Language Arts:
Poetry: This month, students will continue to make inferences and create visualizations. One way we do this is by using poetry. I will read the "Making Kites" poem below to students and they will illustrate the words a s I read. After reading the poem, we will compare our illustrations with the words to see if we were able to correctly make a kite.
Comprehension Strategies: This month, using strategies laid out in Stephanie Harvey's comprehension toolkit, the students will also learn how to better understand what they read by asking and answering their own questions as they navigate through a text. We practice this by starting with an article about Sunflowers. We read the title, subtitles, and captions, and take time to look at the pictures and make predictions before beginning to read. We will record these on a giant chart.
The students will also record any questions they have re: what we see/notice during this time on a post-it that we will place on another chart:
As we read the article, we will stop after each section to discuss what we think the author most wanted to tell us in that section and we will look back at our chart to see if we were able to answer any of our original questions. If so, we write the answers on the post-its and move them over to the 'What I Learned' side of the chart. Students can also add new questions they have while reading to the chart too:
After finishing the article, we look over what we learned and we discuss how we could find the answers to the questions that weren't answered in the article:
We also re-visit our predictions chart and correct any 'misunderstandings' we had before reading. This process helps the students to see how reading can mold our understanding and gives the students a purpose for reading during that will help them hone in on the information and stay focused:
Eventually, students will apply this process on their own to better understand texts. They will work in groups to read National Geographic Explorer articles (click on the picture to follow the link)...
...and will create their own 'What I Wonder/What I Learned' post-its on a graphic organizer:
For students who need a little more time to do the above task, I have them create only one 'post-it' for each column:
Determining Importance: Another comprehension strategy that the students will be working on this month is determining the importance of what they read. This will help them to better understand theme, main idea, and the author's purpose. In order to make this concept more relevant to the students, before reading we begin by sorting the objects in my purse (the students can also do this with their backpacks). We make 3 columns: most important, kind of important, and not important, and the students will debate which item they think belongs in which category and why:
We then apply this concept to reading fiction and non-fiction texts and talk about how the features of each helps us to determine what is the most important information in the text and what is simply interesting:
We then use a giant Time for Kids article and determine what we think is the most important information as we read together. We pause after each section and record our thinking on stickies:
The students will later repeat this process in small groups and we will compare their findings:
Next, we will use fiction texts to determine what is most important and will practice uncovering the story elements. After reading Jamaica's Find together, the students will work in groups and each group will create a poster for one of the story elements:
Later, we will begin creating story arcs together as we read. I try to choose texts such as the ones in the pictures below that have easily distinguished story elements as students become more comfortable with this process:
After analyzing the story elements as a whole class several times, students will begin to create their own story arcs with partners. One book we do this with is Arthur Writes a Story, which gives the students a unique perspective since it shows the students that, as authors, we use what we learn in reading to help us determine what is most important and not so important to include in our stories:
OS/DRA: Towards the end of the month as we begin wrapping up our school year, we will begin administering the OS (Observation Survey) and DRA (Reading) assessments to the students in order to show their growth from the beginning and middle of the year.
Literacy Stations:
Writing: Students will use the April word wall to create their own books, poems, letters, or other types of writing. They may also use the April cards, stickers, and stencils to enhance their creations.
The following cards can also be used as story starters for students to write a text for, or as inspiration for creating poetry.
Pocket Chart Poem: This month's poem is "Robbie the Rabbit". Students will practice putting the poem back together in the right order and then reading it with a giant pointer (the sentence strips are color coded to support students with this task and the words each have a dot under them to assist students with tracking print).
For students who need an extra challenge, the same poem is cut up into individual words with magnetic tape on the back. Students can put together the entire poem by sticking it to a metal cabinet. A copy of the poem is kept at the center to help the students check their work.
The poem is also color-coded and each card has a number on the back (line 1, line 2, etc.) to help give students extra support.
Read and Find Poem: Students will be using the "J is for Jelly Bean" poem to practice reading with one to one correspondence, enhance their concepts about print, and find rhyming words, capital letters, and 'e' words (words with an 'e' in them).
Students follow the directions on the book stand beneath the poem to complete the tasks and can then check their work by lifting the post-its.
Write the Room: Also a part of our Read and Find center this month, is a write the room activity where students will be traveling around the room looking for numbered Easter pictures like the one shown in the photo below. They will then look for the corresponding number on their recording sheet and will try to write the word for the picture in the boxes. The boxes for each letter are shaped in a way that supports the students in determining the appropriate letters write down. If they hear the 'c' sound in a word, for instance, but the box for that letter is tall, it would help the student decide that they need to write a 'k' down instead of the 'c'.
Each word contains different endings, digraphs, or blends that we have been practicing in our guided reading groups and gives students a chance to apply what we have been practicing together.
When students are finished with their work at this center, they can check their words against an answer sheet. Students are then able to better connect the sounds we have practiced with the letters or group of letters that they correspond too.
ABC:
Letter/Sounds/Upper/Lowercase: Students will first match the egg halves (one half has the uppercase letter and the matching half has the lowercase letter) and then will stuff the egg with the object that begins with the corresponding letter sound. Most of the objects came from the alphabet containers at Lakeshore and the others were objects that the students helped me find from around the classroom. I place an ABC chart at this center as well as pictures of the appropriate matches to help students who need extra support.
Building Words: These ladybugs were made from a Mailbox Magazine template- I just altered them to include a greater variety of word families. Students will turn the letter dial to create various word families and then will practice reading and writing them.
Sight Words: This is another activity adapted by Kelly's Kindergarten. Sight words are typed on Easter egg clipart and then glued onto a file folder. Students will toss a plastic mini-egg on the folder board and will read the sight word the egg lands on. For each sight word that a student can read, they place a mini-egg in a mini-egg carton (I used the Robin's egg bubblegum cartons).
As students read a word, they cover it with a pebble rock. Once a word has been covered, it may not be re-used.
The first student to fill their carton wins.
Building Sentences: Students choose a numbered egg from a basket. They then find the egg's corresponding number on a recording sheet. Next, the students open the egg and find a cut-up sentence inside. They proceed by putting the sentence back together and copying it onto their recording sheet. Students can check their work with an answer sheet that is placed at the center.
Rhyming Words: Yet another source from the amazing Kelly's Kindergarten, students will match pictures in a rain cloud to rhyming pictures in raindrops. Students will attach the drops with velcro to the following sheet and will then practice writing the words by segmenting the sounds. A key is kept at the center to help students check their work.
CVC Word Building Match: Also from Kelly's Kindergarten, students will be placing together broken Easter Egg puzzles by matching a picture on one half of the egg with the corresponding word on the other half.
Syllables: To practice hearing syllables in words, students will 'feed' carrots with pictures on them that represent a word with 1, 2, or 3 syllables to bunnies with these same numbers on them.
When students are done sorting the carrots and feeding the bunnies, they can independently check their work at the center with an answer sheet.
Digraphs: Our class will also continue to familiarize themselves with digraphs located in the beginning, middle, and end of words by cracking open an Easter egg and orally saying what is depicted in the picture.
Students will then use the recording sheet below to either sort the pictures with the corresponding digraph or, for those who are ready, practice writing the word that represents the picture in the appropriate digraph's column.
When finished with the activity, students can use the answer sheet below to check their work.
Ending Sounds: To practice hearing ending sounds in spoken words and to identify the letter those sounds are associated with, students will be sorting eggs with pictures on them into the spot in an carton that has the corresponding letter scribed inside. Because we are learning that 'y' at the end of a word can make the long 'e' sound, and working with blends, I have included words with those features as well.
Upon completing the sort, students can see how they did by comparing their work with an answer sheet kept at the center.
Library: At our library center this month, along with reading a great Spring or Easter themed book, the students can curl up with their favorite Easter bunny stuffed animal to read along with.
Listening Center: This month at listening center, the students will practice sequencing events by writing the title and the beginning, middle, and end of a story that they listen to while visiting the center.
Housekeeping/Dramatic Play: After learning how lists help us to meet our needs at wants in Social Studies and as a follow-up to our grocery store field trip, the students will plan their own meals and create their own shopping lists while at Housekeeping center. The students can cut out pictures from grocery ads to help them plan. They will then take their lists with them as they 'shop' for their items.
They can also practice building healthy plates by using the mat below from National Geographic:
Art: Students trace an egg cutout on construction paper and then color it with egg shaped chalk. They will then cut out their egg creation. This activity also helps reinforce fine motor skills through the cutting and tracing.
While creating their egg, students also simultaneously sharpen their patterning skills as they create a unique design for their egg.
April Books:
Math:
Color Words: This month students will review colors by pairing colored egg yolks with fried eggs with the matching color words. This activity can be found on: http://www.classroomfreebies.com/2013/03/egg-color-matching-games.html.
Number Sense/Tallies: Students will also sharpen their number sense as we prepare for first grade. They will choose an egg from numbers 1-20 and write the corresponding numeral and number word on a recording sheet. They will also representing the number with tally marks. This idea is from: http://growingkinders.blogspot.com.
Addition and Subtraction: Students will continue to solve add and subtract in a variety of ways. Some of students favorite games to sharpen their number operation skills are by playing the following dollar games from Target.
They will use the bunny jacks to subtract by counting the number of bunnies they have to begin, saying aloud how many they take away during their turn and, finally, stating the number they have left. Students use the sentence stem shown below to help them formulate their sentence orally and then record it in writing in their math journals. We do this with both words and symbols.
Students also practice addition by racing to the 'Bunny Finish Line' with a partner. They roll the dice and travel the indicated number of spaces on the board. As they travel down the board, they will record the spaces they move by orally adding the number of spaces they will move with the number of spaces they have already traveled, and then recording the number sentences in writing using the sentence stems below.
Sentence stems:
Problem Solving: Throughout the month, the students will review problem solving and addition and subtraction in a variety of ways. We start by placing a giant apple tree in front of the classroom and the students will discuss all of the different things we could do with the apples as I record their comments on a list:
We then act out the actions on the students' list and discuss whether we are adding or subtracting (taking away or combing apples and how we know. The students will also practice recording equations for each action we carry out:
The students also practice solving their own problems that I record on i-touches for them and they decide whether they will be using addition or subtraction to solve the problems and how they know:
Financial Literacy: This month the Kindergartners will begin to understand the value and purpose of money buy learning where we receive it, how it helps us to satisfy our wants and needs, the value of different coins, the factors we use while deciding what to do with our, and the purpose of saving money. Although it seems a lot for little ones, laying the foundation at this age has many benefits for the years to come!
Before beginning our studies, the students will record their predictions of what think money is by using an i-touch. When we have finished our unit, students will revisit these videos and we will compare what we thought with what we now know:
We start by creating an 'input chart' (a visual chart that helps with vocabulary acquisition) that helps students to understand where money comes from:
We then compare the last place we received money (gift or income) by creating a graph:
We also read Benny's Pennies for students to understand how the money they receive can be used:
At the end of the unit, the students will receive $2 to spend in our class store. They will have the option of purchasing two $1 prizes, one $2 prize, or waiting to earn more money by doing tasks around the class and saving their money to purchase a $4 prize. We talk about the pros and cons of each choice, and the students then make their decisions:
Graphs: At the graphing center this month, I place a container filled with a variety of different eggs that I found at Hobby Lobby. Students will use a measuring cup to take out 1 scoop of eggs and then will determine how they will sort them (according to color, texture, size, etc.). Students can use the sorting category cards to help them determine how they will sort their eggs, or they can come up with their own attributes to sort by.
Next, students will graph the results of their sort and will interpret their graph using the questions sheet. We also use this same graphing sheet to represent the eggs we find on an Easter egg hunt before our Good Friday holiday!
This year, in order to support students in creating their graphs, I have modified the sheet by drawing the eggs on the bottom for the students to color accordingly.
Students who need a little more support with interpreting their graphs will use an expo marker to write directly on the sentence strips below. They will color the eggs in the pictures to match the description of what they would like to say and will then practice reading what they wrote aloud.
Comparing Numbers: Students will compare numbers using an activity I adapted from: http://growingkinders.blogspot.com. First, both partners will choose an egg from the Easter basket with a number inside.
Next, they will decide who is the bunny and who is the chick, and will place their numbers in the corresponding baskets on the card below:
Next, the students will represent their number using 10 frames and will compare the colored portions to see who found a greater number...
...and who found less:
They will then fill out the sentence strips below to practice orally comparing the numbers:
Count to 100:
Towards the end of this month, we begin our end of the year testing in both Math and Language Arts. One of the skills that students are expected to have mastered is their ability to orally count to 100. In order to give students a little extra practice this month, they will be using i-touches with the following video downloaded for them to practice counting along. This is one of the songs we have already used during calendar throughout the year, so students are already familiar with it.
For added practice, the students will also attach the missing numbers on the hundreds chart with velcro squares. The charts were taken from Kelly's Kindergarten awesome website.
Capacity: Students will find the capacity of different Easter baskets by recording the number of plastic Easter eggs that can fit inside of each. Each basket has a different letter printed on the bottom, and students will record the number of eggs the particular basket can hold by writing the number inside of a basket with the corresponding letter on their recording sheet.
After measuring the capacity of each basket, the students will fill out the sentence stems below to practice orally stating which basket has the greatest and least capacity. This activity is especially useful for students who are learning English as a second language as it gives them a supported opportunity to use academic language.
Patterns: As the year moves on, students will continue to reinforce their patterning skills, this month with rhythm and color. Students will first use the action cards (snap, clap, touch nose, etc.) to create a pattern and then will match unifix cubes to the action cards to create a color pattern with the same members. Students will then act out, describe, and extend their pattern by creating a video with an i-touch.
Later in the month, we take it up a notch by creating the same pattern 4 different ways. Students will first make a color pattern by placing plastic eggs in cartons, and then velcro-ing squares on the sentence strips below to interpret their pattern with letters, sounds, and movements. The sound and movement cards are Easter/Spring themed ('Cheep', 'Baa-baa!', bunny hop, flap your wings, etc.), and partners will make a video on the i-touch to describe and act out their pattern.
Weight: This month, students will practice finding how many of various different objects (teddy bear manipulatives, noodles, blocks, etc.) are equal to the weight of an 'egg' (a plastic egg filled with beans).
Students will record their findings on a recording sheet...
...and will make conclusions from the results by answering the following questions with their partner/group:
Making Sets: Kelly's Kindergarten has another neat idea that we are using this month for 'April Showers'. The students make a sets book by stamping the indicated number of fingerprints ('raindrops') under an umbrella.
Jelly Bean Sets: Students will also make sets by placing the corresponding number of jelly beans inside mini Easter baskets with numbers written on the bottom of them.
For students who need extra support, we keep the cards below at the center so that students can first match the jelly beans to the icons below the numbers to help them count out the right quantity. Eventually, they begin to internalize the specific quantity that belongs with each numeral.
Addition/Subtraction: In order to reinforce students' understanding between the connection between addition and subtraction, this month they will be working on racing to make a set of 12 chicks in an egg carton. First, one student will roll a number dice to determine how many chicks they will be adding or subtracting. Next, students will spin the addition/subtraction spinner to see if they will be adding or taking away the rolled number of chicks to their carton.
The first player to fill their carton wins. Initially, students will orally describe their number sentences using the phrases, "___ and ___is___" and "___take away___is___". When students are proficient with this task, they will begin to write and record the number equations as they play the game.
We use the generic recording sheet from the Math Their Way curriculum in the picture below for our equations.
After measuring the gardens, students will use the following sheet to discuss the results and will decide which garden the Easter Bunny would like the best and why.
Blocks: This month at blocks center, the students will further explore and represent what we learned last month by creating farms, factories, markets, and related structures.
Estimation Jar: This month, students will be going 'cottontail to cottontail' striving for the closest estimate of the number of gummy carrots in our April estimation jar.
Earthworms: As we extend our learning of the characteristics of living and non-living things, the students will have the opportunity to observe and interact with earthworms! They will have the opportunity to apply what we have learned about the needs of living things to take care of the new guests while they are visiting our classroom. When the slimy creatures arrive, it is always interesting to see who ventures to welcome them with open arms, and who would rather stay away...
We also watch the Wild Kratts video below, which is packed with fun facts about worms:
The class gets a kick out of reading the Diary of a Worm too, which lends us a more 'human' perspective on the little visitors. We also use the book to learn more about worms' bodies and how they meet their needs in their environment.
After learning about worms' body parts and their functions, we create our own diagrams that will come in handy as we progress through our study of living things. The students also practice finding these body parts on the worms as they explore them.
As we compare our diagrams, we read the Two Eyes, a Nose, and a Mouth book shown below and talk about how, although we all look very different, each of us still shares the same body parts.
Students will use what they observed when comparing human physical traits as a springboard to comparing animals. We start by using the animal figurines below to explore various animals' body parts. Students will take an animal with them as they travel around the room to compare it with the animals that their peers are holding.
Limbs: Students will work in groups to research animal limbs using videos, magazines, and books. Upon watching the videos, the class will discuss what they saw and how the particular type of limbs that the different animals have help them to survive in their environment. You can click on the pictures below to watch the videos our class used for their research:
Each group will then create a diagram of the animal they researched and will label the limbs. When all groups are finished, they will compare the limbs of all the animals, including with the human and worm diagrams created earlier in the unit..
Heads: We will repeat the same process explained above to research animal heads. To see what the students learned, click on the pictures below to watch the videos from the National Geographic's Kids website.
As the groups present their animals, the students in the audience will hold themselves accountable for the information being presented by recording on a graphic organizer a picture (drawing) of the animal being presented, the number of limbs it has, and by drawing a happy or sad face in the circle at the end of the row to indicate whether or not they were demonstrating listening skills (sitting criss-cross, eyes on the speaker, nice and quiet) while the presenters were showing us their animal:
Head Diagrams:
Kimberely Jane Pryor has a collection of books that the students love using as we study animal body parts. She places a picture of a body part on one page for students to predict which animal it belongs to and, on the following page, she shows the reader the full picture of the animal and describes how that body part is useful/adapted for that specific animal.
What Can You Do With a Tail Like This? is an excellent book for helping students to compare animal body parts and for learning how they are specifically adapted for the animals' environments..
Plant Needs: While we research and compare animals, we will simultaneously investigate the needs of plants and seeds. We start by playing a simulation game on BBC's website to see the effects of too much or too little water, sunlight, and heat have on a growing plant.
Students will then use what they have learned to care for their own plant. We start by placing lima beans in ziploc bags stuffed with wet paper towels and observe them as they begin to grow while taped to our classroom window.
At Science and Social Studies center, students will explore Mr. Bloom's Nursery website to gather more information about plants and play games such as guessing the plant that certain seeds belong to and growing a vegetable garden:
Students can visit Artur's Groovy Garden as well to practice growing their own garden:
Students will also have the opportunity to take a virtual field trip at the 4-H Children's Garden:
Plant Parts: Students will also be responsible for learning plant parts and their functions. We start by observing seeds from a bean soup mix.
Each student will receive their own seed (bean) and will come up with an attribute word to describe it with. They will place their seed on a paper with their word on it, and we will line up the seeds in the middle of the classroom.
We will then discuss the attributes that some of the seeds share and will come up with more specific categories to sort them into.
Students will then individually describe their seed by writing the appropriate attribute vocabulary to describe it on a sticky.
We will then go on nature walks where students will make observations of different roots, stems, leaves, and flowers. We will add to these studies in the classroom using books, websites, pictures, and magazines. The students will compare the plant parts by adding their observation stickies to a giant class chart. As we did with animals, we will discuss how although all plants share the same parts (seed, roots, stem, etc.), they each look very different since each plant is uniquely adapted for their environment.
Students will continue to observe seeds and plant parts at the Science and Social Studies center as they record their observations in their plant journals.
Students will later work in groups to research plant parts by watching a Brainpop Jr. video re: plant parts.
After watching the video, they will use what they learned to create and label their own plant diagram. As the groups present their plants, we will again discuss how although each group created their own unique plant with parts that looked different from each other, they still all had a form of roots, stem, leaves, and seeds.
To help us better internalize the purpose of each plant part, we create a chart together that compares each part to something else from our lives that it remind us of. We talk about how the roots are like straws since they absorb water and nutrients from the soil. The stem works as the pipes in our sink; the pipes bring water to us from the water body through the faucet while the stem brings water from the roots to the leaves and flower. The leaves, we say, work as chefs since they make food for the plant using the light of the sun. The seeds inside the flower are like little babies that can grow into brand new plants.
We also do an experiment using celery. We discuss how celery is a stem, and place celery stalks into glasses with food coloring and water. Over the course of several days, we observe how the colors of the leaves change and how we can see the colored water moving up the stem to the leaves:
Students can continue to practice recognizing and naming plant parts as they build plants using a game from Kelly's Kindergarten. Each player begins with a board that lists the plant parts. They will then place plant part picture cards face down in a pile and will take turns turning over cards to build their plant. They will match the plant picture card to the written word on their plant board. The first player to finish building their plant is the winner.
Plant Life Cycle: We will head back to Brainpop Jr. to watch another classic to learn about the plant life cycle. Students will then practice physically acting out the life cycle in small groups and will later play the sequencing card game from Brainpop Jr. at our retelling center:
Plants Books:
Social Studies:
Wants and Needs: This month our class will review what we learned re: wants and needs in November and will have a chance to bring this concept to life with a more relative experience for them- grocery shopping.
The HEB field trip we take in March gives students plenty of background knowledge to work with too. To start, the students will be working in small groups- 'families'- to plan a healthy meal together. Before beginning, we discuss what teamwork looks and sounds like to help keep us on track and to make sure each team member is contributing.
Next, each 'family' will be given a food groups plate that helps us to plan our meals according to the outlines in the food pyramid. The visuals help students to easily determine which food group the food item they choose belongs to.
First, I model for students how I use the healthy plate model to create my meal and they then plan their meals with their families.
Students can later learn more about healthy foods and the food pyramid while by visiting the "Take a Trip" link on ABCYa's website at Science and Social Studies center...
or visit Chef Solus' kitchen to learn more about healthy meal planning:
Additionally, they can practice making healthy choices in the cafeteria line while playing Arthur's Lunch-o-matic game:
Next, we discuss how making a list prior to going to the store helps us to remember to purchase everything we need for our meals. Before making our lists, we read Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells that tells us about a bunny that is going to the grocery store to purchase ingredients for a cake he and his sister are making. Both he and his sister write the ingredients they need from the store on the list, but when he arrives at the store, the grocer can only read his sister's writing and is therefore only able to help the bunny find the items that his sister wanted to purchase. In the end, he learns to accompany his writing with a picture in order to communicate what he wants to purchase from the store to the grocer. The class and I then talk about steps we can take when writing on our list to ensure that all of our family members are able to read the items we wrote down when shopping at the store together.
After showing students how I create a list for the meal I planned, the families work together to make their shopping lists for the meals they created.
When all of the lists are prepared, the class in converted into a supermarket complete with all of the departments we became acquainted with during our field trip to HEB:
Each family takes turns shopping in the store (one family per day), while the audience will be responsible for marking a check on a healthy plate organizer in the appropriate food group section. If they are watching a shopper purchase an item that is not included in one of the healthy food groups, they will place a check outside of the plate.
Prior to the store opening, I purposely stock each department with an overwhelming amount of treats and goodies that I know the students will be inclined to buy. Before beginning, students will record on an i-touch what they are thinking of purchasing from the store:
I also do not tell the students to take their lists with them to the store- the audience and I simply watch to see what the shoppers will do. My goal is to make the learning experiences as authentic as possible. Each shopper is given $3 (everything in the store costs $1) and the timer is set for 3 minutes for the family of the day to do their shopping. Without fail, the first family to shop does not bring their list to the store and fills their cart with items that they want but that do not satisfy their needs.
The number of items in their carts and shopping baskets far exceed the number of items that they can purchase with $3 too. As students arrive at the check-out counter (where I am the cashier), I tell them what their total will be. The students then realize that they can only pick three items from their basket. After all of the shoppers check out, we go through their bags to see what they have to eat for the week. Students learn that they have alot of toys and candy, but they do not have what they need to eat their healthy meal that their body needs to stay strong.
After the first group shops, we discuss what we think that team did well and what we think we would do differently when it is our turn to shop. We talk about how it is important that the family members talk to each other so that everyone in the family doesn't buy the same item and they end up with 4 milk jugs and no fruits, for instance. Each day before the next family shops, the students watch a video on the i-touch that another group recorded, and will use a sentence strip to discuss whether they agree or disagree with the other groups video and why:
As the week progresses, the students learn to purchase only what they can afford...
...and how they must first meet their needs before their wants:
The students also learn how to communicate together and use their list to make sure they have purchased all of the items that they need. We discuss that it is okay to purchase items that you want too, but it is important to make sure that you have met your needs first.
To keep students accountable while the store is open, the audience has to evaluate themselves using a rubric on their healthy plate organizer. They check the 'eye' for eyes on the shoppers, the 'quiet' icon for being good listeners, and the criss-cross applesauce icon for sitting in a learning position.
The shoppers of the day will also rate themselves on how they did while working together. Their criteria are: using kind words, sharing/taking turns, listening to their group members.
At the end of the week, students are able to clearly see the value in creating a list to help distinguish between wants and needs and assist in controlling spending habits while visiting the grocery store. Students can then re-create their experiences while visiting the Housekeeping center this month:
While there, they may also play Arthur's Supermarket Adventure game that helps them review food groups and departments in the grocery store:
Goods and Services: As we continue our financial literacy unit in math, we will simultaneously explore these concepts in Social Studies. As we begin to distinguish between goods and services, we discuss what we see represented on a collection of picture cards. We talk about whether or not we think we are looking at a good or a service and how we know (a good being something you can 'touch' and buy to take home with you; a service being work that someone 'does' for you).
I then tell students that each good card has a matching card that depicts a service that would use that particular good. Students then need to talk amongst themselves and compare their cards to find their match. This helps them to more clearly distinguish a good from a service in the future.
We will later go on a school tour and visit the different staff we see along the way and determine whether they are providing a good or a service. We will also look for other examples of goods we see being used around the school. Students write/draw what they observe as we travel:
Exchanging Goods and Services: After learning about the differences between goods and services, the students learn that members of a community develop systems that help them exchange goods and services. Students will work in partners to create a business. They will come up with a name for their business and will determine whether or not they provide a good or a service. To present their work, they choose between creating a poster or using the ABCYa paint tool:
After students create their businesses, we take a 'gallery walk' around the classroom for students to share their work with their classmates. As we travel from business to business, we pretend we are driving around in a car in our neighborhood community:
After listening to each group present, the students will record on a graphic organizer the businesses that provided goods and those that provide services. At the bottom of the sheet, they will also rate themselves on their audience behavior:
sell goods/services
If you would like to give your child more practice with making decisions with money and starting their own business, I highly recommend the following links from PBS (*please note that these are not intended for Kindergartners to navigate through on their own- they offer great parent-child learning experiences :) ):
Community Helpers: Students will further investigate how every member of a community participates in its economy by studying community helpers. Students work in groups and have a choice between researching: veterinarians, police officers, fire fighters, or pizza makers (chefs). They use books, online sources and the website below from Scholastic that reads community helper books aloud to the students.
Additional Vet Learning Links:
Additional Police Officer Learning Links:
Additional Fire Fighter Learning Links:
Additional Pizza Maker/Chef Learning Links:
The research the students do with the above websites is broken up among several days. Before students begin their research each day, I will model for students how to do the specific part of their research by creating a portion of the chart below with them one day at a time. I use the example of preparing to be a teacher since it is easy for them to help me add information as we practice together.
As students work together, I pass out to each team member a card that depicts their leadership role within their group. One student will be in charge of making sure that all members helped find information, another will make sure that all team members shared ideas, another will make sure that all team members listened to each others' ideas, and the last student will make sure that all members wrote down the information they found. This helps the group to stay on track and helps make sure that all members are participating.
The first day, they will work with their group name their business, draw what that business looks like, and determine whether they provide a good or a service.
The next day, students will investigate what the job requirements are for the career they are investigating, and will make a list of what their responsibilities would be if they were employed in that profession.
Based on the job requirements, the teams will then discuss what skills they would need to have or acquire prior to becoming the community helper they are researching. For instance, if the students are studying fire fighters and have listed that one of their job requirements is to drive a firetruck, the students will discuss that knowing how to drive is a skill they will need in order to do this part of their job. They will have these type of discussions re: each job responsibility on their list as I visit each group to guide their discussion.
After coming up with a list of skills they will need in order to do their job, the groups will investigate what resources, or tools, they will need to do their job.
Finally, students will draw what they will wear if they are working as the community helper they have investigated.
When students have finished their research, groups will take turns presenting what they have learned.
As the teams present, the audience will hold themselves accountable for the information presented by writing down the name of the business of the group presenting, circling whether or not they provide a good or a service, and circling whether or not this is a good or a service that they would be interested in paying for. The audience will also use the rubric to evaluate their listening skills as the other teams present.
Following the presentations, the groups will meet again to discuss how they think they worked together. Members will share what they think they did well and what they think they would do differently next time. Students will use the sheet below to guide their conversations:
At the dramatic play center this month, the students can further practice exchanging goods and services with the community helpers boards from National Geographic:
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