GRADE
LEVEL MINUTES – KINDERGARTEN
Oct. 1, 2002
Bellingham School
District
Teachers will have the
opportunity to learn from and collaborate with peers in order to incorporate
the elements of the District Social Studies, Health, and Literacy Curriculum
and strategies for good instruction into their lessons and units of study.
(Handout from
Meeting: Article: How People Learn)
What
is our theory of learning?
v Learners actively reflect and ask questions about
their world
v Learners construct conceptual frameworks by making
connections, seeing relationships, considering other perspectives, and
v Learners have preconceived ideas about their world
and continually confirm and correct these ideas
What
are the implications for teaching?
v Teachers need to provide demonstrations of active inquiry
by asking questions that expert performers/learners ask about specific
disciplines. (What questions do
mathematicians ask? What questions do readers ask? What questions do writers ask? )
v Teachers provide opportunities for students to
learn about a subject or topic in depth.
Ample time is allowed for students to grasp the big ideas, to reflect,
to investigate, to question, to see relationships, and to construct new
meaning.
v Teachers expect students to perform the new learning in authentic
situations demonstrating the skills and knowledge as outlined in district and
state standards.
This theory of
learning connects with the Conditions For Learning found in our Elementary
Literacy Support Guide.
Further information about How
People Learn can be found at www.nap.edu
There
is only one required unit to be taught this year. It is Unit 1, “How to Stay Safe”.
Teachers
provided feedback on their questions and needs regarding the implementation of
Great Body Shop
v Questions that readers ask are related to the
Reading Process
v Explicitly teaching questioning can include helping
students understand that some questions are literal and answers are found in
the text. Some questions are
interpretive and answers are found in a conversation between the readers and
the author. Other questions are
evaluative and ask for a reader’s opinion.
(Handout
From Meeting: QAR: Question Answer Response from
September 2002, Reading Teacher,
p. 20-27)
IV. Backwards Design – Starting with the big ideas to be learned
and describing the
Performance expected
from the students.
(Handout From Meeting: Curriculum and Resources for
Kindergarten)
Sample
units for social studies were developed and shared by the participants. These drafts will be sent to each teacher
and may be further developed at future grade level meetings. The template will be sent electronically to
each grade level teacher.
Teachers
posted questions throughout the day.
See attached for Q/A sheet.
1.
Why do some schools
continue to have small K classes and others remain very large year after year?
2.
Why are so many new
teachers short lived in K? What is unappealing and keeps people away?
3.
How can we work to
get more conference/report card writing time for those with 2 sessions of
Kindergarten?
4.
Could we have a
writing continuum to help with grading on the report card?
5.
Do we have any
consistent tools for assessing math?
6.
Is the current report
card final? When will there be an
alignment of district assessments with the report card?
7.
Will 6 traits be
changing to 4?
8.
What are the
conceptual frameworks we want student to know in depth in order for them to be
life long learners? How do we balance
the curriculum with having time to spend on working on social development and
teaching skills with second step? Which is the most important part of
Kindergarten?
9.
What is the policy
with handwriting? D’Nealian vs. Handwriting without Tears? Draft books?
10. Why are life skills no longer taking moderately
disabled kids? Why are they at Geneva
sitting with only two kids, while larger K classes mainstream special education
developmentally delayed students? What
defines an integrated program? How do I
get help for my very needy children?
Why is there no between classes for kids that do not fit in regular ed.
vs. life skills?
11. What is the preschool program in Bellingham School
District?
12. When can we talk about issues important to K.
Teachers? Can we set up our own agenda?
Teachers posted
suggestions and topics for future grade level meetings.
Topics:
v Meeting the needs of impacting students
v Understanding Preschool Program
v Consistent understanding and process for making a
student a focus of concern
v Book study: “Kids Write”
v Math Assessment
v Draft Writing
v Questioning Strategies
v Sharing curriculum activities that are working
v Time to look at and discuss implementation of the
Great Body Shop
v Literacy at K: handwriting, writing
v Management strategies with centers – moving to
independence/responsibility
v Phonemic Awareness – sharing strategies and
resources
v Identification of Big Understandings and alignment
of current activities/projects to support the big ideas and that kids can take
home
v Seeing/hearing how others set up their K classrooms
v Sharing how we teach health with CARE, Great Body
Shop, Second Step.
Teachers
who are willing to help plan:
v Kathy Shore
v Charm Miller-Davis
v Shari Lingbloom
v Linda Young
v Julie Craddock – literacy
v Kelly Morgan
v Paula Jacobsen – March
v Anne Franzmann
Teachers
who are willing to host an optional/sharing meeting:
v Tiffany Knudsen – Parkview
v Paula McGrath – Parkview
v Kyla Stefani – Northern Heights
v Julie Craddock – Roosevelt
v Leanne Uttech - Columbia
Kindergarten
Teachers will meet October 8th, 3:00 PM at Columbia to discuss math assessment
strategies used in their classrooms.
Adrienne
will be responsible for gathering the volunteers who are willing to plan the
optional, March, and May K. Grade Level Meetings.
Alderwood: Paula Jacobsen, Patricia Dubiel, Birchwood: Kelly Morgan, Kathy
Leathers, Mikel Panagos Carl Cozier: Shari Lingbloom,
Charlotte Ford Columbia: Leanne
Uttech Geneva: Linda Young,
Michelle Ostendorff, Jamie Gochnour Happy
Valley: Kathy Shore, Amy Roselli Larrabee:
Jan Nelson Lowell: Anne
Franzmann Northern Heights: Kyla
Stefani Parkview: Tiffany
Knudson, Paula McGrath Roosevelt:
Julie Craddock, Janet McElroy, Donna Aarstol Silver Beach: Kristy Youtsey Sunnyland: Charm Miller-Davis, Kathy Hansen