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Funding provided by the Government of Ontario.
Published April 25, 2013 | 
Here is a great, free resource entitled Natural Curiosity http://naturalcuriosity.ca/pdf/NaturalCuriosityManual.pdf
It gives details and research round building inquiry from nature and the world around children! The full website is http://naturalcuriosity.ca/
Published April 24, 2013 | This is a great chart that shows how a read aloud (high support) is used to eventually become an Independent Resource (low support) for students to read on their own or at home.
One is done with a poem and the other is a Big Book that is repetative, and is simple to follow (level C). I just finished this book-I Went Walking with my class and they loved it. Here is a 5 day plan for the book. http://www.eworkshop.on.ca/edu/pdf/Mod08_WP_k_l_went_walking.pdf
Published April 24, 2013 | This is a great little read about how to keep track of assessment that is very quick and easy. Below are some ideas from the Guide to Combined Grades http://earlylearningcentral.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/Learning-Together-commercial-print-craft-final-copy-195.pdf
Keep a clipboard handy for assessment possibly by subject or learning area–mark it as such–create a class list and produce a 3 column chart with these headings-
• Three-column chart (Got It! Getting There! Needs Help) to quickly capture student understanding and next steps for instruction.
I keep something similar to this on hand at all times in a folder. I use the headings Not Evident, Some Evidence, Evident. Or Needs Improvement, Satisfactory, and Good. I also keep a column for comments/next steps and a place on the bottom to write notes.
• Laminated folder with post-it notes to monitor ongoing student progress and development of a skill, strategy and/or technique (i.e., I, L, ?).
• Anecdotal notes, one-on-one conferencing and written observations of student understanding in a variety of settings (whole, small-group, partner activities). I created a table with large blocks and placed each child’s name in one. This way I can keep track of who I have written notes for and have the subject indicated on the top. I also keep extra paper on hand if I see/hear a special oral conversation that needs to be noted.
Published April 12, 2013 | 
The children have shown an interest in learning about dinosaurs so my ECE partner and I decided to enhance the idea by making an attractive centre. We used table cloths for water and land, we added wood pieces for children to do as they wish, and dinosaurs. Children brought over the books that illustrated where they lived, some wrote the dinosaur names referenced in the books and I displayed their writing next to the table, and words that describe some new knowledge about dinosaurs are also posted. The display is on our sandbox table which we decided to switch over for the week. Simple, easy, and has sparked some new learning on the topic!
Next we will change the sandbox into a Paleontologist work site. We have bones from a left over turkey, some brushes, name tags and some fun dinosaur hats they can wear to begin their research in the sand!
Published April 7, 2013 | I have found a great book called: Beautiful Stuff Learning with found materials. It is a great resource to get a collection of found materials started in your classroom and a great springboard to spark an inquiry or 2.
My finding came at a great time! We have been working on the reading strategy, making connections and many of my students could not remember a birthday or have never experienced one so my ECE partner and I decided to create one. The students have been listening to Junie B. Jone stories all year so we wanted to have a birthday for our character. We planned and touched on all aspect of a birthday. The resource, Beautiful Stuff, became the ”gift” the children would bring to the party.
The book begins discussing what recycled materials would be useful to collect from children’s homes. Things like; paper, old jewellery, buttons, ribbons etc. They bring them to school in a bag for exploring in small or large group. The book explores the materials and shares the dialogue between teacher and students, tells about the sorting processing, and gives some great prompts to move the thinking and investigating along. Other chapters discuss building with wood pieces, collaging, and various other ideas that could extend what you can do with all the found materials.
Our Beautiful Stuff has lead us into a Building Inquiry, an Art Inquiry, we have used the items to extend into our Math Focus and Fine Motor for sorting. As well, building on oral language.
The found materials have now become my art centre. The children initially sorted all the materials into baskets, trays etc. Each day they can access the materials to create. I may add new items, give a lesson about something new they can do with the materials, I added more popsicle sticks and large cardboard on day, another day I added the paint. They tied it into our building inquiry.
Below are a few pictures of the children first exploring, then creating with the materials.
These children are showing what they have collected for the first time in small groups.
This child created a house using the real wood pieces. He is also drawing out the structure like an Architect. With adult assistance children are trying out real tools.
Below the children have creating pictures with the materials.
Published March 31, 2013 | Here is a great website from the research project in Reggio schools in Italy. There is some great information and pictures about documentation.
Main Page that will tell you about the project http://www.mlvpz.org/index.html
Documentation samples http://www.mlvpz.org/documentation/index.html
Posted in Assessment and Evaluation, Documentation | 
assessment, documentation, reggio | 
Leave a commentPublished March 27, 2013 | Planning with the end task in mind, deciding how you will assess your students, and what they need to know are many questions teachers ask themselves when planning lessons and units of study. Backwards planning is what it is. We work from our overall and specific expectations, think about the ’big idea” or our learning goal(s) for the activities that we have planned out. This thinking will give you a clear idea of where you need to start and it keeps us focused. Now, plan for the final product or the summative task. This could be giving an authentic questions if it is math related, a response to a reading strategy you are working on…etc.
When we begin working on a new unit of study we need to collect information to see where students are at so we can plan what we need to teach.
Diagnostic Assessment is a ”pre” task that will give you an idea of what students know or not, before you get started. Example:
Teachers can choose the assessment tools they need to collect, organize, and record information about the student learning during the unit. It is also the informal times that we may see learning. So choosing how that will be captured-camera, recorder etc. may be an alternate form of assessment to keep on hand.
Assessment as Learning is the ongoing monitoring of student progress, allowing for feedback, changes/tweaking, and adjustments or whatever is needed to give the students a clear understand of how they can improve. Example: This can be done in small group, with descriptive feedback, conferences, written exchange of dialogue, oral conversations, etc. This may be a time when the teacher needs to provide mini-lessons to fill the gaps in learning to make the students successful.
Here is a link to an article on formative assessment http://earlylearningcentral.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/Research-for-Teachers-Number-2-Formative-Assessment-article-nov-2010.pdf. Formative assessment assists students making them successful by giving suggestions for improving learning rather then just judging.
Summative Assessment is the final task at the end of the unit where students show their final learning. This can take a variety of forms and should allow for students to show their learning from a variety of tasks. Some students may want to choose to illustrate their learning through a visual-drawing, artwork. Some may need to display in an oral conversation, a play etc. Giving students different assessment strategies based on their learning styles and needs, will engage students and give them other options to display their learning.
Here is a full link on ELC around assessment http://earlylearningcentral.ca/?page_id=2234
Published March 21, 2013 | When creating centres in the primary grades they need to be inviting, allow for multiple students to be engaged, and connect to the curriculum or big idea (purposeful!).
Primarily Play Document provides some great examples of how to start and extend inquiry ideas that can connect to the curriculum expectations as well as some examples of what it could look like in the classroom. http://earlylearningcentral.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/PP-57-59.pdf
http://earlylearningcentral.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/newlookplay.pdf
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