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Fish Sticks

Fish Sticks

 

Revisiting the Reading Workshop

Revisiting the Reading Workshop

Chapters 1-3 introduced the idea of reading workshops and how they should be managed.  I already do a version of workshops in my kindergarten room which I have been pleased with thus far.  The ideas in the book were not aimed toward kindergarten but parts could be adapted.  I plan to incorporate more buddy reading in my book log workshop and more difficult books for my higher students.  The conferencing that I have done at this point has been more about how they feel about the work they have completed in their particular workshop, such as handwriting and illustration of the poem for the week.

 

Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics Grades K-3, Chapters 9-12

Chapters 9-12 dealt with concepts and skills that are too advanced for kindergarten.  I found myself schimming the chapters and concentrating only on those few acitivies/ skills that I thought I could adapt and use as a stepping stone for first grade concepts.  Also, some of the activities suggested could be used to challenge those few students who are more advanced and ready for the challenge.  

Throughout the book I have gathered many activities which I feel will benefit my students.  I have already applied what Van de Walle said about teaching time to young children and am pleased with the result.  This book seems to coincide with the math workshops kindergarten has been attending, which we have found to be very kindergarten friendly.   

Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics Grades K-3, Chapters 5-8

Chapters 5-8 delt with place value, number sense development, having children develop their own methods, geometry, and measurement.

Chapter 5 concentrated on developing place value concepts and procedures.  Page 131 provided a worksheet working on number words and making groups of 10 that I would like to try with my kindergarten students.  I also found the skip count patterns activity on page 138 interesting.  It will be a good follow up to the 100th day. 

Chapter 6 stressed the importance of allowing students to create their own methods.  Students will make fewer mistakes if they use their own strategies because they make sense to them (p 160).  I have often had children teach to others who are having difficulty with a particular concept.  I have found success with this. 

Chapter 7 delt with levels of geometric thought.  K-3 is usually in level 0 which is visualization.  Many activities were suggested that will be beneficial in the areas of sorting, identification of shapes, symmetry and spacial problem solving. 

Chapter 8 was mostly about measurement.  K level should begin with direct comparison of two or more lengths (p. 228).  I paid most attention to what he suggested for telling time (pp 242-245).  Children need to not only be able to tell time to the hour in Kindergarten, but they need to understand number relationships.  For example, 58 is close to 60 so 7:58 is nearly 8:00.  It was suggested to teach with a clock with just the little hand to begin with and predict where the big hand would be.  Always look first at the little hand to learn approximately what time it is and then focus on the minute hand for precision.  I am about to start a time unit and will approach it using the suggestions in the book.

Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics Grades K-3

Van de Walle's Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics Grades K-3 offered lessons and suggestions troughout chapters 1-4 that I find will benefit my class and their learning in the areas of graphing (p.60), number sense (recognition and relationships) (pp.42-61), and addition/subtraction (pp.99-111).  I agree with Van de Walle and his belief of making sure a child understands the concepts and doesn't just memorize the rules.  Some students will actually learn the rules correctly but have very limited or no understanding of why these rules work.  Children should be able to provide justification and explanations for answers (Chapter 1).  I also found the information on timed tests interesting in that they can cause fear and negative feelings toward math learning (p. 119).  

I will use the information I read in my classroom by incorporating some of the lessons provided, asking more indepth/thought provoking questions and follow the suggestions for effective interviews (pp.34-35).