KINDERGARTEN 21ST CENTURY SKILLS

TED 8700-EL ED Capstone Shelly Caskey

BELL FIELD ELEMENTARY

�  365 students

�  73% Free and Reduced Lunch

�  Title 1

�  Mission Statement �  The mission of Bell Field Elementary School is to empower each student to perform

his/her personal best, to demonstrate positive character, and to contribute responsibly to our ever-changing world.

THE KINDERGARTEN DREAM TEAM

�  Shelly Caskey

�  Heather Millard

�  Jamie Schrader

FOCUS STUDENT

�  Female

�  Bottom 1/6th of class upon entry

�  Youngest of four children

�  Parents from Honduras

�  Spanish spoken in the home

�  Very quiet and shy

�  Vocabulary and concept concerns

STANDARDS

�  LA 0.1.6.c Retell information from narrative text including characters, setting, and events. �  LA 0.1.6.h Make connections between characters or events in narrative and informational text, to own

life or other cultures. Retrieved from www.education.ne.gov �  SL.K.2. Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other

media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood. Retrieved from www.commoncorestandards.com

�  LA 0.1.3.d Use phonetic knowledge to write (e.g., approximated spelling) �  LA 0.2.1 Writing Process: Students will use writing to communicate. �  LA 0.2.1.c Generate representations of ideas (e.g., pictures, labels, letter strings, words, simple

sentences); select and organize ideas relevant to a topic �  LA 0.2.1 Writing Process: Students will use writing to communicate. �  LA 0.2.1.c Generate representations of ideas (e.g., pictures, labels, letter strings, words, simple

sentences). �  LA 0.3 Students will learn and apply speaking and listening skills and strategies to communicate. �  LA 0.4.1.e Gather and share information and opinions as a result of communication with others (e.g.,

computer applications, teacher controlled internet downloads, multimedia presentations). Retrieved from www.education.ne.gov.

READING AND CRITICAL THINKING

�  Performance Objective �  To encourage emergent readers to listen and comprehend a story that is read to

them while actively thinking and engaging with the text and then applying the lessons learned to their life, specifically in the area of friendship.

READING AND CRITICAL THINKING

�  Procedure �  Begin the lesson with a discussion. What is a “friend”? Why are friends important?

�  Show the book Be My Friend, Floppy Puppy. Have the students make predictions.

�  Stop after page 3 and have them to define Floppy Puppy’s problem, his plan and if they think it is a good one.

�  After page 8, have them recall animals he has met and what he wanted to do with them. How do they think Floppy Puppy is feeling? What should he do now?

�  After the reading, have the children list the things Floppy Puppy and Small Kitten did together. Have several volunteers name things they do with friends.

�  Use the retelling rope to review the story.

�  Assessment �  Draw themselves helping a friend

�  Share with the class.

COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION

�  Performance Objective �  Students will demonstrate the ability to collaborate during writing by creating a

shared story that will meet six out of the seven criteria listed on the assessment checklist

COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION

�  Procedures �  Have the students sit with their writing partner. Using a common event, model with

one of the students how to contribute and share the writing/drawing process. Remind them to have a beginning, middle, end and lots of details. Also remind them to work together to stretch the words to get as many sounds as possible in their words.

�  Send them to their assigned writing spots. The teacher’s job is to encourage and conference with the students as she circulates around the room.

�  Call the students back to the “rainbow rug” to share what they accomplished. Pick two stories to share with the group from the author’s chair.

�  Closure: Point out the marvelous work they did together!

�  Assessment �  A checklist of seven questions with a section for notes on future collaboration.

TECHNOLOGY AND CREATIVITY �  Performance Objective

�  Students will create a drawing/story using Kid Pix software. With the help of an older student, they will add meaningful text to the pictures.

�  Lesson 1- Demonstrate how to use drawing tools in Kid Pix software.

�  Lesson 2 – Review drawing tools in Kid Pix. Have children begin drawing a picture for their story.

�  Lesson 3- Students will finish the picture for their story that includes adding color and details.

�  Lesson 4- With the help of an older student, the kindergartener will add meaningful text to their picture.

TECHNOLOGY AND CREATIVITY

�  Assessment �  A nine-question yes/no checklist assessing picture, text and ability to work with the

fourth grade assistant.

REFLECTION �  My focus student is reading at a level C. She definitely is developing into a strong

thinker. �  On the part of the kindergarten team, there is deliberate inclusion of critical thinking

questions in our lesson plans. �  The two children working together for writing/collaboration produced great writing.

It was so exciting to see them work together. They were productive and effective.

�  The kindergarten class will be doing collaborative writing again in January during the Fairy Tale unit.

�  Great things with technology may take several attempts before a wonderful, shareable item is produced at the kindergarten level. We needed to build up to this project.

�  I would like to try an alphabet book with each child producing a page. My class does animal reports in the spring. We will also be doing one of them on the computer.

�  There are many options available in technology to enhance learning at my level.

SOURCES �  Boyle, B., & Charles, M. (2011). 'The three hags and Pocohontas': how collaboration develops early years writing skills. Literacy, 45(1), 10-18. doi:

10.1111/j.1741-4369.2011.00576.x

�  Harvey, S. & Goudvis, A. (2013). Comprehension at the core. The Reading Teacher, 66(6), 432-439. doi: 10.1002/TRTR.1145

�  Klibthong, S. (2012). Developing the understanding of the role of interpersonal interaction in early literacy development: A case study of a Thai public preschool. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 37(3), 121-128.

�  Northcote, M. (2011). Teaching with technology: Step back and hand over the cameras! Using digital cameras to facilitate mathematics learning with young children in K-2 classrooms. Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom, 16(3), 29-32. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com

�  Peterson, D. & Taylor, B. (2012). Using higher order questioning to accelerate students’ growth in reading. Reading Teacher, 65(5), 295-304.

�  Quebec Fuentes, S. (2013). Small-group discourse: Establishing a communication-rich classroom. Clearing House, 86(3), 93-98.doi: 10.1080/00098655.2013.767775 

�  Nancy Meier, Media Specialist, Bell Field Elementary

�  Stricklin, K. (2011). Hands-on reciprocal teaching: A comprehension technique. The Reading Teacher, 64(8), 620-625. doi: 10.1598/RT.64-8. 

�  Websites with kindergarten technology projects for viewing:

�  http://www.santeesd.net/Page/3956

�  http://www.celinaschools.org/BetsysPage.aspx

�  http://www.polson.k12.mt.us/cherry/teachers/crosby/crosby.site/kindtech/kidpix.html

�  Wessels, S. (2011). Promoting vocabulary learning for English learners. ReadingTeacher, 65(1), 46-50. doi:10.1598/RT.65.1.6

�  Wigglesworth, G., & Storch, N. (2012). What role for collaboration in writing and writing feedback. Journal Of Second Language Writing, 21(4), 364-374. doi:10.1016/j.jslw.2012.09.005

�  Yee, K., & Hargis, J. (2012). Digital storytelling: Kizoa, animoto, and photo story 3. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 13(1), 12-14. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com