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Research-Driven Education

Preschool Language Arts: Auditory Skills

8/31/2014

Often, people think of preschool language arts as nothing beyond letters and words. However, it is the teacher's duty to prepare each child to become a fluent reader and competent writer. This requires many skills before and beyond letter recognition. There are five main areas into which we group our Language Arts Standards: Fine Motor Skills, Auditory Skills, Visual Skills, Thinking/Conceptual, and Language.

This blog entry will cover the Academic Standards that fall under Auditory Skills.

While repeated exposure to activities/games that include these concepts is paramount to the child's understanding, it is important to understand that a young child may not "get" a particular concept until he is developmentally ready.

Auditory Memory - This is the ability to remember and repeat a sequence of sounds or words that has been presented solely through auditory means.

Auditory Discrimination: Rhyming

Auditory Discrimination: Phonemic Awareness - The child can distinguish different environmental sounds or letter sounds.

Auditory Figure-Ground Discrimination - The child can distinguish one sound (a bell, teacher's voice) from many background sounds.

Auditory Discrimination: Beginning and Ending Letter Sounds

Synthesizing - Synthesizing is a skill requiring a child to put the sounds together. Given three separate sounds, /s/, /u/ and /n/, the child can combine the sounds to come up with the word "sun".

Segmenting into Syllables

Auditory Skills are just one small part of preschool Language Arts. We have broken Auditory Skills into seven standards:

Auditory Memory
Auditory Discrimination: Rhyming
Auditory Discrimination: Phonemic Awareness
Auditory Figure-Ground Discrimination
Auditory Discrimination: Beginning and Ending Letter Sounds
Synthesizing
Segmenting into Syllables

In our classroom, each lesson, game or classroom material has been intentionally planned and placed in the room to fulfill our Academic Content Standards.

Preschool Language Art Standards: Fine Motor Skills

8/30/2014

In order for a child to become a fluent reader and writer, he must become competent at the skills in each of our Language Arts Standards. There are five main groups of Language Arts Standards: Fine Motor Skills, Auditory Skills, Visual Skills, Thinking/Conceptual, and Language.

This blog entry will cover the Academic Standards that fall under the Fine Motor Skills category.

Eye-Hand Coordination

Tracing - Tracing should always be done left-to-right, top-to-bottom. Left-to-right progression (the way that we write) is a habit that must be formed, and it should be formed correctly from the beginning.

Pasting

Cutting

Hand Strength and Coordination - Zippers, buttons, locks and keys, peg boards, play dough.

Tactile Differentiation

Lacing

Pencil Skills - Writing name, coloring and drawing.

Fine Motor Skills are just one small part of preschool language arts. We have broken Fine Motor Skills into eight standards:

Eye-Hand Coordination
Tracing
Pasting
Cutting
Hand Strength and Coordination
Tactile Differentiation
Lacing
Pencil Skills

In our classroom, each lesson, game or classroom material has been intentionally planned and placed in the room to fulfill our Academic Content Standards.

Preschool Math Standards: Problem Solving

8/29/2014

In order for a child to have a comprehensive mathematical understanding, he must be exposed to mathematical concepts beyond numbers and counting. There are five fields into which we group our Math Standards: Number Sense, Geometry, Measurement, Sorting and Patterning, and Problem Solving.

This blog entry will cover the Academic Standards that fall under the Problem Solving category.

Thinking Ahead - By playing strategy games like "Nim," a child can develop the ability to think one or more steps ahead of her opponent.

What's Missing? - Given a pattern or a set of objects, a child can determine what is missing.

Estimation

Probability - For preschoolers, this is the ability to determine whether an outcome is likely or unlikely. Given the shapes shown below, is it likely or unlikely that I will pick up a square?

Story Problems

Skip Counting - Counting by fives, tens or twos. At this age, this could be categorized with problem solving skills or number sense.

Problem Solving is just one small part of preschool mathematics. We have broken Problem Solving into six standards:

Thinking Ahead
What's Missing?
Estimation
Probability
Problem Solving
Skip Counting

In our classroom, each lesson, game or classroom material has been intentionally planned and placed in the room to fulfill our Academic Content Standards.

Preschool Math Standards: Sorting and Patterning

8/29/2014

Our goal, as preschool teachers, is to expose each child to all areas of mathematics building a strong foundation for the comprehension of mathematical concepts. There are five fields into which we group our Math Standards: Number Sense, Geometry, Measurement, Sorting and Patterning, and Problem Solving.

This blog entry will cover the Academic Standards that fall under the Sorting and Patterning category.

Sorting and Patterning

Sorting by One Attribute - Sorting by One Attribute is the act of grouping objects into sets by color, shape, size, or another attribute.

Sorting by Two Attributes - Sorting by two attributes is grouping objects into sets by two attributes. When we begin making Venn diagrams, these sets would belong in the middle of the Venn diagram - groups that are red AND round or large AND blue, etc.

Make-A-Rule Sorting - Given a set of objects, a child can make her own rule and group the objects accordingly. The child who sorted the buttons below grouped them by number of holes on each button.

Pattern Copying - Pattern Copying is simply copying a pattern that has already been laid out. A child may need to be exposed to pattern copying many times before he can add on to an existing pattern or create his own pattern.

Adding on to a Pattern

Creating a Pattern

Reading and Interpreting Patterns - The child can read and interpret a pattern in a new way. The children below are reading a visual pattern and interpreting it with their bodies.

Creating a Venn Diagram

Creating a Matrix

Sorting and Patterning is just one small part of preschool mathematics. We have broken Sorting and Patterning into nine standards:

Sorting by One Attribute
Sorting by Two Attributes
Make-A-Rule Sorting
Copying a Pattern
Adding on to a Pattern
Creating a Pattern
Reading and Interpreting Patterns
Creating a Venn Diagram
Creating a Matrix

In our classroom, each lesson, game or classroom material has been intentionally planned and placed in the room to fulfill our Academic Content Standards.

Preschool Math Standards: Measurement

7/11/2014

Preschool teachers pave the road for a deeper comprehension of mathematical understanding (manipulation of concepts rather than memorization). It is our goal to prepare each of our students for success in every area of mathematics. There are five fields into which we group our Math Standards: Number Sense, Geometry, Measurement, Sorting and Patterning, and Problem Solving.

This blog entry will cover the Academic Standards that fall under the Measurement category.

Measurement

Comparing Sizes - Comparing the size of two objects according to length, weight, or volume. The sand and water tables are an excellent place for kids to experiment with volume.

Ordering Objects by Size - Ordering objects from largest to smallest (or smallest to largest) according to length, weight or volume.

Measuring Objects Using Non-Standard Units - Using chain links, cubes, blocks, paperclips or other non-standard units to measure the length, weight or volume of an object.

Measurement is just one small part of preschool mathematics. We have broken Measurement into nine standards:

Comparing Length
Comparing Weight
Comparing Volume
Ordering Objects by Length
Ordering Objects by Weight
Ordering Objects by Volume
Using Non-Standard Units to Measure Length
Using Non-Standard Units to Measure Weight
Using Non-Standard Units to Measure Volume

In our classroom, each lesson, game or classroom material has been intentionally planned and placed in the room to fulfill our Academic Content Standards.

Preschool Math Standards: Geometry

7/10/2014

In order for a child to have a comprehensive mathematical understanding, he must be exposed to mathematical concepts beyond numbers and counting. There are five fields into which we group our Math Standards: Number Sense, Geometry, Measurement, Sorting and Patterning, and Problem Solving.

This blog entry will cover the Academic Standards that fall under the Geometry category.

Note: Many of our Standards may fall under several categories. In order to prevent repetition, some of the visual/spatial standards that could be grouped with Geometry have been grouped with the English/Language Arts Standards.

Geometry

Two-Dimensional Shape Recognition - Two-Dimensional Shape Recognition is the ability to visually recognize and name basic two-dimensional shapes such as square, triangle, circle, heart, oval, octagon.

Two-Dimensional Shape Description - Two-Dimensional Shape Description is the ability to describe a shape according to some of its attributes (it's round, it has four sides, it has three points).

Design Matching and Copying

Symmetry

Distinguishes Alike/Different

Three-Dimensional Shape Recognition - Three-Dimensional Shape Recognition is the ability to visually recognize and name basic three-dimensional shapes such as cube, cylinder, cone, and sphere.
Three-Dimensional Shape Description - Three-Dimensional Shape Description is the ability to describe a three-dimensional shape (it's round, it's shaped like a ball, it's a box-shape).

Geometry is just one small part of preschool mathematics. We have broken Geometry into seven standards:

Two-Dimensional Shape Recognition
Two-Dimensional Shape Description
Design Matching and Copying
Symmetry
Distinguishes Alike/Different
Three-Dimensional Shape Recognition
Three-Dimensional Shape Description

In our classroom, each lesson, game or classroom material has been intentionally planned and placed in the room to fulfill our Academic Content Standards.

Preschool Math Standards: Number Sense

7/9/2014

Often people think of preschool math as nothing beyond counting and numbers. However, it is the teacher's duty to prepare each child for every field of mathematics. There are five main areas into which we group our standards: Number Sense, Geometry, Measurement, Sorting and Patterning, and Problem Solving.

This blog entry will cover the Academic Standards that fall under the Number Sense category.

While repeated exposure to activities/games that include these concepts is paramount to the child's understanding, it is important to understand that a young child may not "get" a particular concept until he is developmentally ready.

Number Sense

Rote Counting - Rote counting is the ability to name the number words in the correct sequence.
One-to-One Correspondence - One-to-One Correspondence is the ability to pair one object with one number while counting objects (the child says "one" as she touches the first object, "two" as she touches the second object). A child may have one-to-one correspondence to seven or to seventy. The object is to build this until a child has one-to-one correspondence indefinitely.

One-to-One Correspondence may also be practiced (without counting) by matching one object to one specified space. In the photo below on the left, a child is placing one bean into each section of an ice cube tray. In the photo on the right, the child is placing one cookie onto each square of his game board.

Numeral Recognition - Numeral Recognition is the ability to visually recognize and name numbers.

Quantification - Quantification is the ability to answer "How many?"

Conservation of Number - Conservation of Number is the ability to understand that the number of objects does not change no matter how they are arranged. (In each of the photos below, there are ten chips. There are a different number of black vs. white chips in each photo, and although the chips are physically arranged differently, there are still ten chips in each photo.)

Comparing Sets - Comparing Sets is the ability to determine which set between two or more sets, has fewer, more or an equal number of objects.

Counting Forward - Counting Forward is the skill used when a child can begin at a given number and continue counting. For example, if a child rolls two dice (six and two) he may point to the first die and say "six" and then point to the second die and continue with "seven, eight".

Inclusion - Inclusion is the skill used when a child must count out a given number of items from a larger set. If instructed "hand me three gems," the child will include three gems.

Sequencing - Sequencing is using a rule to order numbers, colors, or parts of a story.

Number Sense is just one small part of preschool mathematics. We have broken Number Sense into nine standards:

Rote Counting
One-to-One Correspondence
Numeral Recognition
Quantification
Conservation of Number
Comparing Sets
Counting Forward
Inclusion
Sequencing

In our classroom, each lesson, game or classroom material has been intentionally planned and placed in the room to fulfill our Academic Content Standards.

Art: Lines and Poetry

6/4/2014

This is an art project we made earlier this year. The children began by making different types of lines across their paper with a pencil.

Once the children had their squiggly, straight and pointed lines on paper, they traced the lines with a black Sharpie.

When they finished their lines, they used liquid water colors to paint between the lines. We always keep liquid watercolor paint in our supply closet - the colors are so vibrant!

While each child was working on his art project, I asked questions for the poetry portion of the project. What is your favorite color? What is your favorite food? What is something you are really good at?

This is a fairly easy, multi-step art project that turns out great even if the kids don't paint neatly in between the lines!

Last Day Of School: Messy Art Party!

5/31/2014

Every year, on the last day of preschool, we mix BUCKETS of paint and take the kids outside for an outdoor art experience that they will never forget! The paint on on the left is chalk paint, a mixture of cornstarch, food coloring, and water. The paint on the right is powdered tempera.

We always organize our parties into stations, and groups of kids move clockwise through the stations when it's time to switch. This prevents kids from getting lost or missing out on any of our fun activities.
At our first station, the children got a chance to THROW paint on the driveway!

Our second station was bullseye painting.

We fill large socks with tennis balls; the children get to dip them in paint and throw them at the easel.

At our third station, the children were able to roll paint covered balls down a ramp.

We rolled icy paint around at the fourth station.

At our last station, we painted the driveway with rollers!

It was a blast!

We all used different techniques to get the paint on the pavement.

Some, messier than others.

We all had a great time!

Thank you to all of our awesome WCLC parents who made this year the best one yet! See ya next year!

Art: Self Portraits

4/12/2014

Teaching young children to draw is important not only because we are building fine motor/writing skills, but also because young children think, learn, and "read" with pictures before they can do the same skills with symbols. For example, when we play a rhyming game with preschool children, we will match cards with the pictures pig and wig. We do not use cards with just the symbols p, i, and g.

By learning to draw, these children are developing another way to express themselves.

As an introduction to the lesson, the children looked into the mirrors and answered some questions.
"What do you see?"
"How many eyes do you have?"
"What is above your eyes?"
"Is your nose wider than your mouth?"
"Is your neck really skinny or about as wide as your head?"
"What happens when you move your shoulders?"
"What parts of your body can you bend?"
"Touch your hands to the side of your body. Where do they touch?"
We wanted to give the children some sense of proportion before they began.

As they finished their drawing, they were encouraged to add lots of details.
"What are you wearing?"
"Does your outfit have any zippers or pockets?"

These kids did a fantastic job! As you can see, we have necklaces, hairbows, boots, freckles and fingernails on some of our drawings.

Author

Wendy Joy Yohman
Eleven years teaching experience
at a small private school.
Current preschool supervisor.
Bachelor's Degree in
Psychology with an emphasis
on educational kinesiology
(how different movements
activate certain areas of the
brain).

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