Offers advice for setting up a classroom for kindergarteners that meets their educational and developmental needs, with strategies for how to teach routines and schedules, promote student bonding, use creative teaching tools, and interact with parents.
Help your child exceed the Common Core standards with the revised and updated What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know Designed for use by parents and teachers, this groundbreaking first volume in the Core Knowledge Series provides kindergartners with the fundamentals they need to prepare them for a lifetime of learning. It sets out the elements a parent or educator should look for in a good kindergarten program and introduces activities that help a child take the first steps in learning to read and write. Featuring a new Introduction and filled with age-appropriate questions and suggestions that stimulate thinking and build vocabulary, this revised and updated edition of What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know also includes • Favorite poems—read and recite together from Mother Goose, A. A. Milne, Langston Hughes, and more, all beautifully illustrated • Beloved stories and fables—read aloud from “The Three Little Pigs,” “The Ugly Duckling,” “Cinderella,” Winnie-the-Pooh, “The Velveteen Rabbit,” and many more, including multicultural folktales from African, Japanese, and Native American traditions • Familiar sayings and phrases—impart traditional wisdom such as “Where there’s a will, there’s a way” and “Better safe than sorry” • History and geography—a friendly introduction to our world, complete with simple questions and fun activities • Visual arts—painting, drawing, cutting, and pasting go hand in hand with learning about color and helping a child look at and talk about great works of art • Music—many musical experiences for parents and children to participate in, along with dozens of songs to sing and dance to • Math—lively and interesting exposure to concepts and operations that provide a springboard to later mastery • Science—activities that let children observe, experience, and get their hands dirty while exploring the wonders of nature
For use in schools and libraries only. This simple book illustrates children engaged in activities such as greeting their teachers, painting, walking to the lunchroom, eating apples, and resting on their mats.
Not your typical how-to manual for new teachers, this no-nonsense, jargon-free guide offers a wide variety of tools and tactics for getting through every school day with grace and sanity. Covered in glue, glitter, orange juice—or worse? Make a quick change into the spare set of clothes you keep on hand for just this purpose. Butterflies in your stomach before your first-ever Meet the Teacher Night? Keep your cool by writing the agenda on your board—it’ll double as a crib sheet for you. These tips and hundreds more, covering virtually every aspect of teaching, have all been learned the hard way: from real-life classroom experience. Otis Kriegel’s “little black book” will be a treasured resource for teachers who want not only to survive but to thrive in any situation.
“[Diamond] has captured the world of the class—at times chaotic, always busy, usually inspired”— Essential reading for parents and teachers alike (Los Angeles Times). Hailed by renowned educator Deborah Meier as “a rare and special pleasure to read,” Kindergarten explores a year in the life of a kindergarten classroom through the eyes of the gifted veteran teacher and author Julie Diamond. In this lyrical, beautifully written first-person account, Diamond explains the logic behind the routines and rituals children need to thrive. As she guides us through all aspects of classroom life—the organization, curriculum, and relationships that create a unique class environment—we begin to understand what kindergarten can and should be: a culture that builds children’s desire to understand the world and lays the foundation for lifelong learning. Kindergarten makes a compelling case for an expansive definition of teaching and learning, one that supports academic achievement without sacrificing students’ curiosity, creativity, or development of social values. Diamond’s celebration of the possibilities of classroom life is a welcome antidote to today’s test-driven climate. Written for parents and teachers alike, Kindergarten offers a rare glimpse into what’s really going on behind the apparent chaos of a busy kindergarten classroom, sharing much-needed insights into how our children can have the best possible early school experiences. “As a classroom insider, Diamond pulls back the curtain and allows parents and others a view of how an effective classroom actually works.” —Library Journal “An extraordinary resource for parents and teachers at all stages. It is honest and masterful, engrossing and unique. And it is utterly real.” —Ruth Sidney Charney, author of Teaching Children to Care
Describes the common intellectual and emotional characteristics of children ages four to fourteen year by year so that teachers and parents can better meet their needs.
"Kindergarten is a vital time in a child's life, serving as the foundation upon which all future education is built. Kindergarten Konfidential seeks to help kindergarten teachers across the country transform their classrooms into thriving learning environments for eager young learners. With decades of experience under his belt, author and kindergarten teacher Alan J. Cohen explains his unique perspective on Kindergarten and his classroom methods that make him such an effective instructor. From having the right attitude and mindset to understanding the most basic principles of literacy and mathematics, Kindergarten Konfidential is the all-inclusive guide to bring kindergarten to the next level"--
Author Debbie Diller turns her attention to small reading groups and the teacher's role in small-group instruction. Making the Most of Small Groups: Differentiation for All grapples with difficult questions regarding small-group instruction in elementary classrooms such as: How do I find the time? How can I be more organized? How do I form groups? How can I differentiate to meet the needs of all of my students? Structured around the five essential reading elements - comprehension, fluency, phonemic awareness, phonics, and vocabulary - the book provides practical tips, sample lessons, lesson plans and templates, suggestions for related literacy work stations, and connections to whole-group instruction. In addition to ideas to use immediately in the classroom, Diller provides an overview of relevant research and reflection questions for professional conversations.
Filled with creative and effective ideas for teaching kindergaten. Includes: start-the-year community builders, stratagies for classroom routines, mini-lessons on shared reading and writing, activities that build phonemic awareness and phonics skills, samples of student work, and much more.
An introduction to best practices in education for kindergarten, first, and second grades, offering clear, practical advice; plenty of real-life examples; and grade-specific strategies for developmentally responsive teaching, engaging academics, positive community, and effective classroom management.