February 17, 2015

What are typical behavioral characteristics and challenges in the Preschool years?

Children are in the Preschool Years from 3 years old until they start school. These children are starting to show personality traits and more intellectual development, including:

Egotism: A preschooler is the center of the world. Your child believes that everything in the world revolves around her.

Independence: A preschooler will want to dress by himself and want to help you with the household chores. Be patient as your child practices these skills.

Creativity:  Imaginations are constantly "on." Your child's world is full of magical things at this time.

"Why?": Preschoolers are trying to learn all about their environments; they will ask "why" constantly! Take the time to help your child learn about what causes the events happening around him.

Sociality:  Preschoolers are learning to be a good companion or friend to other children their age. Preschool, day care, play dates or playgroups provide wonderful opportunities for your child to learn important social skills.

Listening:   Preschoolers must also learn to listen to others with interest. Model appropriate listening behavior for your preschooler by actively listening when she tells you about her day, her friends and her discoveries.

Motor skills:  Preschoolers are also learning complex movements such as hopping, climbing, and skipping. Let your child practice and make it fun!

Adventurous:  Children can be very active during this time period. Make sure to provide helmets when riding tricycles and do regular safety checks on play equipment.

Language:  Pronunciation improves during this time. Don't be alarmed if your child leaves out word sounds occasionally.

Principles:  Preschoolers are also learning the difference between right and wrong. You can help by setting firm and consistent limits for your child.

Reality vs. Fantasy: Preschoolers must learn the difference between reality and fantasy. By the end of the preschool years, your child will have a better understanding of past, present and future.

Phobias:  New fears, especially to unfamiliar sights and sounds are common at this age. Be supportive while trying to ease irrational fears.

Poor sportsmanship:  Preschoolers learn to follow simple rules in the games they play, but they will always want to win and be in "first place." Playing "fair" will come later in your child's development.

Highly impressionable:  Preschoolers are heavily influenced by what they see. It's important to actively supervise what your child is exposed to on television and in the real world.

Enjoy,

Nora Sierra

Early Childhood Assistant Principal

Grade 1 Teacher

Discovery School

(504)221-7790

(504)221-7791(fax)

(504)9500-1720(school cell)

(504)9985-0732(mobile)

nsierra@discoveryschool.edu.hn

nivesierra@yahoo.com

February 9,2015

How can parents help an emergent reader at home?

Help your child choose books that they can read without much help. While they are reading, help them do the following:

·        Identify high-frequency words (popcorn words) such as the, I, my, in

·        Encourage your child to use pictures to help identify unknown words.

·        Match one-to-one (pointing to a word while saying it) consistently.

·        Use the beginning letter/sound to problem-solve words and to confirm word choice.

·        Re-read familiar books to help build fluency.

·        Encourage your child to read in phrases and not just word for word.

·        Talk about what is happening in the illustrations or photographs.

·        Retell/recall some events in a story.

Should I continue to read to my child?

Yes! Reading to your child is powerful, not matter what age they are. Experts recommend that parents read to their children through high school. Children love to hear a parent read aloud. Allow your child to select a favorite story and don’t be surprised if you find yourself reading the same story over and over. Your own enthusiasm will help your child realize that reading is an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Even after your child learns how to read, please don’t stop reading aloud.

Enjoy,

Nora Sierra

Early Childhood Assistant Principal

Grade 1 Teacher

Discovery School

(504)221-7790

(504)221-7791(fax)

(504)9500-1720(school cell)

(504)9985-0732(mobile)

nsierra@discoveryschool.edu.hn

nivesierra@yahoo.com

February 2, 2015

Technology and Young Children

Effective Classroom Practice: Preschoolers and Kindergartners

During the preschool years, young children are developing a sense of initiative and creativity. They are curious about the world around them and about learning. They are exploring their ability to create and communicate using a variety of media (crayons, felt-tip markers, paints and other art materials, blocks, dramatic play materials, miniature life figures) and through creative movement, singing, dancing, and using their bodies to represent ideas and experiences. Digital technologies provide one more outlet for them to demonstrate their creativity and learning

Technology Tools and Interactive Media

·        Allow children to freely explore touch screens loaded with a wide variety of developmentally appropriate interactive media experiences that are well designed and enhance feelings of success.

·        Provide opportunities for children to begin to explore and feel comfortable using “traditional” mouse and keyboard computers to  use Websites or look up answers with a search engine.

·        Capture photos of block buildings or artwork that children have created; videotape dramatic play to replay for children.

·        Celebrate children’s accomplishments with digital media displayed on a digital projector or on a classroom Website.

·        Incorporate assertive technologies as appropriate for children with special needs and/or developmental delays.

·        Record children’s stories about their drawings or their play; make digital audio or video files to document their progress.

·        Explore digital storytelling with children. Co-create digital books with photos of the children’s play or work; attach digital audio files with the child as the narrator.

Enjoy,

Nora Sierra

Early Childhood Assistant Principal

Grade 1 Teacher

Discovery School

(504)221-7790

(504)221-7791(fax)

(504)9500-1720(school cell)

(504)9985-0732(mobile)

nsierra@discoveryschool.edu.hn

nivesierra@yahoo.com

January 26, 2015

The Importance of Inventive Spelling

Parents of beginning writers often look at their children’s sentences and see something like this: We wnt on a rid it wuz fn. Translation: “We went on a ride. It was fun.”

When children are first learning how to write, they often use “invented spelling.” Otherwise known as phonetic spelling, invented spelling is when children listen to the sounds they hear in words and write down the letters that make those sounds. Words like "cat" or "pin" are usually spelled correctly under the invented system, but irregular words like “special” or “the” are often incorrect.

It can be frustrating to stand by and watch your child spell incorrectly. But using invented spelling is an important stage in your child’s development as a writer. In first grade, especially, children are still learning and practicing which letters make which sounds. Using invented spelling is a great way for children to practice which letter-sounds go with which letter! This practice will improve both their writing and reading. Rest assured, your child will develop standard spelling as she gets older. Use these guidelines to know how and when to help your child with spelling:

Do have your child stretch out the words she is spelling to try and hear all the sounds in the word. For example, “cat” should be stretched out /c/ /a/ /t/. Have your child say the word slowly and listen to all the sounds that she hears. If he doesn’t hear a sound in a word (let’s say he writes “ct” for “cat”) gently push him to listen carefully to the word once more (going with the “ct” example, ask him what sound comes between the “c” and the “t”).

Don’t correct your child’s spelling. Children should feel like successful, independent writers. If children feel like they can’t write without perfect spelling, they will not think of themselves as writers. Children also may develop a tendency to rely on grown-ups to tell them if their spelling is “right.” Instead of focusing on correct spelling, encourage your first grader to write phonetically. If first graders are representing all the sounds they hear in words, they will be able to read their own writing. That’s what we want from young writers-- standard spelling will come later.

Do find out what sight words/spelling words your child is learning in school. If your child’s teacher has taught the students the words “the” and “and”, then your child should be consistently spelling those two words correctly in his writing. You can hold your child accountable for words that he has spent a long time learning about and practicing in school.

Don’t worry if you can’t read your child’s writing. Try to point out why it is important for your child to be able to read her writing. Talk with her about including all sounds in the words she’s writing and remind her to put spaces between her words. Often kids will not be able to hear all the sounds in words-- that’s okay. Usually kids start by representing beginning sounds, then beginning and ending sounds. The final stage of invented spelling comes when kids are able to include middle sounds. For example, if a child is asked to spell the word “cat” she might start by writing “c” then “ct” and finally “cat”.

Finally, and most importantly, DO encourage a love of writing! Writing should be a fun, low stress activity. Take the pressure off your child to spell all words correctly and instead praise him for his imaginative story or interesting details. When your child values writing, he/she will see the importance of writing to be understood, and this will encourage him/her to develop more conventional spelling later.

Enjoy,

Nora Sierra

Early Childhood Assistant Principal

Grade 1 Teacher

Discovery School

(504)221-7790

(504)221-7791(fax)

(504)9500-1720(school cell)

(504)9985-0732(mobile)

nsierra@discoveryschool.edu.hn

nivesierra@yahoo.com

Math and the Common Core Standards

For more than a decade, research studies of mathematics education in high-performing countries have concluded that mathematics education in the United States must become substantially more focused and coherent in order to improve mathematics achievement in this country. To deliver on this promise, the mathematics standards are designed to address the problem of a curriculum that is “a mile wide and an inch deep.”

These new standards build on the best of high-quality math standards from states across the country. They also draw on the most important international models for mathematical practice, as well as research and input from numerous sources, including state departments of education, scholars, assessment developers, professional organizations, educators, parents and students, and members of the public.

The math standards provide clarity and specificity rather than broad general statements. They endeavor to follow the design envisioned by William Schmidt and Richard Houang (2002), by not only stressing conceptual understanding of key ideas, but also by continually returning to organizing principles such as place value and the laws of arithmetic to structure those ideas.

The development of the standards began with research-based learning progressions detailing what is known today about how students’ mathematical knowledge, skill, and understanding develop over time. The knowledge and skills students need to be prepared for mathematics in college, career, and life are woven throughout the mathematics standards.

Enjoy,

Nora Sierra

Early Childhood Assistant Principal

Grade 1 Teacher

Discovery School

(504)221-7790

(504)221-7791(fax)

(504)9500-1720(school cell)

(504)9985-0732(mobile)

nsierra@discoveryschool.edu.hn

nivesierra@yahoo.com

January 12, 2015

Many classrooms count up to the 100th day of school and then have a celebration on that day. It’s not only a milestone, but a great way to incorporate math into an entire day’s worth of learning. The learning doesn't have to be limited to school, though. Here are some ways to get your child prepared (and psyched) for the 100th day of school.

 Learn more about the 100th day of school.

·         Read books about the 100th day of school.

·         Make her a 100 breakfast--a link of sausage next to two halves of a bagel.

·         Make a family timeline listing 100 important events that have happened in the history of your family.

·         Go through your child’s toys and the rest of your house and find 100 items to donate to charity.

·         Choose one of 100 things with which to create a 100th day of school collection.

·         Begin a log of Random Acts of Kindness, vowing to do 100 acts between now and next year’s 100th day of school.

·         Reinforce number sense and participate in 100s chart activities.

·         Look up a newspaper dated 100 years before your child’s birth, read it together and discuss how life has changed over the years.

·         Talk with your child about the things she uses in her daily life that weren’t invented 100 years ago. Does it make her life easier or harder?

·         Talk to your child about his predictions about how life will change over the next 100 years.

·         Make a list of 100 books you and your child have read together over his lifetime. They don’t have to be literary classics; even the board books you read when he was a toddler count, too.

·         Make a list of 100 words your child has practiced spelling and mastered.

·         Go to the grocery store with your child and try to stick to a 100-dollar budget.

·         Discuss what it means when people say things like putting “110 percent effort” into a task. Is it really possible to put in more than 100 percent?

·         Build a creation using 100 Legos or other blocks.

·         Try to beat your child in a 100-second staring contest.

·         See who in your house (if anybody) can hold his breath for 100 seconds.

·         Make a 100th Day of school necklace, using beads, colored macaroni or Fruit Loops cereal. Ask your child to make a pattern using ten each of ten different colors.

·         Hide 100 pennies around the house and give your child treasure hunt clues to find them. 

Enjoy,    

Nora Sierra

Early Childhood Assistant Principal

Grade 1 Teacher

Discovery School

(504)221-7790

(504)221-7791(fax)

(504)9500-1720(school cell)

(504)9985-0732(mobile)

nsierra@discoveryschool.edu.hn

nivesierra@yahoo.com

January 7, 2015

New Year’s resolutions are a bit like babies: They’re fun to make but extremely difficult to maintain.

Each January, roughly one in three Americans resolve to better themselves in some way. A much smaller percentage of people actually make good on those resolutions. While about 75% of people stick to their goals for at least a week, less than half (46%) are still on target six months later, a 2002 study found.

It's hard to keep up the enthusiasm months after you've swept up the confetti, but it's not impossible. Let’s begin by thinking our resolution, writing it and carrying it out.

Enjoy,

Nora Sierra

Grade 1 Teacher

EC Assistant Principal

December 15, 2014

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" is an English Christmas carol that enumerates in the manner of a cumulative song a series of increasingly grand gifts given on each of the twelve days of Christmas. The song, first published in England in 1780 without music as a chant or rhyme, is thought to be French in origin.  The tunes of collected versions vary. The standard tune now associated with it is derived from a 1909 arrangement of a traditional folk melody by English composer Frederic Austin, who first introduced the now familiar prolongation of the verse "five gold rings”. The exact origins and the meaning of the song are unknown, but it is highly probable that it originated from children’s memory and forfeit game.

The twelve days in the song are the twelve days starting with Christmas Day, or in some traditions, the day after Christmas (December 26, to the day before Epiphany, or the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6, or the Twelfth Day). Twelfth Night is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "the evening of the fifth of January, preceding Twelfth Day, the eve of the Epiphany, formerly the last day of the Christmas festivities and observed as a time of merrymaking."

The best known English version was first printed in English in 1780 in a little book intended for children, Mirth without Mischief, as a Twelfth Night "memories-and-forfeits" game, in which a leader recited a verse, each of the players repeated the verse, the leader added another verse, and so on until one of the players made a mistake, with the player who erred having to pay a penalty, such as offering up a kiss or a sweet. One hundred years later, Lady Gomme, a collector of folktales and rhymes, described how it used to be played every Twelfth Day night before eating mince pies and twelfth cake.

"Twelve days of Christmas" was adapted from similar New Years' or spring French carols, of which at least three are known, all featuring a partridge, perdriz or perdriole, as the first gift. The pear tree appears in only the English version, but this could also indicate a French origin. According to Iona and Peter Opie, the red-legged (or French) partridge perches in trees more frequently than the native common (or grey) partridge and was not successfully introduced into England until about 1770. Cecil Sharp observed that "from the constancy in English, French, and Languedoc versions of the 'merry little partridge,' I suspect that 'pear-tree' is really perdrix (Old French pertriz) carried into England"; and "juniper tree" in some English versions may have been "joli perdrix," [pretty partridge]. Sharp also suggests the adjective "French" in "three French hens", probably simply means "foreign".

In the northern counties of England, the song was often called the "Ten Days of Christmas", as there were only ten gifts. It was also known in Somerset, Dorset shire, and elsewhere in England. The kinds of gifts vary in a number of the versions, some of them becoming alliterative tongue-twisters. "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was also widely popular in the United States and Canada. 

Enjoy,

Nora Sierra

EC Assistant Principal

Grade 1 Teacher 

December 8-12, 2014

Christmas Facts

Christmas Day is celebrated by millions of Christians around the world, usually on December 25th. It is also a popular holiday celebrated by non-Christians. Christmas Day is an annual celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Although the exact date of Jesus' birth is unknown it is estimated to have been between 7 and 2 B.C. The date of December 25th was chosen in the 4th century. The popular customs of celebrating Christmas include gift-giving, sending holiday cards, Christmas trees and lights, caroling, a feast and church celebrations.

Interesting Christmas Facts:

The word Christmas originates from the words Christ's Mass. In old English (first recorded in 1038) it was referred to as Cristesmæsse, which literally means 'Christian Mass'.

A common figure known throughout the world and associated with Christmas is Santa Claus. Other popular Christmas figures include Christ kind, Saint Nicholas, and Father Christmas.

Anglo-Saxons referred to the holiday as 'midwinter' or 'nativity'.

The word Noel entered the English language in the late 1300s. It originated from the Latin word 'natalis' which means 'day of birth'.

Christmas decorations that are popular today include Christmas trees, Christmas lights, wreaths, garland, holly, mistletoe, and nativity scenes.

Christmas lights were invented in 1882 by Edward Johnson.

The first evidence of a Christmas tree is from a pamphlet that dates back to 1570.

In order for Santa to visit all the homes on Christmas Eve he would have to visit 822 homes each second.

The tradition of hanging stockings comes from a Dutch custom. They would leave shoes full of food for St. Nicolas' donkeys and St. Nicholas would then leave small gifts in return.

12th century nuns left socks full of nuts, fruit and tangerines at the doors of the poor. This is where the tradition of putting tangerines in stockings came from.

The three wise men who visited Mary and Joseph when Jesus was born brought gold, frankincense and myrrh as gifts. Some believe that Jesus was born in a cave and not a stable.

The tradition of Christmas caroling began as an old English custom. It was originally called wassailing and was a toast to long life.

St. Francis of Assisi began the custom of singing Christmas carols in church in the 13th century.

There are approximately 60 million trees grown in Europe each year.

The letter X in Xmas is a Greek abbreviation for Christ.

In 1950 the world's largest Christmas tree was placed in a Washington Mall. It was 221 feet high.

Jingle Bells was originally written by James Pierpont in 1857, for Thanksgiving not Christmas. It was originally called One Horse Open Sleigh.

The traditional Christmas meal in England before turkey was mustard and a pig's head.

The world's biggest snowman was 113 feet tall and was built in Maine.

The Christmas wreath is symbolic of Jesus. The red berries symbolize his blood and the holly represents the crown of thorns.

In Germany they call Santa Kriss Kringle; in Italy they call him Le Befana; in France they call him Pere Noel.

The best-selling Christmas song ever is White Christmas by Bing Crosby. It has sold more than 50 million copies around the world.

Christmas is one of the most profitable times of year for many businesses.

Enjoy,

Ms. Nora Sierra

EC Assistant Principal

G1 Teacher

Dec. 1-5, 2014

The Art of Appreciation

Gratitude is one of the trickiest concepts to teach toddlers and preschoolers -- who are by nature self-centered -- but one of the most important. Sure, thankful children are more polite and pleasant to be around, but there's more to it than that. By learning gratitude, they become sensitive to the feelings of others, developing empathy and other life skills along the way, says Barbara Lewis, author of What Do You Stand For? For Kids (Free Spirit Publishing, 2005). Grateful kids look outside their one-person universe and understand that their parents and other people do things for them -- prepare dinner, dole out hugs, buy toys. "On the flip side, kids who aren't taught to be grateful end up feeling entitled and perpetually disappointed," says Lewis.

Indeed, instilling grateful feelings now will benefit your child later in life. A 2003 study at the University of California at Davis showed that grateful people report higher levels of happiness and optimism -- along with lower levels of depression and stress. The catch? "No one is born grateful," says life coach Mary Jane Ryan, author of Attitudes of Gratitude (Conari, 1999). "Recognizing that someone has gone out of the way for you is not a natural behavior for children -- it's learned."

Enjoy,

Ms. Nora Sierra

EC Assistant Principal

Grade 1 Teacher

November 24, 2014

Ms. Nora Sierra

Hands-On Science for Young Children

In early childhood it is equally important that science activities be hands-on, child-driven, authentic, and active. Developmentally, young children learn and understand best from what they can see, touch, feel, and manipulate. Providing safe, readily available materials that children can experiment with is one of the most important steps towards effective hands-on science investigations.

Effective educators use a child’s own natural curiosity and questions to fuel science investigations. Another way to explore science concepts is with informational books and stories infused with science concepts like weather, water, animals, etc. Science activities and investigations are also a great way to build oral vocabulary, develop reading readiness, and fuel literacy development.

Before educators can embark on designing an effective hands-on science program for young children, it’s important to know a bit about how a child’s brain works. The brain is a pattern-seeking machine, and science is the quest to recognize and classify naturally occurring patterns.

Children are naturally equipped to learn through observation and investigations. Every experience, every word, every toy deeply impacts her understanding of her world and the connections she makes. Every time a child learns something new, the brain rewires itself based on the child’s understanding. Every time the child repeats a task or a skill that particular neural pathway is reinforced and strengthened. “Learning changes the brain because it can rewire itself with each new stimulation, experience, and behavior”.  Providing varied and multiple opportunities for a child to use what she has just learned are important ways to help build efficient connections in the brain. It may be as simple as providing blocks to drop and knock over once you’ve noticed that the child is dropping a cup from the highchair. The more a neural pathway in a child’s brain is used, the stronger it becomes; conversely, if it is not used, the pathway can be lost.

Ms. Nora Sierra

EC Assistant Principal 

Word Analysis to Expand Vocabulary Development

By: Judy Zorfass

Introduction

When students engage in "word analysis" or "word study," they break words down into their smallest units of meaning — morphemes. Each morpheme has a meaning that contributes to our understanding of the whole word. As such, students’ knowledge of morphemes helps them to identify the meaning of words and build their vocabulary. The Institute for Educational Science (IES) Practice Guide strongly recommends providing explicit vocabulary instruction, which includes providing students with strategies for acquiring new vocabulary. The ability to analyze words is a critical foundational reading skill and is essential for vocabulary development as students become college and career ready.

Teaching word analysis skills satisfies several of the Common Core State Standards for literacy, including:

·         CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.10 Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

·         CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.L.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.

·         CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.L.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

 Teaching word analysis

As you create your plan for teaching word analysis strategies, think about the tools and methods that can support students’ understanding, and provide students with opportunities to practice using these tools and methods. Think, too, about how you could differentiate instruction and take advantage of technology tools to engage the diverse students in your classroom.

You can effectively differentiate word analysis techniques by providing clear and varied models, keeping in mind the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Model how to analyze a new word by breaking it down into its sub-parts, studying each part separately, and then putting the parts back together in order to understand the whole word

It also helps to demonstrate that when you are studying vocabulary in a specific content area (e.g., science), you can find patterns in the prefixes that will help you understand what the words mean in that context. For example:

·         Science: biology, biodegradable, biome, biosphere

·         Mathematics: quadruple, quadrant, quadrilateral, quadratic

·         Geography: disassemble, disarmament, disband, disadvantage

Students should also learn to track both the words and the word parts they learn through these strategies. Show students how to use offline and online visual diagrams, worksheets, and graphic organizers to visualize the relationship between words and store new vocabulary.

Word analysis in practice

If you provide students with opportunities to repeatedly practice analyzing unfamiliar vocabulary, their word analysis skills will continue to develop. Engage students individually, in pairs, or in small groups in a variety of games and activities, based on their individual abilities and needs. Consider ways in which you could modify the following games and activities to benefit struggling students:

·         The mix-and-match game using roots, prefixes, and suffixes

·         A word search in social studies, science, and mathematics texts to find words with prefixes and suffixes

·         Using Scrabble or Boggle tiles to form and re-form words

·         Movement activities that involve students holding up cards with root words, prefixes, and suffixes and reordering themselves to make words

·         Inventing a word by creating and defining nonsense words with prefixes and suffixes

Build word study into your classroom reading routine by pre-teaching words, introducing new vocabulary words weekly, and reviewing new words. Motivate students to practice using their word analysis skills by having them create glossaries of words with prefixes and suffixes from self-selected, high-interest texts.

 Enjoy,

Ms. Nora Sierra

EC Assistant Principal

Grade 1 Teacher