Hi! Can you say a bit more about your assessment time. When you're indoors are the other children working with their partner on learning games or is it more during "explore" time? I love the outside time as another window for assessment and side-by-side time with children.
Hi Jodi, I thought it might help if I share how I organize my assessment and then provide an example. Each afternoon the children have about 20-25 minutes to choose one quiet centre and play with a friend. They choose a centre that they know how to use and stay at that centre. I am not available to them. During the time I have a clipboard and an activity. I have already selected two children to assess one at a time, and what the focus of my assessment. If I am curious about counting strategies I would have about 3 counting jars on the tabLE. I explain why we are working with counting (what I am looking for) and then the child chooses a jar, organizes the tokens and then counts for me. I may be looking for counting strategies, one to one correspondence or how high the child can count. Is the child counting a large collection by 1's, 2's, 5's 10s? By planning ahead who I am assessing and what I am assessing my assessment is always up to date and enables me to make program decisions. Let's say that the child needs practice counting by 2's . the next day I would change our counting game to counting by 2's, we could count orally by 2's to ten, watch a counting video or read some books which focus on pairs. After I asses the child I provide specific feedback and we may set a goal together. Other types of assessment may be writing, alphabet names or sounds, blending.... I often conference with 2 children while they are eating lunch (1 at a time), usually doing an OSCL or adding to the e-portfolio. During our exploration time I am either working on a new skill or game with a small group, observing students or engaging students in their play to scaffold play skills. Let me know if you still have questions. I think that the key is to be organized, intentional and explicit. I also think it is really important to know you curriculum and developmental levels. Thanks for asking, Liz
@@reggiokinder4561 Wow! Thanks, Liz. This is very helpful. I'm thinking about how to build this time in my classroom. Previously, I observe and assess during Story Workshop and Explore/Free Play time. During Story Workshop I joyfully record children for documentation. Then I record the student of the day's "story." When workshop is over we all clean up and join at the carpet and perform their story as a play. During Explore time, later in the day, I work with/assess children one-on-one, mostly on ELA skills. However, this time always seems like I am interrupting their flow. I am going to try a new way similar to your quiet center play. My goal is to be more intentional with introducing materials, learning games, and observation/assessment. Your ideas and examples surely do help!! Thank you very much.
Hi Liz. In kindergarten, at the start of the year, would you have the children do counting collection (low numbers) with partners too or is it only when they start recording their counting that they do it in pairs? Thank you.
Hi Dina, I begin the first day of school when they come in groups of 5 We sit around the table and count the jars. After about five days I put them into pairs and they count jars together. I keep mixing the partners and then when I feel I know them and see who works nicely with who I assign a learning partner for the year. I do counting collections multiple times a week in the first month and then slowly reduce to once a week. I don't introduce the clipboards until around February to really ensure that they enjoy the new challenge and are successful. By then they are organizing their collections using containers like ice cube trays, ten frames, cups and plates. Last year I picked up silver star cups from the wedding section of the dollar store and they were the biggest hit.
Hi! Can you say a bit more about your assessment time. When you're indoors are the other children working with their partner on learning games or is it more during "explore" time? I love the outside time as another window for assessment and side-by-side time with children.
Hi Jodi,
I thought it might help if I share how I organize my assessment and then provide an example. Each afternoon the children have about 20-25 minutes to choose one quiet centre and play with a friend. They choose a centre that they know how to use and stay at that centre. I am not available to them. During the time I have a clipboard and an activity. I have already selected two children to assess one at a time, and what the focus of my assessment. If I am curious about counting strategies I would have about 3 counting jars on the tabLE. I explain why we are working with counting (what I am looking for) and then the child chooses a jar, organizes the tokens and then counts for me. I may be looking for counting strategies, one to one correspondence or how high the child can count. Is the child counting a large collection by 1's, 2's, 5's 10s? By planning ahead who I am assessing and what I am assessing my assessment is always up to date and enables me to make program decisions. Let's say that the child needs practice counting by 2's . the next day I would change our counting game to counting by 2's, we could count orally by 2's to ten, watch a counting video or read some books which focus on pairs. After I asses the child I provide specific feedback and we may set a goal together. Other types of assessment may be writing, alphabet names or sounds, blending.... I often conference with 2 children while they are eating lunch (1 at a time), usually doing an OSCL or adding to the e-portfolio.
During our exploration time I am either working on a new skill or game with a small group, observing students or engaging students in their play to scaffold play skills.
Let me know if you still have questions. I think that the key is to be organized, intentional and explicit. I also think it is really important to know you curriculum and developmental levels. Thanks for asking, Liz
@@reggiokinder4561 Wow! Thanks, Liz. This is very helpful. I'm thinking about how to build this time in my classroom. Previously, I observe and assess during Story Workshop and Explore/Free Play time. During Story Workshop I joyfully record children for documentation. Then I record the student of the day's "story." When workshop is over we all clean up and join at the carpet and perform their story as a play. During Explore time, later in the day, I work with/assess children one-on-one, mostly on ELA skills. However, this time always seems like I am interrupting their flow. I am going to try a new way similar to your quiet center play.
My goal is to be more intentional with introducing materials, learning games, and observation/assessment. Your ideas and examples surely do help!! Thank you very much.
@@jodisimpson7109 why don't you have a peak at my daily flow It is in the linktree in my instagram account. It may be helpful.
Hi Liz. In kindergarten, at the start of the year, would you have the children do counting collection (low numbers) with partners too or is it only when they start recording their counting that they do it in pairs? Thank you.
Hi Dina, I begin the first day of school when they come in groups of 5 We sit around the table and count the jars. After about five days I put them into pairs and they count jars together. I keep mixing the partners and then when I feel I know them and see who works nicely with who I assign a learning partner for the year. I do counting collections multiple times a week in the first month and then slowly reduce to once a week. I don't introduce the clipboards until around February to really ensure that they enjoy the new challenge and are successful. By then they are organizing their collections using containers like ice cube trays, ten frames, cups and plates. Last year I picked up silver star cups from the wedding section of the dollar store and they were the biggest hit.