August 2, 2022
The Year-Long Math Journal - TEKS Aligned!
It's finally here!
At the end of last year my district did a little revamp to our math curriculum and moved around our scope and sequence a little bit. So, I knew that I wanted to dig into it and see how I could make my life a little easier this upcoming school year when planning for math. Needless to say, I've spent the last month or so really getting into it all and here it is!! The Year-Long Math Journal for kindergarten!
Interactive Notebooks
Why am I loving the idea of interactive notebooks for my kinders? Because it's the perfect way for my littlest learners to manage their work and keep it in a safe place. It also lends itself to bite-sized content so they are much more likely to engage and retain it in the long-run.
With that being said, this resource is meant to work as an interactive notebook (although the individual pages can be printed as worksheets) that pairs with your lessons and leads students into their work stations or centers. Let's take a peek...
Step 1: Designate a composition notebook as math journals
An Avery label template is provided so that all you have to do is print them out and slap them on to each notebook. Students write their names and they're ready!
Step 2: Scale down your student copies so they're small enough to fit inside their notebooks. On the copier I typically select to scale my pages down by 80-85%. Then, pre-slice them so you don't lose time with necessary cutting. ;)
Step 3: Teach!
It really is that simple!
Scope & Sequence
The units included in this resource follow my district's S&S for math and are TEKs aligned. However, the concepts covered are pretty typical for any kindergarten teacher no matter where you teach! Here's how it'll appear in my resource:
- Unit 1: I Am a Mathematician (first 20 days)
- AB/AABB Patterns
- Identifying Basic Shapes
- Rote Counting to 10
- Number Sense to 5
- Ordinal Numbers to 5
- Identify & Name Coins
- Unit 2: 2D Plane Shapes (10 Days)
- Unit 3: Number Sense to 5 (15 Days)
- Read, write, and represent numbers
- Comparing sets using >,<, and =
- 1 more/ 1 less
- Compose/decomose to 5
- Word problems to 5
- Unit 4: Number Sense to 10 (27 Days)
- Unit 5: Data Analysis to 10 (7 Days)
- Unit 6: Number Sense to 20 (29 Days)
- Unit 7: Join & Separate to 10 (32 Days)
- Unit 8: Data Analysis to 20 (7 Days)
- Unit 9: 3D Solids
- Unit 10: Measurement
- Length, Height, Weight, Capacity
- Unit 11: Personal Financial Literacy
- Income vs Gifts
- How to Earn Income
- Wants vs Needs
- Spend, Save, Give
Math Workshop:
My math workshop routine will look a little like this:
- Warm-Up (to review previously taught content - warm-ups included in download!)
- Mini-Lesson (whole group time that introduces new concept)
- This is when you can choose to have students with their journals and they complete their "we do" portion together OR you can have them complete it after you've modeled it.
- Independent Practice (the "you do" work pages where students work independently on a concept)
- Work Stations/Centers & Guided Math
- Reflection (review the "you do" work page and clear up any misconceptions)
Warm-Ups
These pages are optional, but I love the idea of before a lesson students have a small slip that asks them to demonstrate their understanding from previously taught material. It's just to get their brains thinking and working about math concepts. Each unit has a few prompts to choose from!
We Do/ You Do
This resource has both WE DO/YOU DO work pages as a part of every unit. It is designed to have students easily follow along and the independent work is limited to just a few problems...that's intentional! Plus the independent work acts almost like an exit ticket into their work stations, so they don't need to sit and complete 20 problems to show proficiency.
Practice Activities
There are 11 units total as a part of this resource and each one has a comprehensive set of practice pages, or the "you do" portion. They are designed to be kinder friendly with easy-to-complete prompts. Each one also aligns with the mini-lesson and is meant to be a way for students to independently practice the taught skill prior to jumping into a work station or center.
Word Problems
Through the SOLVE Method, kinders are able to better analyze word problems and utilize different tools to solving for them. That's why I've included many units with optional word problems. These can be used as independent practice or even its own unit! Completely up to you!
Low Prep = Happy Teaching
And that's about it! I can't wait to prep for my journals this year and my hope is you'll find this resource to help cut down on your math planning time, too. If you have any questions on how I use my math journals be sure to comment or email me at: littlefoxteaching@gmail.com!
June 5, 2022
Tracking, Data & Assessments
I remember my first years as a new teacher in 2011 and tracking student performance with data was fairly a new practice. Now in my 10th year teaching the art of tracking data is commonplace and expected by admins all over.
At first, it can seem like a daunting task (and it can be if you're new to it and haven't found the right system), but with a little preparedness and tweaking things as you go...you'll find the system that works for you and your kiddos. So, with that being said...here's how I track my students. Keep in mind this works for me and it may be something you can find useful or use to supplement other systems you have in place!
Paper or Digital?
Now that data tracking is pretty much a mainstay in public education, your district may have an online portal that they want you to use. My district in Texas does and there are a lot of pros like: all documentation is available for everyone on campus to see, it follows students who move and stay within district, it's user friendly, and can free up the use of paper data sheets.
Me? I use a hybrid method of tracking my student's progress which utilizes both paper copies and digital. I first create an Assessment & Data Binder and use my own tracking sheets. Then, I upload the data points into the portal my district uses. This ensures there's a backup copy (cause, technology), I'm old school and prefer paper, and I like being able to have student data at my fingertips during IEP/ARD meetings with admin or parents.
At the end of the day...it's really personal choice. Here's how I track my students...
Creating a Data Binder
Creating a binder is super easy: just select a 2" or more binder (because over the course of the year you'll have a lot of tracking sheets in there), numbered tabs (for each student), and fill with your tracking sheets. Each student has their own tab, which I can easily flip to. I use a date stamp each time I collect data and I record their progress as shown.
In kindergarten I am tracking their letter ID for upper/lowercase letters and letter sounds. I track all of my students, but particularly focus on on RTI kids. Those data points I upload onto their file in our online portal system.
For my RTI students I also track their math progress should they have a math goal. In kinder, I typically look for rote counting and number ID to 20.
At-a-glance
The very first page in my binder is this one.
It allows me to see each quarter at-a-glance and have the pertinent information right there such as letter ID/sounds and reading levels. By the final quarter I am able to see BOY, MOY, and EOY data right there and it's always so impressive to see their progress!
Tracking Sheets
There are a number of different ways you can track data using tracking sheets. I incorporate two styles: one for my RTI kids and another for the rest of my class. I made this particular sheet to help with reporting on report cards. I have it broken down by quarter, but I realize not everyone everywhere does that.
I use red and green highlighters to mark the letters students know and don't know. I also circle the letters students don't know yet as a means to easily see where I need to focus my attention for that student. In the space for letter sounds I either check it or circle it...and I even jot down the sound that the student makes just as a little note to me.
You can see in this photo that I check-in twice in a quarter - once around the beginning/middle and again towards the end when we're getting ready for report cards. I jot the date down at the top that way I know when I assessed.
What's Included:
In my Assessment & Data Tracking resource you'll find:
- Editable binder cover
- Letter ID/Sounds chart (uppercase/lowercase)
- Numbers to 20 chart
- Letter ID/Sounds recording sheet
- 6 week Reading Tracker (perfect for RTI or intervention check-ins)
- 6 week Math Tracker - Rote counting to 20 (perfect for RTI)
- Rote Counting 100s chart
- Letter Monitoring recording sheet
- Letter Knowledge tracking sheet per quarter/checkpoint
- Beginning Literacy Knowledge at-a-glance (editable!)
- Beginning Math Knowledge at-a-glance (editable!)
- Name Writing assessment
Happy tracking!
February 4, 2022
UPDATED: Year-Long Calendar Cards
Although we're currently in the middle of our school year, I am already beginning to think and plan ahead for next year! Crazy, I know. But being that sort of personality (read: type A) I am always looking to make my following year a little more organized and be able to kick off the year on the right foot.
This year, with it being my very first in a new state, a new district, and a brand-stinking-new school I went with a pre-made calendar set purchased from Michael's. It's been a good little set but I missed using my own cards. So, when I took to go print them I realized I haven't updated them since 2020! And much has changed since then so naturally I took to giving them a little culturally responsible face-lift!
Let's take a look...
Updated fonts and clip art
Among the first things I did when updating this Year-Long Calendar Card set was to give it a fresher look. That meant newer fonts and fresh clip art. My favorite clip artist at the moment is Bunny on a Cloud! Just adore her stuff and I couldn't wait to use them in this resource!
I am currently using a pocket chart for my calendar, but this set can be used with that or just simply place a magnet dot on the back and call it a day.
Includes years 2022-2030
I've updated the years to reflect 2022 (our current year) all the way to 2030! I have also included a shortened date card in case you want to introduce to your students how to write using __/___/___.
Special Events/Holidays (NEW!)
The bread-and-butter of this set are these events/holidays cards! They're now updated to include most common school events and holidays as well as other fun things like "National Ice Cream Month" and "Pi Day" in March :)
I've included SO many new events/holidays in this set!
I find it to be so important to be inclusive in the classroom - especially with kinders who are just beginning to learn about the world around them. There is so much to expose students to that go beyond their own personal holidays or experiences. That's why the first of many months in this set I've included cards that say:
- Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept)
- National Bully Prevention Month (Oct)
- American Indian & Alaska Native Heritage Month (Nov)
- Black History Month (Feb)
- Women's History Month (Mar)
- Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month (May)
- Pride Month (June)
- National Ice Cream Month (July)
But, I do offer blank first day cards in case you have personal feelings towards any of these recognitions and have preferences to keep them blank.
So, if you're anything like me and you're interested in getting a leg-up on the school year ahead, these calendar cards are sure to be on your list! You can check out more over at TpT!
August 15, 2021
Teaching Without Fear | BTS Covid-19 Activities
Here we all are...heading into yet another school year navigating the waters of Covid...and more recently the Delta variant. This year I'm heading back to work teaching kindergarten here in Texas - previously had been in San Diego, CA as an English kindergarten teacher. I'm so excited for this new chapter and to once again return to public school service.
This post shares a glimpse into what I had prepared last year as I began the school year at my previous school. We were among the first of the independent schools to reopen under strict protocols and offered both on-campus and virtual learning options. The majority of students returned to campus whereas I had a few that were full-time virtual...so, that meant hybrid teaching!
In all honesty, I wasn't too sure about how our school was going to be able to handle a hybrid model of teaching (i.e. offering both on-campus and virtual teaching) last year but it went surprisingly well. Being that I taught at a private school, we'd been able to make more accommodations and the school made renovations to our site that I recognize not all schools have the ability to do. In that sense we were extremely fortunate. That being said, being able to welcome students back to school during a pandemic leaves us teachers with a lot to figure out...even two school years in...namely how to go about having conversations about the virus without scaring our students.
As a kindergarten teacher these conversations are extremely important. In any normal year my class would have our routine lessons on hygiene and washing hands but because of having been under strict health guidelines and protocols (for being able to offer on-campus classes) washing hands was ever so important.
So, how did I do it? And how do I plan to do it again this school year?
Here is a glimpse at our first couple weeks of school as we tackle the conversations about germs and how to keep ourselves safe - whether learning at home or at school.
Start with Germs
In the first few days last year I noticed very quickly that Coronavirus is on the tips of the tongues of my students. I didn't blame them because it's been everywhere - now we're talking about the Delta variant! From the news to overheard conversations...these kids have been inundated with Covid ever since March 2020.
I wanted to tackle it head on and explain to my kids that, yes, Coronavirus is a new virus that doctors and scientists are working hard to understand and create a vaccine for. However, it's not the only germ that can make us feel sick. Let's not forget the common cold and, of course, the flu. These germs, along with millions of others, can get inside our bodies and make us feel unwell. The flip side to this is informing my students that not all germs are bad or cause us to feel sick. But because there are plenty of germs, including Covid, that can...it's best we understand what germs are, how they spread, and what we can do to stop them from spreading.
A few of our favorite read alouds from this unit have been:
- Sick Simon
- Germs vs Soap
Covid-19 Activities
During the two weeks we worked on our germs unit I used my newly created Covid-19 Germ Activities resource. It was really cool to note how engaged my kids were and how it helped them conceptualize germs and how we can all make choices to keep ourselves safe - like washing hands and wearing a mask (among other things...).
After a whole group read aloud using one of the books highlighted above we worked together on these various activities!
Let's take a peek...
Safe and Unsafe Choices Sort
This sort was a great way to tie in a number of different skills, introduce school supplies, and practice class routines...all meanwhile demonstrating the understanding of being safe while at school in the era of Covid.
My students practiced how to retrieve their individual supply boxes and find a seat to work. They began with scissor practice and how to use glue sticks to glue the pieces. I used a document camera at the front of the class to discuss and work with my students as they worked at their seats (distance and such...). This activity is great because we also discussed what categories are and how we can sort the items into each category (i.e. safe and unsafe).
"I can be safe at school by..." Writing
After a few days of discussing what germs are and the safe/unsafe choices we can make, I had students begin a simple writing prompt where they trace the starter sentence then write their idea by using one of the four choices at the bottom of the page. It gives students at the beginning of the year the scaffolding necessary to frame their sentence - and is great for concepts of print! Not to mention, as previously the English teacher it was a great way to introduce language! After they finished writing their sentence they drew a picture to match the choice they made.
"I wear a mask because..." Shared Writing
Another piece of writing we work on together during this unit on germs is this writing prompt: "I wear a mask because..." After reading, and at this point in our two week unit, students have become very familiar with germs and the ways we can stop them from spreading.
One obvious way this year has been so different than others is our newest rule of wearing masks. Everyone on campus has to and in order to normalize masks as best we can it's important students understand why we wear them.
This activity allows students to think about why they wear masks (much like why they wash their hands) and together we come up with a sentence. I love shared writing lessons because it allows to see language in use and begin to connect spoken words with written words. Much like a lot of the writing my kinders will do at the beginning of the year, they trace a starter sentence and complete it with the sentence we came up together as a class. It boosts writing confidence and allows students of all levels practice early writing skills.
All of these activities served as a means to start friendly conversations about the importance of being clean and mindful of each other and the germs we naturally carry with us. I look forward to using this resource yet again as we begin the 2021-22 school year!
How have you had success with your class discussing germs and Covid?
May 17, 2021
Advocating for Play in a Post-Covid Classroom
2020 taught us a lot as a teachers.
It taught us how resilient our students are (and how we are!), how to adapt within any given moment, and get back to the basics which is the social-emotional wellbeing of not only our class but with our colleagues and ourselves.
That's why I couldn't stress play enough - especially for kindergartners - and how it's ever more important as we all begin to welcome students back to campus.
We all know that as teachers we need to maximize academic time in our classrooms; that ever changing requirements and expectations are being placed on us by administrations and districts. However, in that mindset of pushing every minute for school work we forget that there is so much to be learned about purposeful play.
Purposeful Play
One of the biggest things we can do for our youngest learners at school is to provide opportunities for play. For some god-forsaken reason play has been shunned by school districts everywhere and teachers are pressured to maximize the amount of academic time from the moment students arrive to the time they leave at the end of the day. Yet we struggle to understand why students aren't excelling as they should or wonder why so many students have behavior problems.
Play needs to be understood as the means for children to explore and interact with each other - problem solve, connect emotionally with others - as well as build the necessary skills to make them academically successful.
Will our students be able to solve their own problems if we, the teachers (or adults), are always there to intervene or to offer up resolutions? Absolutely not. Children need the opportunity each day to encounter situations where they need to put into practice the things they are learning - especially so if we're speaking on a SEL level.
Connecting Play to the Common Core
One of the biggest pressures teachers face in the classroom is this push from admin to maximize academic time over play. Well, there's a way for us to interpret our Common Core (or any set of state standards) that will allow us to incorporate play as a means of skill practice. After all, the Common Core Standards are a roadmap to what students should be able to do by the end of that academic year.
As teachers we get the opportunity to expose our students to those standards beyond the blocks of time for direct instruction. Play can easily be incorporated to practice those skills in centers or play stations in the classroom. A discovery center, dramatic play, and similar stations can be created where students have time during the day to explore, interact, and still manage to play.
Connecting Play to the Real World Workforce
When I moved to San Diego in 2018 I took a temporary teaching position for a class called EAK. It stood for Early Admitting Kindergarten and was a glorified Pre-K class full of eager 4-5 year olds who were learning how to do "school" in the semester prior to entering kindergarten in the fall. In that district they had an initiative called "World of Work" where students as early as kindergarten learned about their personality traits, what they're interested in, and how their skills and interests will lend themselves to careers. I was amazed to see my young students engaging with each other in play while making connections on a variety of levels: communication, problem solving, imagination & creativity, etc. and it all linked back to building the skillsets that they'll be expected to have as they enter into the workforce.
Balancing Playtime in Kindergarten
A lot of people hear "play" and they think it's just a time for students to check out and is something that is mindless. For sure students of all ages need this time (I mean, why do you think us adults are so stressed out all the time??) to unwind and relax, but purposeful play is more than what we think.
Play affects so many aspects of a child's development. These areas include: mindfulness of others, builds communication and speaking skills, empathy and compassion, motivation, and develops their imagination and creativity.
"...during play, children learn and practice key social, cognitive, organizational, physical, and emotional skills, including creativity, imagination, and problem-solving.1 The benefits of play are progressive in nature, meaning that the skills kids develop during their fun and games build upon each other." - VeryWell Family
Making the Case for Play
It may take some convincing on our part with admins to allow areas such as play kitchens and dress up simply because they don't see the importance behind this type of play anymore. However, it can be so easy to provide the studies that back-up the importance of play and give them a visual on how play will be experienced in the classroom and that this time will have academic benefits.
Here are a few examples of how you can give your admins a visual of how your play stations will change throughout the year and depending on the unit of study!
Dramatic Play:
Play kitchens can easily be transformed into anything the curriculum covers!
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For example, it can become a post office during a lesson on writing letters or learning about community helpers. In math it can become a bank where students practice counting money, exchanging it for other values, and...again...learning about various careers in finance. It can also become a storefront or grocery where students engage in goods/services, using money to purchase items, and put into practice their communication skills.
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Items for these play centers can be donated by student families or purchased! You'd be surprised how many odds and ends you can find for free to fill these centers!
Constructive Play:
Block areas are an obvious place where anything STEM can take place. Traditional building materials can be used such as blocks, Magnatiles, and Lincoln Logs or other materials such as toothpicks, paper rolls, and play-doh mats can be used.
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Using open-ended materials can be a game changer for any constructive play center because students explore by using their imagination to build and create! Also, you can use blocks and repurpose them for learning academic concepts like sight words as seen below! Here's more play-based sight word center ideas!
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Maker Space Play:
I have always incorporated a "Creation Station" as a part of my daily ELA centers but a maker space can also be a fun station where students can create by using open-ended materials similar to the constructive play station. This is fun and a highly engaging state of play because students can explore the curriculum in a more creative medium.
Games with Rules:
This is huuuuuge for students in kindergarten! There are rules for everything in life and sometimes it can be difficult for young kids to completely understand. That's why it's so important for young learners to have opportunities to play games with rules and who even have winners and losers. Learning to lose is a challenging skill because it often leads to tears and hurt feelings. However, it's a necessary skill to learn and practice just like taking turns.
Games for this station can be as simple as the millions of TpT centers we all own and have prepped or it can be board games like Chutes & Ladders.
Types of Play
Just as it's important to provide play for kindergartners, understanding the types of play you can observe in children this age is also equally important. This will provide you with what types of activities and games to include in your stations that are appropriate for your classroom!
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This is a great visual for the types of play you will see throughout the year and how each child goes through each one at different times. Our classrooms should be flexible and always be ready to change depending on the needs of the class and what is being studied/explored.
Establishing the "rules" for Playtime
Just like at the beginning of the year or introducing any center, it's very important to establish the ground rules together as a class and be something that's reinforced and discussed all year long. Creating rules as a class invites students in on the conversation about safe and fun behaviors that should be expected and enforced not just by the teacher, but the kids themselves. Slowly play becomes a self-running machine and this time is now more equipped to be purposeful and not chaotic or appear as another recess time.
This is another point to share with your admin in support of having purposeful play as a part of your daily schedule. Community and citizenship skills are intertwined as it relates to developing SEL skills and understanding that we must all work and play in the same space where we can do our best thinking and learning.
Advocating Play in a Post-Covid Classroom
One of the biggest points in support of play that should resonate with any administrator is getting kids readjusted to learning in the classroom again. A year like 2020, and even into the 2021 school year, took its toll on students of all ages and in the younger grades its so important that a child's social-emotional wellbeing is seen as a top priority. Admins need to support their teachers and one way to do that is to allow them the opportunity to establish purposeful play as a part of their daily routines.
There's so much research to support purposeful play in kindergarten and should be considered when a teacher is interested in creating a space/time for it. As teachers we need to prepare ourselves for skeptics and have on-hand a means to present your ideas for play and how it will be used as academic time as well as a means for students to explore and interact with each other in a variety of ways.
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