created a website where I was able to provide even more robust early literacy resources to families. The website includes a variety of resources such as educational YouTube channels, apps, games, reading resources, book recommendations, local resources, and more. You can explore the website in the link below.
I shared both the newsletter and website with families from both my 2020-21 and 2021-22 Pre Kindergarten classes.
An interactive newsletter that explains the importance of early literacy and provides highly researched recommendations for families of young children.
As a parent myself, I know first hand how challenging it can be to sort through endless amount of information trying to find the best teacher-approved, high-quality resources to support our children. I did the time-consuming research so that my student's families could have access to these high quality resources without having to spend their own time sifting through the options. Moreover, they could reference this resource beyond our school year together.
Link to Early Literacy Website **Redacted**
Click the "early literacy website" button above to browse more resources. I created this website as a way to share all of my teacher-recommended websites, apps, games, podcasts, and books so that parents/caregivers could also have access to information they may have otherwise not known about.
Follow Up Surveys
With all of the work I put in to help families access more books and literacy resources through library cards and book donation organizations, I wanted to see if it made any difference for my families. I created a survey to see how many families had better access to books through any of the resources I recommended.
The slides to the right show the impact of my efforts on my families access to more robust literacy materials. To summarize:
50% enrolled in the Imagination Library to receive a new book every month. Another 33% of respondents said they plan to enroll. That's 12 books a year per child under five in the household.
33% of respondents had received books from the Maryland Book Bank, the rest (67%) indicated that they were planning to get books. The Maryland Book Bank does book giveaways at particular times of the year, so this could be a reason why not everyone had received books yet.
100% of respondents got a library card and thus had access to all the library services! The library offers so much more than just books, so I was pleased to see that families will now have access to the valuable supplemental activities offered by the library, thanks to my help!
100% of respondents felt the website was useful in some way.
Twelve families completed the surveys giving me insight into whether my efforts were helpful. Based on the results, it seems that families benefited from the resources I shared and encouraged them to use. Moreover, I felt like we developed a stronger learning partnership, as I helped parents/caregivers develop skills and knowledge on how to help their children at home, beyond what is traditionally expected.
I am passionate about early childhood literacy. This is reflected in my on going efforts to provide my students and their families with the tools and knowledge they need to support their literacy learning at home. In my three years as a public school teacher with (almost) a Masters degree in early childhood education, and as a mother to two young children, I have seen the difference that it makes when parents/caregivers know how to effectively support their child's early literacy development. This means having a robust knowledge of beneficial materials, access to community resources, and strategies to use when reading. I spent countless hours researching, reading, and trial-testing a variety of literacy materials- from listening to podcasts to playing learning apps. I wanted to be sure that whatever resources I recommended to my students and their families would truly benefit them. Moreover, I put forth effort beyond my required school duties to make connections with community resources, such as the library. During a time when we were not supposed to leave our house, I found a way to bring community services to my students via Zoom. The access that I provided students through developing partnerships with their families meant more students had more books and better informed adult support at home.
In my 2020-21 pre-kindergarten class, I taught a unit about animals from the Core Knowledge Preschool Curriculum. Learning is more meaningful when it is interactive and relevant to students lives. While planning for this unit, as part of my JHU coursework in Effective Practices 1, created a revised plan that incorporated more hands on and meaningful activities for my virtual pre k students. Despite being in a pandemic, I knew I still needed to provide my students with access to academically enriching experiences. Moreover, in my Teaching for Transformation 1 class, I learned about how African American/Black students are less exposed to non-traditional STEM career fields. In this section, I will demonstrate how, because of my research and efforts, I was able to bring a virtual guest speaker to our class and take my students on a virtual field trip to the zoo. My students would not have had access to these opportunities without my efforts. Furthermore, these opportunities were beneficial for my students because they provided a window into STEM career fields that they had not been exposed to yet.
My evidence-based, culturally responsive, revised unit plan based on the Animals Unit in the Core Knowledge Preschool Curriculum.
Preparing Students
While planning the Animals unit for my virtual Pre-Kindergarten class, I wanted to show students how learning about animals was relevant to their lives. But first, we needed to build some basic schema, background knowledge, about animals. We spent 21 lessons learning all about animals including: animal names, body parts, characteristics, and groupings. I used multiple means of representation through stories, pictures, and videos to bring the unit to life in a virtual setting. I utilized the Seesaw learning app to assign and capture student work. To the right is an example of a lesson I did with my students. In this lesson, students learned about mother and baby animals and animal groups.
Lesson slides I created and used during virtual learning to teach students about animals.
Student Work Samples
In the section below are samples of student work completed during our animals unit. The activities and assignments were scaffolded and became more rigorous as students mastery of our learning objectives grew. For example, you can see that the first activity involves matching mother and baby animals, for mammals and egg laying animals. The second activity is sorting animals into similar groups, a harder skill for pre-kindergarten student. The final example included asks students to observe an animal and answer questions. I wanted students to interact with information in a variety of ways. In doing so, students were becoming more prepared to effectively engage in conversations and discussions about animals with a veterinarian and zookeeper.
Students match mother animals to their baby animals. Samples from three students are included. In the first video (redacted), notice how the student struggles to determine which eggs belong to which animals. His mother helps him use context clues (such as a leaf and nest) to determine the correct answer.
In this activity, students had to sort animals into groups: birds, fish, or insects. Prior to this assignment, we made "animal group posters" in class together as we discussed different characteristics of animals in each group. There are three levels of proficiency shown in the slides for this activity.
For this assignment, students had to observe an animal and answer questions about what they saw. Some students were able to produce simple, one word answers. Others needed more support from their grown up. One student was able to discuss their animal (a fish) using more advanced vocabulary.
Communication with Guest Speaker & School Administration
I sought out the opportunity to invite a veterinarian guest speaker to increase engagement and deepen learning during our unit on Animals. In my quest, I was specifically looking for a person of color in the veterinary field, as I wanted my students, who were all Black, to see themselves represented in a nontraditional STEM career. I was introduced to Dr. XXXX, a local, Black, female veterinarian through one of my student's parents. I reached out to Dr. XXXX and she was happy to be a virtual guest speaker in our class! We schedule a phone call to discuss the details. We then continued to collaborate on her presentation through a series of back and forth emails. The slides to the right provide a sample of the our initial email messages to each other.
Examples of my email correspondence with a local veterinarian.
Once I had confirmation from Dr. XXXX, I knew I needed to reach out to my principal for approval. Guest speakers needed to have a city schools email address in order to join our Zoom room. When I emailed my principal about my plans, she was excited for the opportunity for my students. With her approval, I was able to get login information for Dr. XXXX through our IT department.
Examples of my email correspondence with school administration.
As we prepared for her virtual visit, Dr. XXXX sent me a draft of her presentation. In her initial draft, she focused a lot of time teaching students about specific groups of animals. Since we had already learned quite a bit about animals themselves, I really wanted the focus to be on her path to becoming a veterinarian, what skills she needed, and what my students might need to do if they ever wanted to become a vet too. The email correspondence to the right illustrates where I guided her towards a more meaningful presentation with my young scholars. By focusing on her journey, she was illustrating a future for our young people in a field they may otherwise not have considered.
Examples of the guidance I provided to our guest speaker about a more impactful presentation that included her story of how she became a veterinarian.
Preparing for a Guest Speaker
Students are able to ask more authentic and meaningful questions when they prepare ahead of time. I wanted my students to have some understanding of what a veterinarian does before Dr. XXXX came to speak to them. Moreover, I wanted them to be curious and create some questions ahead of time that they might ask her. First, we discussed what questions are during class time using words like "what, where, when, do you...?" Given that we were in a virtual setting, I assigned students homework on Seesaw (see right) to further their understanding of vets and come up with their own questions. Some of the questions my pre kindergarten students asked were:
What's the name of some of the animals?
How long does it take to become a veterinarian?
Why do you want to help animals?
Do you like dogs or cats more?
See three student samples below.
Students worked with a family member to complete this Seesaw assignment. They were asked to come up with three questions they wanted to ask the veterinarian guest speaker.
Implementation
After a few weeks of learning about animals, completing activities during and after class (on Zoom and SeeSaw), students were ready to welcome a real life veterinarian to our class. I had to ensure Dr. XXXX had a school email address, in order to access our private zoom room. I also hand delivered animal coloring pages for my Pre-K students the day before the visit (about a 3 hour driving route to make sure everyone had access to some hands-on materials). Finally, I sent multiple reminders to families in the days leading up to make sure everyone was there on time and prepared with questions!
Message sent to families to remind them of the upcoming guest speaker event.
Dr. XXXX's virtual presentation on becoming a veterinarian. We all learned some interesting things- like that there are SO many types of veterinarians! Twelve out of 18 students participated in the virtual guest speaker. Students were engaged and excited to see pictures of animals, talk about animals, and ask Dr. XXXX the questions that they had prepared (as well as some spontaneous ones too).
Not only did Dr. XXXX tell students they could become veterinarians, she provided a window to a non-traditional STEM career. As a Black woman from Baltimore, students could see themselves in her shoes.
Students used Seesaw to capture their learning reflections. They shared what they learned about veterinarians. My pre kindergarten students related veternatians to doctors, which is part of their schema, or background knowledge. Though they did not say much about what they learned about how to become a veterinarian (go to college, study, etc...), by providing this early exposure, they will have more background knowledge to build off of as they continue in school and learn about more occupations.
Link to Student A Video **Redacted**
In this video, the student was able to answer the question independently and with proficient language. She says, "I learned about pets and going to the doctors and getting checked so they don't have wax or anything in their ears."
Link to Student B Video **Redacted**
In this video, the student needed some support from his parent but still met expectations for independent language. He says, "I learned about cats and dogs... give them a check up... and give them shots."
Link to Student C Video **Redacted**
In this video, the student needed more prompting from their parent. With support, she answered the question saying, "So, she said cats and dogs.. and like take care of them... [when they're feeling] sick."
Prior to the vet visit, I delivered work packets to my students which included animal coloring sheets. After the visit, students colored their favorite animals, from the while we discussed what we learned and how we would say thank you. Students, with support from their families, wrote thank you notes to our guest speaker on the coloring pages. We sent these to her virtually to show our appreciation!
This is the thank you email I sent to Dr. XXXX on behalf of our class. I attached pictures that students colored and sent in virtually, to show appreciation for her visit.
In addition to hearing from a local veterinarian, I was also able to bring the Zoo to our virtual classroom for a special visit! I sought out this opportunity for my class because I knew it would add a meaningful learning experience for my students. Due to COVID-19 as well as my students socio-economic status, most of my students did not have access to going to the zoo. Additionally, living in an urban landscape, their exposure to animals outside of their homes was limited.
During this visit, we went on a virtual tour of the zoo and learned about "small but mighty" animals. Students were able to ask questions about the different animals to a real zookeeper. Additionally, students learned ways they could work at a zoo or with animals when they're older. Research shows that African Americans are under-represented in STEM related jobs. Thus, I wanted to be intentional about giving students access to STEM related career fields early in their school journey. Working with animals, in zoo or veterinarian settings (or both) is an opportunity my students now have some background knowledge of and hopefully interest in!
In my efforts to provide my virtual pre kindergarten students with access to a robust learning experience, I researched as many virtual field trip options as possible. I discovered that the Maryland Zoo offers free, virtual field trips to Maryland public schools. More information about these amazing programs can be found by clicking the link below.
I registered my class for a field trip and to do the program "Small But Mighty" animals. I felt this was the best fit for my small, but mighty pre kindergarten students! I realized this was also a much needed access opportunity for my students since the Zoo was not offering any way for the general public to go to the Zoo. Thus, the only way my students would have access to their services was through a school-based program.
Though I filled out the registration in March, there was very limited availability. Thankfully I found a date in mid-April that fit within our school schedule.
This is the initial email I received confirming my registration for the virtual field trip.
This is the email I received the week leading up to the virtual field trip. Since this was through the Zoo's zoom link, I had to make sure that my pre-k families knew how to access the link.
I provided daily reminders during class that our zoo field trip was coming up (we had it on our calendar for circle time). I also sent multiple messages to parents leading up to the day of the event. I used our messaging app, Remind, as well as Google Classroom to communicate with families.
This is a Remind message I sent the day of the virtual zoo field trip. It was a bit tricky because families would need to log their student out of our regular zoom room and into the Zoo's zoom room. With my support, 11 out of my 18 students successfully attended the field trip!
This is post I made on Google Classroom announcing the zoo field trip and providing information for how to access their zoom room. I used Google Classroom during virtual learning as the main way to post daily announcements and house all of our assignments.
My students were highly engaged during the 30 minute virtual zoo field trip. After learning about animals during class, they were excited to see some real life animals and animal parts. We learned about prairie dogs, box turtles, and African penguins. Out of the 11 students who attended the event, only 1 student indicated they had been to the zoo before.
Link to Video **Redacted**
In the video linked above, the zoologist asks if anyone has been to the zoo before, and most students shook their heads! I was excited that students would have some access to this wonderful organization, despite the barriers presented by the Covid-19 pandemic as well as some of my students socio-economic statuses.
Everyone had their jaws wide open as we learned about animal skulls! My students were very engaged during the 30 minute, interactive presentation. They had too many questions for the zoologist to answer! With this opportunity, students got a glimpse into a favorite Baltimore activity that they would hopefully be more likely to go to in the future.
Student Reflections on Learning
Prior to the zoo field trip, I delivered animal crafts and masks to each of my students. Pre kindergarten students learn through hands on, playful activities. Thus, since we were in a virtual setting, I went out of my way to make sure my students had access to developmentally appropriate learning materials. I frequently made deliveries to my students after school hours, which could take up to 3 hours round trip, to ensure they had fun, interactive materials that made learning memorable.
These masks provided a way to review many of the animals we learned about in class as well as from our veterinarian, and virtual Zoo field trip. Students reflected on their favorite parts of the Zoo field trip and what they learned about box turtles, penguins, and prairie dogs. Many students agreed that they would want to work at a zoo one day!
A message I sent to my families on Remind letting them know to expect a delivery from me!
During this playful activity, students reflected on their favorite parts of the Zoo field trip and what they learned about box turtles, penguins, and prairie dogs.
Access is about ensuring that all "students have equal and equitable opportunities to take full advantage of their education" (The Glossary of Education Reform, 2014). Access is how teachers provide gateways to outside opportunities that are relevant and purposeful to enhance student learning. Teachers must not only open doors for their students, they must also ensure that students and are able to effectively navigate the opportunities presented. Moreover, teachers should develop strong family partnerships by actively engaging families in their child's learning over time.
I chose to highlight ways I provided access to opportunities for my students and their families In the 2020-21 school year. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this was an unprecedented year in education that changed many ways in which teachers traditionally worked with students and families. Additionally, there were increased barriers to accessing typically available resources. As a teacher, I knew I needed to put in the extra work to assist families in accessing and navigating academically enriching opportunities. I had to get creative to provide my pre-kindergarten students with access to playful, hands-on learning activities. I did this through extensive research, content-creation, and building strong family partnerships.
As highlighted in my artifacts above, I communicated daily with families. Knowing the vital importance of students developing early literacy skills, I provided myriad resources and materials on early childhood literacy over an extended period of time. I researched opportunities for my students to have more access to at-home libraries. Additionally, since the library was shut down to the public, I brought the library to my students and their families. I also synthesized many hours of research into parent-friendly materials- a newsletter and website. I was able to share these resources with families over multiple school years. Through my efforts, caregivers learned and practiced effective strategies for reading with their child at home. I worked diligently with families to develop partnerships beyond what is traditionally expected. In doing so, I created authentic and meaningful connections with parents. In fact, many of my students who I had in Pre Kindergarten, virtually, are now in my first grade class for the 2022-23 school year. The relationships I have with their families are extremely strong and well established based on mutual trust and respect.
I provided multiple access opportunities for my students over the course of the 2020-21 school year. Three that I highlighted above include: (1) bringing the library to our classroom virtually and helping families navigate signing up for library cards and participating in virtual programs; (2) welcoming a veterinarian guest speaker to our virtual classroom to illustrate a non-traditional STEM career opportunity directly related to our learning standards; (3) virtual zoo field trip that was the first experience that almost all of my students had with the zoo and also showcased another non-traditional job related to our learning standards. My pre-kindergarten students were able to reflect on learning, at a developmentally appropriate level, from these outside opportunities.
The opportunities I provided were beyond the scope of my required teaching duties. However, I pursued these outside opportunities because I understand the necessity of providing students with a robust and equitable learning environment.