Learning Strategies
Asking and answering questions may not sound like a strategy. I can attest to the fact that this is a critical skill that needs much practice in kindergarten. My students regularly demonstrate that they have no concept of a question. To aid them in learning this concept, I post question starters in the room. How did…, Why did…, Who is…, What if…, are just a few of these supports that help my students understand asking a question. Additionally, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) require that, with prompting and support, students will ask and answer questions about key details from text.
While we work on asking and answering questions, we will also be employing the strategy of brainstorming. I typically have students work with partners to aid in the brainstorming of answers. Groups then report back their ideas to the whole group. Brainstorming gives an opportunity for me to gather where my students are with regards to comprehending a topic or concept.
Dr. Spencer Kagan designed a series of strategies that maximize student engagement. I frequently use the Kagan strategy of “Think, Pair, Share”. Basically this strategy requires two partners to circle up together. When all partners are facing one another I will introduce a question. The pairs will then take a period of silent contemplation as they consider their answers. Then partner one will share with two, while two practices listening skills. The partners then switch roles and repeat the sharing process. There is more to Kagan structures than I have described, I would recommend performing a Google search on the subject if you’d like to get the most out of this strategy.
Another skill that is required in kindergarten is the ability to retell a story with prompting and support. I will be using the strategy of employing graphic organizers to help build student proficiency in retelling. I will prepare an organizer that features three boxes (depart, change, and return which also links to beginning, middle, and end). I will read the beginning (departure) of the story and the class will draw (which is considered writing in kindergarten) a picture to remind them of this story part. I will repeat this process with both the middle (change) and end (return) portions of the story. Upon completion of the organizer, students will refer to their pictures as they retell the story to a classmate or myself.
I will be having my students engaging in comparing and contrasting. Throughout this unit we will be looking for similarities and differences in the characters, settings, and plots of our readings and viewings. This learning strategy will help us engage our ELA comprehension skills and also aid us in developing a sense of past and present as is expected in the Delaware history standards.
I will be using this unit to develop the “skills of the learner” among my students. These skills include many desirable characters traits that heroes typically possess. Perseverance, kindness, cooperation, and responsibility would be a few traits we will explore within our heroes as well as within ourselves. We will study these traits to determine if our heroes have the makings of a quality leader. This extension will allow us to touch on civics standards.
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