My good friend and co-worker Sarah (Its Elementary My Dear Teacher) told me I should share the blog with teacher friends. But, it was really geared to my parents, boring if your child isn't involved really. So that is when I started Giggles and Squeals.
I love searching sights and getting better ideas than from the same ol file that I have done forever!
Yesterday was just about the BEST lesson ever. We discussed Christopher Columbus. I saw that Erin at Eberhart's Explorers and Jonelle at A Place Called Kindergarten I had the perfect lesson!
So first we discussed Christopher Columbus. We wrote done all the things we thought we knew about him. (if you notice some were confusing him and Johnny Appleseed)
Then we talked about those three ships. Here is my model:
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| Customize a picture slideshow |
Now, the BIG mistake (sorry it took so long) I didn't load all the kids pictures. I felt so bad. But I was rushing and a few got missed. So the parents of course emailed me all worried about why their child wasn't in the slide show. Opps. I hate when I make mistakes like that . BUT, (now this is funny) aren't we glad mistakes happen... especially on Columbus day?? hehe
So I have a question... if you watch the slide show, there are 2 or 3 students who really haven't developed as writers with their colors or in the fine motor department. I wouldn't want to exclude them but do you think their parents mind that they aren't like the others? Is it a mistake to show them all? Your thoughts would be appreciated.
3 comments:
I think it's right to include them all. That's where they are in their development, and they can be proud of what they made. I love kid art--so cute! It looks like a great lesson.
Honestly, I think you HAVE to include them. One, if you don't, then you are saying that their work isn't good enough to be showcased. Two, the parents need to see their work in the context of other students' work. Especially for parents with little experience in child development, it can be hard to know what your child is supposed to be capable of. If everyone in the class is able to color semi-neatly, write their name, cut a relatively straight line, and follow simple directions to complete an activity, then it should be a wake up call to the parents when their child cannot do any of that. Whether it's simply that they need to work with the child more at home, or they eventually need to be open to the idea of testing (in cases of developmental delays etc) then at least it will not come as a shock to them. So many parents never see their children in a setting with others the same age, so they really have no idea if the expectation they have for their child are age-appropriate or not.
On the other hand, if you KNOW that a given task is just too hard for a particular student and there is no way they are going to be able to produce a product that will look anything like it should, then it is better, I think, to scale the activity down for that child. For example, today we did a torn paper candy corn art project. For the majority of my 1st graders it was way easy, they socialized and tore and glued and just had a "fun" time of it. On the other hand, several of my kiddos really NEED the fine motor practice, so i include "fun" activities like this a lot. One of my little guys is highly distractable and very defeatist. I knew that if I just handed him the paper and glue he would, at best, be able to glue maybe a handful of pieces and probably not even within the lines before giving up and losing focus entirely. Instead, I sat with him and helped him stay focused, giving him only one color of paper at a time. He was so proud of himself for actually completing a project and having me hang his up as an example for those who were not yet finished! Of course, I will note down that he was successful only with one-on-one intervention.
Okay, didn't mean to type such a long comment, but I loved your question! By the way, love the flying pigs :)
Jennifer @ Herding Kats In Kindergarten
Yay! I'm glad you found it helpful...your Columbus lesson looks awesome! And I'm with the other teachers....I think you need to post their work. Although they aren't like the others....it may be an indicator to the parents that extra work at home is needed. But I'm with Marcy too, it's where they are in their development...and they should be proud! :)
Erin
http://eberhartsexplorers.blogspot.com/
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