The school
year is coming to an end for pre-kindergarten age students with excitement and
sadness to start kindergarten in the fall leaving friends behind. This is a great time for pre-kindergarten teachers
to reflect on the year and make changes/modifications for the upcoming school
year.
Here are
some ideas to ponder over the summer months and start of the new school year.
1. Re-read teaching Standards and
Elements to plan evidences that will be placed in teacher portfolio (levels
proficient or higher for 2015-2016),
2. Set up teacher portfolio with
dividers per Standard using cover page that will reflect current school year
(2015-2016),
3. Purchase composition notebook to use
for reflective journal entries (2015-2016) ,
4. Review the concept of DIALOGIC
READING to pose a range of critical thinking questions. Go to http://community.fpg.unc.edu/connect-modules/learners/module-6 to gamin more knowledge of concept,
5.
Create
a class website to communicate with parents.
Go to http://www.simplycircle.com/ then click “Classrooms”,
6. Set up texting/emailing system to
keep parents abreast of events such as early release reminder, school closing, and
parent workshop. Go to www.remind.com to create account,
7. Write on sentence strips “open-ended”
questions in multiple languages and align to centers. Remember to post skills/objectives per center
(e.g., blocks, computer, art),
8. Conduct home visits over summer break
to get to know your students and their parents, if possible (have questionnaire
to lead conversation),
9. Ask parents for family photo that can
be placed in students cubbies to build security by viewing, as needed,
10.
Ask families to create a page of child’s
favorite things that will be placed in binder that can be viewed periodically
(e.g., Our Preschool Class Families Book, Connecting with Families). You will bring a piece of home to school to
assist student’s adjustment to school,
11.
Schedule
parent orientation prior to first day of school, if possible. Have classroom set up and walk them through
typical day for their child. Share the
skills/objectives per center and ways they will be active participants in the
learning process,
12.
Label
materials on shelves with pictures and name in English and another language,
13.
Label
different objects in classroom in English and another language (e.g., door,
clock, sink),
14.
Plan
lessons around getting to know each other and the classroom learning
environment. You may want to take a
small group at a time to the enters discussing proper way to play with
materials, and
15.
After
students have been enrolled 30/45 days conduct formal assessment, review data
and create short-range to long-range goals for individualization.
The list
could be longer but you must carve out some YOU time before it is time to start
the 2015-2016 school year. As you are
preparing, if you have other ideas please share because knowledge is powerful.
